Newsglance – Mount Everest Trek

by Susan Masima, The Leprosy Mission Australia

Mountain climbing can help enhance the relationship between parents and teenagers as they experience the physical and emotional challenge of trekking together, according to Southern Cross Community Baptist Church minister, Lindsay Tunbridge.

Lindsay is preparing to lead ‘Mount Everest Base Camp and Beyond’, a trekking adventure holiday in Nepal on behalf of The Leprosy Mission Australia (TLMA) in September and is taking his 15-year-old son, Indiana, with him.

He wants Indiana to experience climbing to the ‘top of the world’, visiting a Third World country and taking part in activity that helps make a difference to the lives of people affected by leprosy as a special ‘father-son’ opportunity.

Lindsay wants to encourage parents to take their teenage sons or daughters on ‘Mount Everest Base Camp and Beyond’ as a way of providing a shared family experience that can have a life-long positive impact on their lives.

‘I am saying to parents that if you give three weeks to this trek, this has the opportunity to impact your child and your own relationship with your children,’ he said.

‘To experience a Third World country, trekking and something physically demanding together, is an exceptional opportunity. It is more than just a holiday – it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that could really leave a lasting impression a child at this age. Any overcoming experience that you share with somebody else brings you closer and the physical demands of climbing Island peak are huge, so experiencing that together is incredible. ‘I think exposure to Nepal, being the third poorest country in the world and The Leprosy Mission together, is a shared story that can last a lifetime.’

Lindsay, who enjoys competition cycling with Indiana, said taking teenagers on ‘Everest Base Camp and Beyond’ would also help them form an appreciation towards their life in Australia and for the work of caring for disadvantaged people.

‘For many young people, their biggest problem is ‘what am I going to spend my pocket money on this week?’ as opposed to some of the things that they will see and experience in Nepal,’ he said.

‘They will be meeting Nepalese people who are amazing, they are very strong, courageous and gentle. They will be travelling through the Himalayas, the top of the world so the scenery is fabulous and the physical challenge of getting there is huge.

Lindsay is calling for people to register their interest in the trip and begin fitness training and raising $2,500 in sponsorship to support TLMA medical aid and rehabilitation projects in Nepal.

Everest Base Camp and Beyond’ is the second trek Lindsay has led for TLMA after gaining experience on the journey in 2008. This year, the adventure trek is catering for up to 18 participants and will be held in conjunction with Australian trekking company, Earth, Sea and Sky.

Participants will attend a three-month compulsory fitness training course to be held at Olympic Park in Melbourne while interstate competitors will be given a similar detailed training guide to follow.

‘Everest Base Camp and Beyond’, will be held between 18th September and 10th October, and will include an optional trek to Island Peak which is almost 1,000 metres higher than base camp. Cost: $6,700 and $2,500 in sponsorship.

The trek is one of several Impact Adventures held by TLMA, visiting such places as Nepal, Thailand and India.

For more information, contact Lindsay Tunbridge on 0433 911 596 or Graham Peck at TLMA, on 9890 0577.