1. www.gleninnesexaminer.com.au Glen Innes Examiner – Tuesday, December 2, 2014 – 5
Not many 20-year-olds get to
travel more than 7000 kilo-
metres to the world’s last
pristine environment and trek
across a continent. But that is
the journey thatAllira Searle
formerly of Glen Innes is on
as part of an indigenous youth
leadership program led by
adventurer Peter Bland.
The first of its kind pro-
gram, which is done in part-
nership with not for profit
organisation Yalari and Mr
Bland, will see a group of
indigenous youth make the
huge trek from ‘the outback
to the icecap’ in December.
The group of five young
people will be led a group of
mentors and Mr Bland who
was the first Australian to
walk to the north and south
magnetic poles.
They are all graduates of
boarding schools after attend-
ing on scholarships provided
by the Yalari organisation.
The group will leave to
begin their epic adventure on
December 15 and Ms Searle
said she is brimming with
excitement to begin the trip
which will see a number of
stopovers on the way to
Antarctica.
“We fly to San Diego then
fly to Buenos Aires, one
week there where we will do
some sightseeing and get to
know each other better as I
haven’t met some of the men-
tors yet, then we go down to
the bottom of Argentina
where we will get on a ship
which takes two days to get to
the coast of Antarctica,” she
said.
Once the group and their
mentors hit the Antarctic the
real adventure begins.
The group will trek from
one coast of the Antarctic to
the other.
“It’s about a week we are
on the ice for, they are drop-
ping us on one side and we
have to hike and climb and
camp for a night or two and
then continue hiking and then
they will pick us up on the
other coastline,” she said.
“While there we will be
abseiling and climbing gla-
ciers and we will also do an
arctic plunge jump.”
The adventure will be led
by Mr Bland who Ms Searle
said she keeps in regular con-
tact with ever since an initial
boot camp in August.
“We did a boot camp in
August where I met Peter and
since then we’ve just been
trying to catch up in prepara-
tion every few days via the
phone,” she said.
Ms Searle has been training
regularly since the boot camp
and told The Glen Innes
Examiner she hopes she is
prepared physically for the
trek.
“I’m trying to do any sort of
incline training, so at the
moment it’s just mountain
climbing around Canberra.”
Ms Searle has been busy
with media appearances pro-
moting the trip, recently
appearing on the ABC televi-
sion’s breakfast program.
She has also spoken on
ABC Radio Canberra and
ABC New England.
“I think the interview with
ABC TV was the biggest I’ve
done I was shaking the whole
time, I also went on air for
ABC radio in Canberra and
ABC radio in New England
so it’s all been pretty big and
full on at the moment but it’s
gone well.
The 20-year-old, who
works in communications as
an unsworn member of the
Australian Federal Police
says she tries to get back to
Glen Innes whenever she can.
But her work with the AFP,
of which she is applying to
become a member, some-
times makes it difficult to get
back home.
“I try to get back to Glen
every couple of months but
it’s hard with work because I
work shift work,” she said.
Ms Searle left Glen Innes in
2008 after being successful in
obtaining a scholarship to
attend boarding school, a
move which she said had a
massive positive effect on her
life.
“I went to Glen Innes High
until grade 8 which would
have been 2008, and I applied
for and was successful in get-
ting a scholarship through
Yalari to go to boarding
school,” she said.
“I chose the Glennie
School in Toowoomba and
graduated in 2012,” she said
“It was a really great
school for me.”
The group has primarily
relied on crowd funding to
help them undertake the
adventure.
Anyone interested in sup-
porting the group can still
donate to their adventure at
the organisation’s website:
http://www.leadershipgroup.c
om.au/ or at the Outback to
Icecap Facebook page.
Mentor needs support
The group has been raising
money by selling teddy bears
which will make the trip to
the Antarctic, and one of the
group’s mentors
Kali Bailey who is from
Inverell has been looking for
corporate sponsorship to help
get the group to Antartica
through the sale of the bears.
If you would like to help
the group through the pur-
chase of a bear or a donation
you can contact Kali on 0458
210 301.
Former Glen Innes High Student Allira Searle will be
making the trip of a lifetime next month when she
takes part in an epic adventure to Antarctica.
Joshua Paterson reports.
Glen Innes to
Antarctica
❏ All Smiles: Allira Searle’s selfie from the
Outback to Icecap Facebook page.
❏ Jumping for joy: Mentor Kali Bailey is
still looking for sponsorship for the trip.
Photo by Jamila Toderas
The Canberra Times
Photo by Mel
Arnott