Heaps of Memories and a Rafting Certification

Life for me continues. We wake each day to opportunities. Chances and moments to cherish forever. It is in these times we are given an ability to define who we are and what we stand for. I have chosen to lead a life that is dedicated to helping build a more firm, responsible, appreciative society through the infrastructure of our youth. The last ten years of my life have been a whirlwind of lessons through mishaps and networking. Building on these mistakes and learning from them is what we much do as people. Building bonds through those we meet has built my foundation. It is this foundation that I walk on each day.
My last week here at OEG was once again quite rewarding. I spent five days on the Goulburn river gaining my Whitewater Rafting Certification. Rafting to me is really rewarding due to the team building that occurs. The boat must act as a team to accomplish the goals at hand. Without clear leadership and listening your day could be hell...Each day was filled with technical classroom material and learning to read the water in the river. We talked of Eddys, momentum, V line, eddy lines, and eventually covered basic safety precaution and what to do in case a boat were to flip.My instructor for this course was Leanne Guy again. She is amazing. Leaanne is one of the original founders of OEG and has trained Australian Olympians for two decades.. She says she is retired but you would never know it were her work ethic.. She is a bulldog. A real bitch sometimes but I love her. Each day was extremely tiring but I am defiantly feeling muscle growth in my shoulders and torso. Paddling should not be done by the elbows but rather through your shoulders and waist. It took me awhile to break some bad habits of years of goofing around at summer camp and on the Spring River. I am been told that my form is sensational now. I'm proud of that.
This weekend has been relaxing. I have today off and tomm. Two days in a roll is a first for me here. We stay busy and have covered so much material in the last two weeks that I needed a information break. I plan on watching some of the NFL playoffs tomorrow, hopefully, if the pub is carrying the games. We shall see. Other than that I am going to do some laundry, watch a DVD, and probably for for a long bike ride through the mountains. I'm going to buy a camera next week so I can begin to post pictures of where I am. This place is beautiful and I look forward to sharing its images with everyone.
Next week I begin Swift Water Rescue. This certification runs hand and hand with rafting and canoeing. We will spend our days on the Goulburn River again and practice throw bagging and basic water rescue techniques. I shouldn't say basic because from what I have heard it is actually quite advanced. It should be an adventure. I will defiantly feel everyone in on how it goes. The last week of this month I will be doing some more Canoeing. This should be a great trip. It is on the MURRAY river.. I love that.. It has an overnight competent as well. Therefore we will take our gear in the canoe and camp along side the river somewhere. Exciting stuff. We are still on a Fire Ban so no campfires. I hate this. I love building fires.


From Down Under
Steven Murray