Volunteer activities

Committed volunteer Caroline tells us about some of the fun & games on the farm.... The staff went out of their way to ensure we had activities to do each weekend which enabled new volunteers to get to know the existing volunteers and get everyone working as a team. Here’s just a few of the things I got to join in with during my time at the farm....

The treasure hunt
One afternoon we were given a treasure hunt to carry out; this definitely brought out my competitive streak as we raced from clue to clue to try and beat the other team.
Our first clue led us to the Wild Dog camp where we went inside with Jo & Dara keeping the dogs and their crazy yapping back and ended up wading into their waterhole to get the next clue. We had a few more clues leading us all around the farm until we ended up in the chicken pen searching for hidden eggs, each with a letter on. We found a few and worked out we needed to head for the baby baboon camp where we had to complete a wordsearch to take us to our final clue. After a brush with Mowgli our team managed to finish the hunt and make it to the lapa about 30 seconds before the others which gave us an advantage in the next challenge. It turned out to be a game of pass the orange without using your hands and we got a head start. The race was on with a few comical moments, the other team sped past us but after a clumsy drop we managed to hold steady and win the day! We all got to enjoy a Stuart cooked Poikie in the evening.

Climbing the mountain
That weekend we had the chance to climb Neudamn mountain which sounded like a great experience and one that everyone was keen to take part in. We decided it was going to be a fun day out with a bit of a walk to the top of a mountain…it turned out to be a bit harder than that! Hardus, a great hulk of a man, was in charge of setting the pace and leading us to the top. After about ten minutes of climbing the altitude started to affect mine and Anna’s breathing. We took it slowly and made regular stops to try to catch out breath whilst the rest of the volunteers marched on ahead of us and then waited for us to catch up.

With a lot of help from Jo (and her singing) we made it to the top although I don't think either of us really appreciated the view; we were just pleased to be able to breathe normally again. The trip down was a little more eventful with a climb down a rockface. Erika and Kathi ended up going too far up and a cry from Kathi saying 'I think I'm going to stay here for the rest of my life' made everyone laugh. Thankfully we all made it down without any injuries and then it was home for a very well deserved rest.
A couple of weeks later we were told we were going to climb again. I didn’t think I could do it again and to be honest was dreading after the first experience. I wasn’t going to be beaten though and so I started the climb led by Nathan. I was feeling anxious but Jeff kept us company and I think the laughter distracted me from worrying. This time we got to appreciate the actual climb and enjoy it which was great. Rather amazingly Anna and I were amongst the first four people to get to the top along with Nathan and Mike. We looked at the views and took in the fact that we were standing on top of a mountain in Africa. The sense of achievement I felt was amazing and it is one of my favourite memories of my time on the farm. I'm glad I was pushed out of my comfort zone to do it again, it was definitely worth it.

Paintballing
A few weeks ago we got the opportunity to test out the new paintball field. As someone who had never played before I didn't know what to expect other than it was going to hurt…. and I was right!

We were divided into teams and it ended up being staff vs volunteers; not too bad except the staff team consisted of Cila, Arno, Hardus and Erika who all turned out to be incredible sneaky and quick! The aim of the game was to try to hit someone from the other team four times on their chest or back to get them out which was easier said than done as I found out.The whistle blew for the start of the first game and before I knew it Casper and I were hidden in the car being shot at from all directions. We could see Cila but there was paint flying from all angles and no chance for us to escape. All of a sudden it was the end of the game even though we'd only been playing for what felt like two minutes.
We started another game and once again the staff were literally on top of us. Milan and I managed to hide with a clear view of Cila but couldn't get a good shot.

Hardus and Arno quickly made it down to where we were and we knew Erika was nearby; we couldn't see her but we could hear her gun. Nathan was out so it was down to me, Milan and Casper to get to their flag. We saw Casper run and then there was shouting that she was down. After a couple of bad shots in the back from Hardus she received a paintball in the neck and that was the end of the game for her. Milan and I knew that we wouldn't win but we were determined to play the game; we split and he tried to run but was hit too many times. As soon as he said he was out Arno was at the flag and that was the end of it.

Although the staff beat us twice we had a great time and the teams that played after us seemed to have just as much fun. We watched from the sideline and cheered as Kat made a run for it and got the flag and won for her team. All in all it was a great day out and one I hope to repeat someday soon.