The 2025 Chronicle

OUTDOOR EDUCATION

Few schools are blessed with a natural set ting quite like Michaelhouse, and we make the most of it. Our Outdoor Education pro gramme for boys in E, D and C Blocks takes learning far beyond the classroom, using the environment as both backdrop and teacher. These journeys foster curiosity, resilience, belonging, a deep er awareness of the environment and an understanding of different cultures. Whether trekking miles from the comforts of school life or working together to overcome challenges, our boys grow in confidence and character. What makes these experiences truly special are the people and places that shape them. Whether it’s the unique In hlosane mountain that rises above our valley, the local farm ers who partner with us for our C Block journey, or the re markable Pondoland people who so warmly welcome our boys during their D Block adventure, each encounter adds richness and meaning to the experience, and encourages a sense of gratitude among the boys. Outdoor education remains a vital part of a Michaelhouse journey, shaping thoughtful, capable and environmentally con scious young men who carry these lessons with them long after the campfire has burned out. Read more in the sections that follow to discover how the 2025 experiences continued to challenge, inspire and grow our boys. Day 1: It started off with all of us E Block ers frantically rushing to pack all our stuff after being warned to prepare in advance, which obviously wasn’t taken seriously until the very last minute. We eventually started making our way down to the amphithe atre, by which time my legs were already burning. I glanced up to see hundreds of small boys with backpacks that were bigger than themselves. When we were gathered at the amphitheatre we were asked if we had any dangerous supplies in our bags. After establishing that we didn’t, we embarked on our great hike. We were all keen and ready to go. We took the long route through the school gates and out on to the dirt road up towards the reserve. Looking back I saw quite a few people losing their enthusiasm very quickly, and I saw an occasional sleeping bag fall off. At one point I even saw a whole tent fall out of its bag and land on the road. We eventually made it to Strips, where we had to make sure our whole House group was there. Halfway up the concrete strips we had a huge problem: Mini had an asthma attack and had to un pack his whole bag to get his inhaler. After things calmed down a bit, Keegan, being the hero he is, managed to carry Mini’s back pack, his own backpack and, to add to that, he carried Mini as well. E BLOCK CAMP 2025: MY EXPERIENCE Written by Cameron Cahill

When we finally reached camp, every single person was fatigued. We found our designated campsites and made our way to the lapa for a rundown of things and a bit of a snack. We made our way back to camp and started setting up our tents. Our group made an amazing fireplace, and used a stick to hoist up the Mackenzie clothing, and that was our camp set up. Then it became cold very quickly – the weather came over us and it started to rain. We went back to the lapa and learnt what our first activities were going be. We made our flag and it was amazing, taking the cake. Our war cry, on the other hand, which we had practised for the whole day, wasn’t so good, but we still had fun doing it. We eventually made a huge fire and got ourselves warm, and then we settled down for the night, all cosy. Day 2: Day two started off wet – the minute I got out of my tent I was already sopping. We ate our breakfast feeling very defeated. But then the weather lifted and so did our spirits. We were told what our activities were and this made us extremely excited because we were doing the raft race. We made our way down to the dam and each group was given materials such as poles, barrels and rope. When we got to the other side we started crafting our rafts. We worked for ages trying to find the best way possible. Eventually we decided to just wing it, and it ended up looking quite messy but it was sturdy. We slid it into the water and it floated. Max Franz was splayed out on top like a dead frog. And then we shot off, turning the water into white foam. We zoomed to the other side, but that wasn’t the end of it – we had to undo it and run it to the other side before we finished. We ended up coming third, and it was really a fun activity. Later on we were told our next task, which was the potjie chal lenge. Four of our House members made it, and by the time we ate we were so hungry we could’ve eaten dirt. We ended up loving our potjie, even though the judges didn’t agree. Then we settled in for night two, wet and cold, but we had had lots of fun. Day 3: We woke up early and I threw on my already sopping shoes. This was the day that was designated for the Inhlosane hike, but the conditions were too wet to go, so we ended up hiking our amazing reserve. It was very wet, and poured with rain basically the whole time. We left the top gates and this was where things got interesting. We started walking on the wet and muddy dirt road. People were dropping like flies. It felt like we were skiing down the Alps. When we eventually got out of the forest, the layout of the land was beautiful. The only thing that kept me going was talking to Jordan Murray the whole way back. We came back out of “no man’s land” and made our way back to camp. I think that there were a few world records broken that day: first of all, the quick est time to take down a campsite ever, and getting back down to the Houses was like running the Comrades. The bad thing was that it was extremely wet still and people were sliding down hills left, right and centre. We eventually got back to the Houses, where we had the best showers of our lives. After getting fresh and warm our whole dorm took a nap. After we woke up we went down to the Old Boys’ Club and had some supper and played some basketball in the indoor centre.

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