Raleigh venturers embark on expeditions
We’re not sure whether it’s the time of year or just a journalistic coincidence, but if you’ve been watching this newscast during the last few weeks you might think that the most common creatures inhabiting the Belizean rainforest are British teenagers. Having talked to the trekkers from Trekforce and eaten with the young cadets of Eton, it’s time for a visit with the venturers of the latest Raleigh expedition.
Jacqueline Woods
For the last four days, the venturers have been at Camp Oakley preparing themselves for the journey that lies ahead. The trip will take the group into some remote parts of Belize where the venturers will be building schools, clearing land and doing underwater research.
Rupert Miller, Expedition Leader, Raleigh
“We probably got our biggest school on this one that we’ve ever built with Raleigh International worldwide. We have a five-classroom school at Cristo Rey Village and two more schools, one at Patchakan in the North and Maya Mopan on the Southern Highway. We’re also continuing the marine science work on Tobacco Range and Cary Caye. We are also really fortunate to be at Half Moon Caye for one phase, working with the Belize Audubon and we are extending the pier out there and also replacing the observation tower, and that’s a really unique opportunity for us, and we’re very excited about that happening. Also Columbia River, in the South, working with local forestry down there identifying the path’s boundaries and finally the continuation of the wildtracks project, with the radio tracking of the Fer De Lance snake.”
There are ninety-six young men and women who will be a part of Raleigh Expedition. The venturer’s, who come from Great Britain and other countries across the globe, had to undergo a selection process before they came to Belize.
Jacqueline Woods
“You had to be part of a selection weekend in order to be chosen for expedition, tell us about that.”
Ian Daniels, Venturer, Raleigh Expedition
“You go away for two days, a Saturday and a Sunday. You arrive Saturday morning, and you do a lot of common tasks, you get supper, then you go to bed. You wake up again, then you go on a hike for a few miles, then you go to bed for two hours. Then you get up and do a lot of common tasks again, there’s a few slide shows about the kinds of things we could be doing if we get into Raleigh International.”
Jacqueline Woods
“So it was very challenging.”
Ian Daniels
“Yeah, it’s an intense weekend and it certainly makes you tired.”
The venturers will leave for their prospective locations on Friday. However, they have already gotten a feel of what it will be like out in the fields.
Anne Wilson, P.R, Raleigh Expedition
“Just to give them a taste of what the jungles in Belize is like and how to do things like build a bed, a basher to sleep in, how to set up a camp, how to river cross safely, navigation skills and learning a little bit about the environment and what to touch and what not to touch.”
Because you can expect to see anything in the tropical rainforest of Belize, accompanying the young men and women is Martin Velasquez, a Belizean Naturalist, who has had six years experience in the bush.
Martin Velasquez, Assistant, Raleigh Expedition
“Well, the forest out here is quite teeming with wild life, any part of Belize is, from the insects crawling, to little snakes crawling around, to tarantulas, nor and then scorpions, Howler Monkeys, the small crocodiles and so on in the backyard ponds. So it’s quite rich with animals and things moving in the forest, so people are really cluing into these things and they always come around asking Martin, “What is that?” so I’m there for them.”
Jacqueline Woods
“None of them really tried to go up and touch any of the animals you have seen so far?”
Martin Velasquez
“So far, they have remained at a distance, hopefully they keep that distance as well.”
Also on hand at Camp Oakley were members of the British Army Support Unit, BATSUB. The soldiers briefed the venturers on some survival skills.
Anne Wilson
“We have had the army come in who are involved with the caddy back process, so if any of the venturers will starve or anybody on the expedition when they get to the project site needs emergency medical help, then these guys will come in and be able to fly them out from the project site.”
One project sure to get the venturers adrenalin flowing is assisting in the project designed to track Belize’s most dangerous reptile.
Jake Opie, Venturer
“We are going to be tracking down the Fer de Lance, which is the most deadly snake in Belize, which our whole group is very worried about. Then we are going to put it to sleep, cut it’s back open and put in a transmitter in it’s back. We are then going to sew up the snake and when it awakes we are going to release it again. We’ll have a little device that if the snake is near, we will be able to track it down and see how it’s coping in the environment.”
Jacqueline Woods
“Seems interesting, but do you like snakes?”
Jake Opie
“Not particularly, no. The whole group is really nervous about it, but it’s quite exciting.”
Jacqueline Woods
“So how have you been preparing yourself mentally for this trip?”
Jake Opie
“We’ve been biting our nails. We’re very scared about it. We went to the jungle a couple a days ago to get used to it because we will be living in bashers out there in hammocks and we had a taste of what it would be like in the jungle.”
Jacqueline Woods
“Have you seen any snakes since coming to Belize?”
Jake Opie
“No I haven’t yet. It’s going to be my first experience with the snakes.”
Most ventures say they are happy to be in Belize and each has his or her own reason for joining Raleigh.
Rashid Al-Ameri, Venturer, Raleigh Expedition
“This is a very beautiful place, Belize, very beautiful. There is mostly desert UAE. UAE is just desert, mostly desert and it’s just a twenty-nine year old country now, so they’re making a lot of roads and parks and zoos, but it’s nothing like here, it’s just magnificent.”
Some of the youths have had a troubled past and an activity like the Raleigh Expedition may just be what they need to get their lives turned around.
Anne Wilson
“There are here because Raleigh is a youth development programme. The whole point of Raleigh is to get people together to learn about themselves and see what they can discover about themselves and working with other people. So particularly from the UK we have the youth development programme, so we have a number of entries who have been involved with that and they haven’t really had the best chance in life so far. Some of them might have been involved with drugs and they’ve just gone through rehabilitation. Definitely, they might have been unemployed and all sorts of problems, so by getting to come unto a Raleigh Expedition, they are seeing a new way of life and having a new start if you like.”
Kim Whittle
“I’ve had a bit of a bad upbringing basically, so I’ve come over here to get a bit more motivation and move forward and hopefully go back to Britain and move into improvement.”
Jacqueline Woods
“Is this the first time you are taking part in such an expedition?”
Ian Daniels
“I’ve never done this before.”
Jacqueline Woods
“Why did you decide to be a part of Raleigh?”
Ian Daniels
“Hopefully, when I get back I will be joining the British Army, so…it’s a good experience and it’s great fun.”
Jacqueline Woods
“What has it been like since you’ve been here?”
Ian Daniels
“It’s been brilliant, well when we got here, the weather wasn’t too hot, raining a bit. But since then it’s been lovely weather and it’s been really good fun being in the jungle and it’s been great.”
There are eight Belizeans participating in the annual expedition.
Santos Baltazar, a soldier in the Belize Defence Force says while he is familiar with the jungles of Belize, he has never explored the underwater world. For the first time, Baltazar will be diving in our waters off Cary Caye.
Santos Baltazar, Soldier, BDF
“basically it is a science project they are having, with the coral. There are two scientists that is out there and we are going to be working with them at the bottom of the sea, hold a little triangular thing and count the different things that is in there and mark it on a slate.”
This latest Raleigh Expedition comes to a close on September twenty-fourth.
Raleigh is a UK based charitable organisation that has been running expeditions in Belize since 1995.
