Page 31 - 4RA 2021-2023

4th Regiment Royal Artillery
The tutors, students and facilitators of the STTT at Izki
Our final day was climbing and kayaking. The morning was spent attempting three pitches and conducting an abseil, much to the fascination of the Omanis driving past beneath us. The afternoon was kay- aking, where we again set a record time for recovery drills and paddled 5 miles along the coast. That final evening was spent at a nearby restaurant for another buffet and – for those with deep pockets – a beer or two.
PHASE 5 – SHORT-TERM TRAINING TEAMS (STTTs)
We left Sifah early, stopping in the capital city Muscat on our journey and visiting a souq (market) there. Our destination was Izki, a central town housing the Omani equivalent of Larkhill. We were staying in the camp’s British Mess. This included a swimming pool, bar and comfortable bed- rooms, as well as our own team of chefs and cleaners. With access to the camp gym, plenty of shops and cafes a short drive away and a beautiful mountain vista, this was an agreeable place to stay.
Relaxing at the British Mess in Izki
Of all the skills required for the STTT, flex- ibility and patience were the most promi- nent. Our Omani colleagues operate to a different schedule and have quite different working practices to us, and sometimes we struggled to find time with them to train. With hindsight, the impending visit of the Sultan later that week (and the nec- essary preparations and rehearsals for his arrival) had probably absorbed much of their focus.
Still, we persevered. Lessons were taught by most and the students – all lieutenants at the start of their FST Commander’s Course – were friendly and engaging. With the language barrier (and even steeper accent barrier in some cases) increasingly overcome, we built some good bonds, imparted some wisdom and came away with a much better appreciation of how to work with the Omani Army. The week cul- minated in a presentation ceremony com- plete with juicy dates, Omani coffee and their sweet karak tea, and a BBQ by the pool in the British Mess for the last night.
Surveying an old village in the mountains
PHASE 6 – CULTURAL TRIPS AND FAREWELLS
The exercise ended with a cultural trip to Salalah, a major city in the south of the country. The Battery visited numerous major local sights, the pinnacle of which was the Sultan Qaboos Mosque, an enor- mous structure of sparkling stone capable of holding thousands of worshippers. This trip was the final highlight of the exercise, and afterwards all were busy with the cru- cial but mundane task of sorting our kit, equipment and selves for the long return journey to the UK. After more than a month in Oman, we reflected that we had learned a lot, enjoyed ourselves even more, and were eager to return in future to train with our Omani colleagues.
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Night in the desert; some relaxed admin