John Thompson - Moray Sea School, Burghead Scotland, 1961

At 18 working in London for Post Office Telecommunications, I was asked to go on a course at Moray Sea School lasting 4 weeks. As I came from Aberdeen, this allowed me to visi. relatives.We spent 2 weeks getting fit with runs, hikes, assault course. Every time you met your target, the time was decreased, so that within 2 weeks were very fit, able to canoe, row a lugger and navigate our way around the area. The second fortnight was spent sailing the Prince Louis round the Moray Firth, down the Caledonian Canal, round the Scottish Islands and back into Loch Leven. There we transferred to canoes and went ovberland to Loch Arisaig where we left the canoes and hiked over the Cairngorm Mountains towards Newtonmore. We pitched tents and washed in streams and lived off the rations in our packs.We climbed Breariach which at 4248 feet was 3rd highest mountain after Ben Nevis and Ben McDui. We arrived back at Burghead in time for farewells and presentations. I returned to London and was quickly promoted up the ranks and was involved with Telstar satellite communuications, North sea oil comms and eventually endded up in National Security communications as a middle manager. I suspect my bosses in 1961 saw potential and allowed it to be unlocked . I am now retired from BT and am in touch with OB as a former attendee.