Four learners from the Maragon Private School in Ruimsig, explored the wilderness as part of their Gold Adventurous Journey towards achieving the President’s Award (TPA).
Nicole Philips, Chloë Young, Morgan Crawford and Alucia Ramdial, all Gold Participants, were given the opportunity to visit the Thaba Tholo Wilderness just outside Lydenburg. “Alan Watson, the father of one of our Silver participants, offered us access to his amazing Leopard Conservation Programme and arranged for the basic needs around an exploration to be addressed,” said Natasha Joubert, the school’s Head of Marketing.
The girls had the opportunity to explore the area’s Fauna and Flora, the genetics of the leopards, investigated the impact of human history on the area (ranging from the Iron Age to the Voortrekkers), and tested and compared water samples.
“We learnt the importance of not looking at your feet while walking through the veld, but being aware of your surroundings. Some other valuable knowledge gained included identifying various animal tracks and scat, among other things,” she said.
The group were grateful for the opportunity to be in such a beautiful area, and appreciated nature and the clean air, while being able to complete another stage in their journey towards gold.
“I am grateful that I had the opportunity to learn so much from wonderful people. As a result, I feel that I have become a better person,” said Nicole, after completing the exploration.
Natasha concluded by saying, “Hopefully these girls have paved the way for many more TPA participants to complete the Adventurous Journey as an exploration.”
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