Page 110 - RAPTC Number 102 2018/19

108
www.raptcassociation.org.uk
ADVENTUROUS TRAINING FOUNDATION CENTRE HEADQUARTERS
Capt (MAA) R Windard RAPTC
As a fledgling organisation, the Adventurous Training Foundation Centre Headquarters (ATFC HQ) is still finding its feet. Stood up in 2016, the HQ has five wings delivering a multitude of activities, from parachuting, diving and sailing in Cyprus to mountain biking and skiing in the Harz Mountains. In a nutshell, we are largely the organisation that sets the AT scene for first timers. We have to ensure that we achieve the “hook”, the right exposure at the right time at the right level, that will make soldiers want to come back.
This however is only part of the puzzle, as we are always pushing to enhance Operational Capability and develop individuals so that the experiences they encounter whilst on AT have a positive effect in the work place and on their ability to cope, reflect, and encourage freedom of thought.
The qualifications gained by attendees on our courses are the bi-product of the journey, they are not the destination following a 5-day exposure to a syllabus. The success and achievements of the students come in many different guises and it is through the vehicle of the ATFC AT deliverers in all our disciplines that we are continually able to stretch our students and enhance their potential.
As we move forward as a HQ, continually improving the way we do our business, the biggest plaudits must go to the deliverers at the coal face. All on their own journeys, with their enthusiasm, their example, their commitment continually delivering excellence to the Service Personnel that come to our Wings, it is through these men and women that we achieve our mission and deliver soldiers ready to take the next step on their journeys.
JOINT SERVICE ADVENTUROUS TRAINING WING (CYPRUS) – SUB AQUA BRANCH
Sgt (SI) B Swinfield RAPTC
From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man only has to sink beneath the surface and he is free.
A thought-provoking statement from the pioneer of recreational scuba diving, Jacques Cousteau, and one that the JSATW(C)’s Sub Aqua Branch has put to over 250 developing divers from across all three services during the past year. It may have been a hard concept initially for the novice divers to grasp. However, on day five of the Ocean Diver course when they find themselves 20m underwater in a weightless like state, staring at the 178m Wreck of the MS Zenobia while surrounded by a school of Amberjack Tuna with a turtle carelessly swimming off in the distance, it really hits home.
Its moments like these that could explain the huge demand for spaces on the Sub Aqua Branch courses; and so, for the new year training year we see improved boats, new equipment, new
staff and more courses. So, if the office is starting to get on top of you, or you want to understand how such an experience can develop a leader, have a look at the calendar and get on a course!
Sgt (SI) Swinfield enjoying waiting to clear accumulated decompression stops