Issue 87 - NWRFCA - Northwest Reserve Forces & Cadets Association

manchester and salford university
Otc
Cadets revel
in adventure
training
by OCDT Lucy Wilson
MSUOTC deployed to Bavaria by
coach, for the annual adventure
training package.
This involved climbing, hiking,
kayaking, and a German sport
known widely as Klettersteige.
On arrival, the officer cadets were
each allocated rooms, activities
and appropriate kit. The tired and
dishevelled students, all in need
of a hot shower post 18hour coach
journey, perked up when told
that the following timing would
not be until dinner that evening.
Swim costumes were donned,
towels thrown around necks and
the local swimming pool of the
small Bavarian town of Wertach
welcomed the most visitors it had
surely ever seen.
2Lt Usher certainly made the
most of the glorious sunshine
after her arduous summer spent
entirely in uniform, attending
Summer Leader and successfully
completing MOD3; her red and
white stripy skin pattern followed
her to RMAS for the September
2011 commissioning course and no
doubt it reminded her of happier
times.
The sight of officer cadets
walking round the village in
their harnesses was something
of a scary sight for the locals of
Wertach. Post Wine Festival mid
week, however, and the MSUOTC
clan were far more integrated into
the village.
Reveille was 0700 and the
big English breakfasts were
always the highlight of the
early mornings. Officer cadets
continually returned from
their day’s activity on a high,
having thoroughly enjoyed the
day and looking forward to a
few more beverages. A huge
mention must be made of 2Lt
Lihou who organised a fantastic
activities package which ran
very smoothly, and included
grade 5 White Water Rapids,
canyonning and a trip to visit
the beautiful Neuschwanstein
Castle, the filming location for
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. All the
instructors instilled a great ‘work
hard, play hard’ ethic within the
troops, and many of the officer
cadets returned home with
qualifications in kayaking and
Summer Mountain Proficiency.
The officer cadets who were
allocated hiking deployed on
a 2 day expedition to climb the
highest mountain in Germany
of 2,962 metres. “Climbing
the Zugspitze is one of the
greatest challenges I have ever
undertaken” OCdt Herrero recalls
of the experience.
The mammoth adventure
training exercise came to an
end 11 days later, Officer Cadets
injury free save for the scorched
necklines and canyonning
backside bruising. The exercise
was uniformly called a huge
success and it was a great start to
the academic year of 2011.
Let’s raise our glasses to the
next MSUOTC adventurous
training trip in Tignes 2012 which
has also set very high standards.
Prost!
www.nwrfca.org.uk the volunteer 55