Time at Quest - Sheila Musto

What have we been up to since we began a month ago?  The simple and short answer is "a lot" ; the long answer would take too long. We are busy and am sure, so are you. I have been thinking about time and how it seems to have shrunk as our schedules have grown.  We rush from one thing to another and there is seldom time for the unscheduled moments that often produce the magic in life. We even drink tea quickly which is a grave sign.

The Quest to Conquer!

The First Edition Quest Africa Adventure Race - May 2012 

An introduction to adventure racing

The Bunny-Hugging Files

“Of Bunnies and Bakkies” – By Duncan Van Der Lingen

How many guys does it take to catch a bunny? Eleven it would seem. One to sedate, one to hold the spotlight, one to drive, at least two to fall off the bakkie, and the other six to chase it. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Some of the most epic scenes involved Jeremy tripping over a hill, and showing us some impressive head over heels tumbles; Kyle falling off the bakkie… repeatedly; Cale accidentally sitting on his Springhare as he caught it running between his legs; Mike wailing like a five-year-old girl and jumping away from the vicious bunny that fled between his legs; and myself, sent sprawling off the bakkie after an ambitious leap. Respect goes out to each man who caught a Springhare, thus setting a tradition for all Quest boys to follow. Their names are as follows: Ross, Mo, me, Kyle, Cale, and Ruan. I can tell you that as far as bonding experiences go, there is nothing quite like it, you get to laugh together at each other’s epic bails, share in the disappointment of a missed catch, in the thrill of the chase, in the admiration of the those speedy bunnies, and in the pride of the catch. It is an immensely fulfilling activity, and the feeling of personal achievement when you catch one is well worth the frustration of any previous attempt.

The Alex Trail

Arguably one of South Africa’s most spectacular hikes, the Alexandria Trail, is located a stone's throw from the Quest Africa Kaba Campus. The Alexandria Dunefield, for which the trail is best known, forms the farm’s southern boundary.

In the process of furthering our relationship with the management of the Addo Elephant National Park, Woody Cape Section, we were asked to map a new route for the second day of the trail. This was a fantastic opportunity to experience the trail and to expose the Quest students to the beautiful areas beyond the boundaries of the farm.

Cycle to Bushman’s River Mouth

For those not yet headed for Bushcamp, life was certainly not any easier. The boys’ first major challenge involved a cycle from the Quest campus to the mouth of Bushman’s River – this would be the furthest cycle any of them had ever undertaken.

Bushcamp Hike

It was I think, with a fair amount of fear and trepidation that the first group of Quest boys stumbled up the stairs of the Centre, with eyes still bleary thanks to the 4am start. Ten of the twenty were about to set off for Bushcamp - a three-week stint of living separate from almost every normal distraction of life. 

The Inaugural Boundary Challenge!

Part of what Quest is about is arranging challenges that are designed to test the students, both physically and mentally. We do this because we want the guys to gain a better understanding of what they are capable of and, in so doing, develop a stronger sense of self-confidence. This was the idea behind the ‘boundary challenge’, which involved each individual carrying a 2.2m long wooden pole (with a diameter of roughly 13cm), around the boundary of the farms’ game area – a distance of approximately 14km.

A recap of Quest Africa Kaba's involvement in 2011 sporting events

Several Quest Africa Kaba students featured quite well in local races through the year. Their first event took place on May the 7th – the Woody Cape Mountain Bike Challenge. The race was initially supposed to be 63 km in length and was to incorporate a section of the Kaba Valley – turf our boys were by this stage very familiar with. Alas, after very heavy rains in the days leading up to the race the route had to be shortened to 45 km which in the end was quite a tall order in itself.

Farewell Questors 2011

On 23rd September 2011, we bid farewell to the "Crazy Eight"- our pioneer Questors. Their departure was bittersweet, because we will miss them all, but we also know that the boys are better- equipped to face the challenges ahead.