Page 5 - 2022 AMA Summer

CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD
Col Liz Dallyn
So, at last; Covid-19 restrictions have been released and the world (and mountains) feel open for business
again. I appreciate that the last 2 years will have been very challenging for many of you; be it from a physical and/or mental health perspective. As I type this, it feels like Spring has arrived, and it certainly feels that both nature and the wider world is coming out of hibernation. The good news is that the AMA was already on the planning front foot having already ran both the AMA Winter Meet (thanks to Martin South) and an ice climbing expedition to Norway (thanks to Chris Cookson). By the time of print, we will have also run some weekend meets (thanks to ‘Arthur’ Daley) with more planned throughout the year. In addition, sports climbing competitions (thanks to Paddy, Rachel, Kenny and the wider team) have been taking place throughout the Autumn/Winter season bringing a lot of welcome relief and oppor- tunities in support of wider personal and professional development. RAFMA is also leading the Joint Services expedition to Broad Peak which has several Army personnel on the expedition.
It would also feel very remiss of me to not mention the war ongoing in Ukraine; however, I wanted to do so with a focus on the AMA. I therefore thought it was worth highlighting the Ukrainian female mountaineer; Irina Galay who was the first Ukrainian woman to summit Mt Everest and K2 and is now fighting for her country having enlisted in the territorial defence forces. She is quoted to say 'thanks to my experience in the mountains, I wasn't scared to join the Army. If I was brave enough to climb K2, then I must accept my destiny and be ready to protect my home'. I am sure that is a sentiment we can all probably relate to.
I would also like to take this opportunity to extend a very warm thank you to Maj Gen David Southall CBE who is retiring from the Army after over 30 years of military service; therefore, will also be standing down as our President. I appreciate that the timing of your tenure being aligned to
Covid restrictions has meant you have not been able to be as actively involved as I know you would have liked to. On behalf of the AMA, I would like to extend our appre- ciation as your support has still been very much appreciated; especially during our virtual AGMs over the last couple of years. I regret that we have not been able to give you the opportunity to meet as many of our members as I know you would have relished the opportunity to do so. We still hope to see you at an AGM or the next President's Dinner to express our appre- ciation in person. Brig Adam Corkery, who is well known to many of our members already, will be taking over as our future President; we will save his introduction to the AMA for the next edition of the journal.
I hope that as things start to return to normal, the AMA can help provide
everyone with a wider sense of belonging and opportunity, which I know many of us will all have missed over the last couple of years or so. Also, hoping to see many of you soon; please keep your eye out for future events which we will continue to send via group email so please also ensure your details are up to date on Tahdah or via Emma in the office.
EDITOR’S FOREWORD
CMark Gregory
ovid, Covid, Covid! How many times have those unrelenting words been muttered or printed? For the past 2+ years this pandemic has been a framework in which we have lived our lives and seen our lives constrained. It
has eminently highlighted how quickly our freedom can be taken and how precious something as simple as time can be. Of course, we all live our lives constrained by time and the impact that daily commitments have on our ability to get outdoors – even before Covid was a factor. The last 2 years has really exemplified to me how important it is to seize those fleeting opportunities when they do arrive. I can count on one hand the times I’ve ventured outdoors during this period, most recently to the Brecon Beacon with my son Luke. This was his first outing to a ‘proper mountain’ and all credit to him as he trudged his way up Pen-y-Fan, pack on back, in the worst weather that Wales could throw at us. He was understandably ‘chuffed’ on reaching the summit cairn, and so was I. But what struck me, and his observant young eyes, was the endless procession of day-trippers winding up the mountainside with attire more befitting Benidorm. There were many unhappy faces posing for summit photos as we arrived water-proofed, warm and in high spirits. Keeping with the theme of time, it is great see the planned surge in activity in 2022. Check out the diary and Arthur Daley’s article later in this edition for full details of forthcoming climbing events and the meets programme. But even those of us with experience will have suffered some loss of fitness and skill fade over the Covid years, and we should be wary of rushing back in. Thankfully, our meets programme will cater for your individual needs and there is also some helpful advice from Tim Pigott to help you prepare for that much needed extra time in the mountains – ‘free’ (at least) from the constraints of Covid. So, take advantage of those fleeting opportunities. I’ll see you there!
ARMY MOUNTAINEER / 5