Life after OB

In November 2023, a special 50th-anniversary dinner was held in the Anakiwa Dining Hall. The guests of honour were students of Hillary 111 - the first group of women to attend an Outward Bound course, and the watch remains a tight-knit group to this day.

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John has been reflecting back on his course in 1994 and combining his OB learnings with his art talent as a form of rehabilitation from his previous addictions. 

OB alumni Harsha Guntakala hitchhiked the length of NZ with 5 others to raise funds for mental health. Together they raised nearly $60k! He shares how OB inspired him to fundraise for this important cause.

We catch up with alumni Billy Wallace whose life choices have been defined by her 21 day OB journey in 1995. Home for Billy is currently on Macquarie Island where she works for the Australian Antarctic Division as a Survival Training Instructor.

How do you describe what ‘there is more in you’ means to someone who has never heard of Outward Bound? Explaining to family and friends what it means and indeed what an OB course is even about, can be hard. Enter 18 yr old Jacob Gates, Batten 673.

Starring on national TV is not something Rebecca would of dreamed of doing before OB, but after completing a Professional course in March 2018, Rebecca is doing just that.

Nine years ago Wellington’s Gareth Jeune was scaling cliff faces, traversing ranges and jumping into the cold waters of Tōtaranui / Queen Charlotte Sound on his Outward Bound BETA course.

We love that students express the impact of their OB experience in different ways: from continuing to explore and seek inspiration from te ao tūroa, mother nature, to creative expression like this amazing painting of Anakiwa by Jessie Magee.