"Raleigh had a considerable impact on me!": Nick's 1997 Namibia Expedition

Raleigh alumni and avid explorer Nick is from the UK.

Nick joined his first Raleigh Expedition as a Venturer Manager in 1997 at 56 years old. This new adventure came after a number of impressive travelling escapades including a road trip in 1962 in an Austin Gypsy to Jerusalem and back across North Africa and several trips with the British Schools Exploring Society to Africa, the Arctic and the Amazon.

Nick shares his story and the impact Raleigh had on his life!

Could You Tell Us About Your Background?

I arrived in October 1941. My mother and I lived with my father’s parents in the village of North Stoke near Bath while my father was in the RAF.

The house had no electricity, gas or mains water. My brother arrived in 1944 just after D-Day. My father was in Normandy. On his return, we moved to a similar situation in the village of East Dundry near Bristol. With the only other male child in the village, we ran through the fields and streams, played Tarzan and rode bicycles through the country lanes.

We returned to North Stoke to stay with our grandparents quite often and were given freedom to roam. My favourite spot was in a bank of beech trees overlooking the A4 Bristol to Bath roadway below. Watching the traffic I wondered where they were going and how soon I could get out to see the big world.

What Inspired You to Join Multiple Raleigh Expeditions in Namibia?

In 1997 I had come back from an expedition to Sinai Egypt and was looking for a longer expedition.

Friends had told me about Raleigh so I decided to give it a go and filled out an application. The interview was not over-encouraging. Understandably the panel, and one particular person, looked at my age and wish to be a trek manager with some scepticism. However, I was eventually offered a position as Assistant Logistics Manager in Namibia. I gave it some thought and accepted.

Raleigh was/is different. (There was) so much for me to learn and get used to. On arrival, I caught the Expedition leader Jon Rogers, who became a friend, looking at me wondering how he had got saddled with this “old buffer”! He later wrote of me in a report: “Nick has a can-do-will-do attitude.”

How Raleigh is Empowering Global Citizens of the Future

What Projects Did You Work on?

The position of AL got me involved in almost everything. I visited with supplies to groups building schools and caring for wildlife.

At the end of the Expedition, I expressed my wish to come back as a trek manager and did so in 1988 with Jon as expedition leader again.

How Did Raleigh Impact Your Life?

Raleigh had a considerable impact. I kept going back!

Though I had done a lot with the British Schools Exploring Society, I learned some more.

Raleigh emphasizes the concept of facilitation. That leaders are there to encourage Venturers to be responsible for themselves and others and to come up with ideas on a trek for further adventure and to lead for at least a day themselves.

Do You Have Advice for Youth Who Are Considering a Raleigh Expedition?

I would tell the prospective Venturer that I had never been with anyone who did not find it a great experience. That does not mean that every day will be great. Some of it will be tough for me as well as you. If you are having a bad day do not be afraid to say so. We are all going to be there to help each other.