This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
Rob Hosking He ie your leader He ig your guide On the amazing journey Together you'll ride...
K. Leaders’ Training Weekend. What, I hear you cry, in your relentless search for truth, does that involve? Well it’s difficult to say. Trip leadership is a mystical and exalted process and I wouldn't want to betray any guild secrets. Did the weekend involve bizarre Masonic-like rituals involving trowels, leather aprons, and callipers? I really couldn’t say. Was there a strange
s Journey” TheWhedark ceremony where we all stood in a circle in a candlelit room and had blood daubed on our foreheads? My lips are sealed. Were we given a handbook of handy leader-ish phrases, like “not long now”, “we should make the hut before dark”, “we'll have a scrog stop in about half an hour” and “I think the Chief Guide’s been a bit ambitious about this route”, for all occasions?
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Trip Reports
Umm, let me see. “I’m pretty sure we're in this valley” (point at map and gaze at hills in shrewd, all knowing manner”). Were we all taught how to exude the necessary aura of charisma, competence and unassuming charm without which no leader is complete? I’d have to saw my own arm if I let on about that, I’m afraid. Were we all sworn to secrecy, on pain of pain? Not really for me to say. Was there an eerie “game” where all the participants took either the role of sheep or dogs? I'd be revealing too-much if + said-yes, but you probably wouldn't be a million miles away if you assumed something of that nature took place. Some things can be revealed. Navigation, future participants of trips led by those involved in the weekend will be relieved to hear, featured strongly. First the theory, then for practice we headed out into a bit of bush that had been put together earlier for us. Split into several groups and then led up a slippery path. There followed rigorous instruction. “OK,” says the instructor. “Do you know where you are?” “The bush!” “Good. How do you know you're in the bush?” “Umm...there’s trees and things?”
“Trees tend to give the game away a bit, yes. Which bit of bush exactly?” ‘A hilly bit.” “Right. Which hilly bit?” “Umm...” “Is it a hilly bit within range of a rescue helicopter?” “Yes.” Good boy. Then it was back to the camp by a route, which by some skilful navigation took us past the local bottle store. I One final thought on teadership: “There’s probably someone in your party who knows how to use his watch as a compass and which berries are edible and how to light a fire with two pieces of dehydrated pizza. This person is called a Natural Leader and should be tied to a tree and ignored...” Fred Dagg
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