Dunfermline Explorers in KwaZulu Natal adventure

03/07/2009

Parents and friends were recently given a presentation by 12 young people from Linburn Explorer Scouts in Dunfermline about the adventures experienced during the a two-week trip to Kwa-Zulu Natal province in South Africa earlier this year.

The trip started with camping in the Umfolozi National Park, where the young people learnt bush ranger skills and gained a greater understanding of conservation, wildlife and wild area management. During this time the group had close encounters with many animals. For Kirsten (15), a charging Black Rhino and a brush with a very grumpy bull elephant were “awesome and unexpected experiences”. A day visit to the St Lucia Wetlands also brought the group into contact with crocodiles and hippos and the warm breaking surf of the Indian Ocean.

The group then lived for four days in Ekhuthuleni, a village in the highlands of Zululand, learning about Zulu culture by observing and participating in contemporary Zulu village life. This included meeting the local medicine man, watching women making intricate bead-work and taking part in local ceremonies and celebrations.

Community Project for Zulu village

The group also wanted to give something back to local community during their trip. Group Scout Leader Stuart Middleton said: “The village has no electricity or running water so the most challenging and rewarding part of the expedition was working hard for two days to provide a source of tapped water for the village by creating a pond in which fresh spring water would collect, piping this to a large tank and then to a communal stand-pipe. Working side by side with local people, the group managed to complete the project in time”. The group had previously undertaken fundraising to buy all the materials used in the project.

Scott,15, said: “We worked really hard, sometimes digging with our bare hands, but we knew it would make a huge difference to village life”.

The group also had time to visit the battlefield sites of the Zulu and Boer wars and with the help of an expert battlefield guide, discovered more about our colonial history and conflicts in the area, including Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift.

On the final day, at the Umgeni Valley Reserve, the expedition finished on a high – literally! They were able to zip wire over the Karkloof Forest - sometimes more than a hundred feet up - and see the forest canopy from above!