13 alumni of the Outward Bound School in Lumut had a whale of a time during the three-day Labour Day weekend participating in the School’s first alumni gathering called “Road to 55”.
These Ex-Bounders, previously participants of the School’s various courses, comprised individuals whose ages ranged from 18 to 61 years old.
Arriving separately on May 1, the alumni were taken for a tour of the School after registration and were briefed by instructors on the changes that have taken place at the School.
Nostalgia filled the air as the alumni, especially the older ones, reminisced of their days roughing it out in the wilderness and experiencing the vagaries of Nature.
The following day saw the group of 13 arising early to launch the whaler – a scaled-down version of a Viking ship – into the sea. Being a vessel measuring the length of approximately three sedans, this was a laborious task indeed!
As they set out to Pantai Syawal with eight rowers and six manning the sails, the sun blazed down on them but the weather quickly took a turn for the worse as storm clouds gathered and winds caused the currents midway to the destination to pick up intensity, nearly causing the vessel to capsize at some points.
The School’s motherboat had to be used to tow the whaler to the shore, where the group quickly set up camp in anticipation of a storm brewing.
In allusion to Murphy’s Law, the thunderstorm promptly occurred at the camp site, ensuring that the group, though safely ensconced in dome tents, to experience bouts of chill as rain seeped into the tents which were almost blown out of shape due to the strong gales!
After a long night replete with shivers and mumbles about the cold, the campsite was in a veritable mess, but the group promptly and without a complaint set out to pack up to return to the School.
This time, the wind was kinder and the journey back was literally smooth sailing – the whaler’s sails captured the strong winds and swiftly brought them to School within an hour.
The alumni’s most senior member, Kenneth Yee, who at age 63 branded the excursion one to remember for all time. “Since the Standard Course which I attended about 40 years ago, I have been relishing opportunities to relive my OBS days, and this is certainly one brilliant gathering organised by the School for old-timers like me,” he quipped.
Teoh Eng Gin, 27, chirped excitedly, “The mini-whaler expedition was quite an experience in itself, as teamwork and coordination were essential for a safe journey. Indeed, in the short few hours that we rowed, I think we have achieved much in terms of bonding than we ever could in a day’s worth of classroom lessons.”
IBM support staff for Perak, Noor Aminolrashid Ismail, who doubled as the group’s photographer, even created a blog for alumni to pen their thoughts. “The Outward Bound School provides an avenue for us modern folk to appreciate the basics of life. Its rustic setting and charming mix of new and old have been the motivation for the creation of this blog, where alumni members both old and young can share memories and anecdotes,” he explained.
The blog, accessible at www.obmlalumni.blogspot.com, contains well-captured shots of the group in the various activities.
The three-day stint ended with participants going for a whirlwind tour of the nearby Lumut Naval Base, where they caught a glimpse of the stately warships and sprawling base grounds.
The Outward Bound School in Lumut was set up as the first Outward Bound institution outside of the United Kingdom, where the original Outward Bound School was established.
The School’s mission is to provide unique educational experiences which are challenging and demanding to discover, develop and achieve one’s true potential.
In this respect, it offers courses that vary in duration and intensity of activities to cater for people of different age groups. The longest course takes place over a period of 25 days, whilst tailor-made courses can last for a minimum of four days.
Whilst the School is a not-for-profit organisation, it undertakes efforts to ensure its courses are affordable to most levels of society. The School also appreciates charitable giving by organisations and individuals.
Prepping the whaler up
A refresher course on rowing and manoeuvring the whaler
Briefing before the sailing
The challenge begins!
Getting a taste of the life of a viking
Tipsy… cruising with the wind in sails
Going full speed ahead (with the motherboat’s help!)with ominous-looking skies above
Touching base – unloading camping gear and other essentials at Pantai Syawal
Setting up camp
Irresistible – piping-hot rice with vegetables and sardines taste like five-star cuisine after a hard day’s work
All set for the trip home
Back on solid ground – participants unloading equipment off the whaler at the School
One for the album – a parting shot before departure
