Rising to the challenge

Master Plumbers Apprentice Outward Bound Scholarship winner Quintin Trott took part in kayaking, hiking and high rope challenges during the 16-day course in the Marlborough Sounds.

Quintin Trott has returned from his Master Plumbers Apprentice Outward Bound Scholarship experience with greater confidence and a real sense of achievement. NZ Plumber spoke to Quintin about the 16-day challenge.

When Masterlink plumbing and gasfitting apprentice Quintin Trott saw the advertisement for the 2020 Outward Bound Scholarship, which is open to apprentice members of Master Plumbers, he jumped at the chance to apply.

A keen outdoors type, who likes to go fishing, swimming, hiking and hunting, Quintin saw the 16-day course as a good opportunity for confidence building—so he was stoked to hear that he’d been picked to attend.

Covid-19 put a temporary halt to the action, but in November Quintin finally got to travel from his Hamilton home town to Anakiwa in the Marlborough Sounds to join 13 other young tradespeople on the course, as part of Batten 671.

“We did a lot of hiking, kayaking and high ropes but one of the biggest challenges was spending two days solo up a hill, sleeping under a tarp,” recalls Quintin. “You were totally by yourself and stuck in your head, so there was a lot of time for reflection. At home, you’re always busy and around things but for those two days there was nothing going on, so you had to relax, rest and switch off.”

Those two days aside, the group did everything together so there were plenty of moments for talking, sharing and opening up to people he had only recently met. “As part of our community service, we also built a rainproof shelter as a permanent structure for future groups,” he says.

For Quintin, the most rewarding aspect of the course was the chance to get away from everything in everyday life and to get to know himself better. It was also the toughest part, as it meant being away from his wife, two young stepsons and sevenmonth-old daughter. “That was massive for me and it felt good to be back,” he says.

Now in the third year of his apprenticeship, Quintin went on the course with the full support of his Masterlink host business, Plumbing and Gas Works in Hamilton.

Asked if he’d recommend the course to others, Quintin comes back in a flash: “100%—without a doubt.”

Outward Bound participants stay together in a Watch House during their time on the course. Quintin was part of the Batten 671 Watch, a group of 14 young tradespeople.

Entries for the 2021 Master Plumbers Outward Bound Scholarship open soon. Find more information and an application form at www.masterplumbers.org.nz/about/ apprenticeships/outward-bound-scholarship/

Outward Bound Watches carry out community service activities as part of the course, with Quintin’s Watch building this rain shelter at the Anakiwa site.