Here is a media release updating the community on what the team have been up to since our expedition launch in July 2012.
Cromwell College Everest Base Camp
2013
It is hard to
believe that in three weeks our team departs on an expedition to trek to
Everest Base Camp via Phortse Primary School, Gokyo Lakes and Cho La Pass. We
leave from Queenstown on 24 April, travelling to Auckland, then on to Singapore
before touching down in Kathmandu on the 26 April. From there it will be a short flight to Lukla
where we begin our trek up the Khumbu Valley.
There have
been a couple of changes to our team and it now consists of: David Borrie (Team
Leader) Will Douglas (2nd Team Leader), Will Harrison
(Flights/travel), Jonathan Streeter (Medical), Elsa Mannering (Phortse
liaison), Bryn Gibson , Hugh Cocks , Liam Crum and Leroy Bird. They are being
accompanied by Kim Logan (Team Manager and guide), Pauline Murphy (Elsa’s Mum and fundraising coordinator) and Mason Stretch (Principal).
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| David Borrie, Hugh Cocks and Jonathan Streeter scrubbing hard at our car wash. |
One of our
goals is to spend half a day at Phortse Primary School, about 6 km north of
Namche Bazaar. This is one of the Hillary Himalayan Trust schools and we will
donate around $2000 of our fundraising, including money from a school mufti day
to be held on 10 April. Our students
will be taking some touch and soccer balls and each of them will be teaching
the Phortse students about some aspect of New Zealand and Cromwell. We will be practising our National Anthem
and may perform our school haka: provided it is not too scary for them.
From Phorste
we climb into the Gokyo Valley before heading over Cho La Pass (5420m). From
here we join the main Khumbu Valley heading towards Everest Base Camp. We aim to visit Everest Base Camp on 8 May and
hope to call into the Adventure Consultants base run by Wanaka’s Guy
Cotter. We then head back down valley through
Lobuche, past the famous Tengboche Monastery and Namche Bazaar, flying out from
Lukla on 13 May. We arrive back in Queenstown on Friday 17 May and will be back
at school on Monday. For those interested in tracking our progress we plan to
have a blog linked to the school website www.cromwell.school.nz
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| Jonathan Streeter and Elsa Mannering waitering at Wooing Tree |
The biggest
focus for parents and students since our ‘launch’ in July last year has been to
achieve our aim of raising half the cost of the trip, around $30,000. This has
been an enjoyable adventure in itself and there has been a great camaraderie
within the group of parents and students as we have been involved in a wide
range of fundraising activity. Two of the memorable highlights have been our
evenings with Guy Cotter, Peter Hillary and Apa Sherpa. All the students have
had summer jobs to cover costs and on top of this they and their parents have
also installed irrigation, washed cars, weeded gardens, supported the Legends
Golf Tournament, helped with food and waitering at a Wooing Tree wedding, labelled
fundraising ‘Sagarmatha’ wine, run a mountain film festival evening, cleaned up
the race course 3 times, and most recently, catered for the Northburn 100
event, set up the Easter Art Show and cleaned up after the opening of the
Highlands Motorsport Park.
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| Labelling our Sagarmatha Pinot |
As well as
fundraising we have had amazing support from a large number of businesses and
individuals who have contributed cash, equipment or prizes to help us reach our
goal. This support has been huge for the team and we are extremely grateful to
all who have contributed. We look forward to acknowledging all of our generous
sponsors in our next Bulletin update.
The team have
been working on their fitness and last week had an initial gear check and received
their vaccinations. With 3 weeks to go
our focus is organising our full complement of gear including favoured snacks
and medication. For six of the team this
will be their qualifying expedition of their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Hillary
Award which is fitting given this is the 60th anniversary of the
first ascent of Mt Everest by Hillary and Tensing.
This journey
is a courageous undertaking for the students, their parents and our school and
I have great admiration and pride for the efforts of parents, their children
and our community for making this expedition a reality. A special thanks also to Kim Logan for his
quiet confidence and guidance. It has been a pleasure to see the hard work,
excitement and character exhibited by our team. A true adventure awaits us all and
it is aptly captured in our school motto,
Whaia te taumata (Pursue the highest peaks) – Deserve Success
Namaste
Mason Stretch
Principal
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