Training Course Weekend of Oct 16-17

A weekend in the bush and the sand, contrasting conditions for what was to be a delightful weekend coming to grips with the extraordinary capabilities of the Land Rover product.

Under the expert tutelage of the dynamic duo of Fred and Terry we began our course
with only the slightest hint of intrepidation by the writer.

Day: 1
River fording, rock climbing, stall recovery, cross axles, boulders, dust pans, were all covered, which were all preceded by detailed briefing and practical example by Terry, all which, enabled the participants to undertake the task with a degree of confidence.

The end of Day 1, was completed with a brisk drive through the forest to the camping
ground for a nights stay under the stars, complete with roaring campfire and erstwhile companionship of the land rover fraternity.

Day 2
Whilst we were all enjoying a sleep in, late breakfast or answering the calls of nature.
Fred was preparing, outlaying and hitching a vast array of recovery equipment to his Defender in order to demonstrate the “minimum” basics of recovery equipment and how to use it. We also learnt how to pack it all back up again, under Fred’s management.

Onwards to Stockton Beach, the desert scenes in Lawrence of Arabia draws a good comparison of the Stockton dunes, minus the camels of course.

This was also Clean Up Stockton Beach day and LROC (Sydney Branch) participated
with enthusiasm, resulting in many full and heavy bangs of trash being collected along the tracks and from the dunes.

Having spent several hours in the dunes, along the beach and experiencing the variety of sand condition from hard packed to ultra soft, I now have a greater respect for camels and greater affection for my Land Rover.

Summary:
All in all, a weekend full of experiences that will last some time and enjoyed by all.

Lessons Learnt:
Awareness to safety: driving, recovery and equipment.
Appreciation of the Land Rover marquee.
Driving skills, greatly enhanced.

How good was this to watch: End of Day 1, we watched a variety of non Land Rover
products, duplicating the field course we had completed earlier. Not all of these vehicles
completed the full course and those that did had been modified to some degree, even some of the modified vehicles struggled. Given our Land Rovers were all standard, (even
Simon’s shorty SIII ) managed the course with relative ease compared with the other products – perhaps a visual testament to both the quality of Driving Training and the Land Rover Product

Many Thanks / Barry Elliott, County 3.9