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you opt to use weekend and free time for travelling this part of the world. Personnel that have been assigned to BATUS will know that there is not a lot to do unless you want to take a 40-minute drive to the nearest city. The winter provides opportunities such as skiing, snowboarding, ice climbing, skating and ice hockey. The unit even hire out Hidden Valley Mountain resort for a day to get soldiers and families, regardless of ability, together for some free snow fun. In the summer canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing and horse riding within the Canadian Rockies takes over, and AT packages are provided by TEC as a respite for exercising troops.
Ice Hockey is a massive part of BATUS life and not only allows SP to take up a sport completely different to anything back in the UK, it helps strengthen the bond of workforce and gives an opportunity for departments to clear the air in a competitive setting. The BATUS Hockey League (BHL) is played daily and gives the soldiers the opportunity to get out of the block or quarter to play or watch Canada’s favourite sport. The BHL also allows soldiers spouses to train and gives them the opportunity to play alongside or against partners which can be the make or break of a relationship. Children are also taught to play in the village team called the Wildcats, however these little sponges are quick to learn. Daily free skates over lunch time are always well attended by soldiers and parents trying to improve speed and agility so that they are not humiliated by their children. All in all, Ice hockey continually strengthens the bond that the community possesses
BATUS – Ski Day
and is what I would call the backbone of the BATUS community. This bond has helped in recent times and events with the scare of COVID-19. Never before have I seen a community so willing to contribute, get involved and donate resources and money to those in need in these tough times.
BRITISH ARMY TRAINING UNIT KENYA ADVENTUROUS TRAINING CELL
Maj (MAA) M Warwick RAPTC
SLife in uncertainty
itting here in Kenya contemplating my submission for the journal is for me clearly a time for reflection and a time to pause about the current situation that we all find ourselves
in. As we will know when we come to read this article our world has thrown up unprecedented events that no one, least of all me, is able to predict and foresee how we will come out of it. Will we have solved any of the pressing problems that were there before CoVID19, such as global warming and global economic dominance, or will we still be encased in this pandemic and trying to find a way out of the edgy panic and feeling of slight helplessness that pervades currently across the worlds media and social channels. Only time will tell.
So against this context I’m finding it a little bit difficult to write my article this year about life in Kenya at BATUK. I will try to replicate the upbeat nature of the country because it provides a huge amount of opportunities and challenges in equal quantities.
The role of BATUK is to support Collective Training for Light Role Bns up to CT3/4 (Bde HQ) for future deployments. BG Training is conducted four times a year for up to a thousand troops at a time; two exercises are normally conducted from Jan – Apr with another two at the end of the year between Sep – Dec. In the interim period the battle rhythm moves to supporting RAMC and RE exercises and regeneration of equipment and people.
The BATUK AT Cell (me and WO2 JR McCulloch) are responsible for enabling publicly funded T 2/3 JSAT AT activities and SAA for all BATUK PS, BGs and supporting exercises. In doing this we utilise the support of three excellent civilian providers; Savage Wilderness Adventures, Rift Valley Adventures and African Ascents. Being in this job we get to see lots of Kenya particularly Laikipia and the Mount Kenya region which is situated across the Great Rift Valley and an immensely beautiful, rugged part of the world. We get to experience Kenyan life at its best on every occasion; the conservancies, the animals, the people and the culture are an ever
present feature; hard to ignore and a welcome reminder of the simplicity of life in the cradle of civilisation. If you like opportunity and challenge then this may be a good place for you to spend a couple of years; I have enjoyed my time here immensely.
Maj (MAA) M Warwick Third highest mountain in Kenya