Today after nearly one year of starting the membership process for the Canterbury Recreational 4WD Club Annushka and I headed to the training day. The site is on a farm that two brothers who are 4WD supporters have offered up their farm for training events for all the local clubs. We meet up at the Peg pub in Belfast at 9.30am to have our vehicles scrutinized and checked off the trip list. There were 10 of us probationary members here today to go through the exercises. The probationary members ranged from myself with at least six club trips under my belt to several others whose first trip was the training. At 10.30 am we headed off in convoy to our training grounds.

Probationary member lineup

The day was super windy as the Nor’ Wester was ramping up. The road to the farm was very dusty to say the least. After a short drive we arrived at a picturesque rolling paddock nestled in the cleft of a terrace and the Ashely River. Graham the club president was running the training with the capable assistance of his son Ben and club founder Mike, to say the least we were in capable company.

Dusty, dusty, dusty

The day was going to comprise of the following:

  • River crossing
  • Driving along an incline
  • River egress
  • Recovery and repair gear
  • Failed hill climb
  • Hill descent
  • Guiding
  • Winching

I was familiar with river crossing and still learnt a trick or two about reading a braided river and using the current to aid your crossing. Graham headed up the stream to find a place with a suitable bank to drive along and ended up getting stuck on a log and we had an impromptu demonstration of a recovery. After the recovery he decided on a suitable bank for us to continue our training. The first of many great bits of training was having to egress from a river and use your truck to make a ladder to climb up a steep bank without reversing back into the river! This was very good to learn and it took me a bit to get my head around. We were able to have a practice while the others were being taught this new skill.

One of the scariest bit of driving was driving along a bank and having the truck on a 30 degree lean and as I was driving along the bank Annushka and I could see the fish swimming in water outside our windows. Annushka didn’t say a word the whole time. To be fair I was not sure this was possible. It is very comforting now knowing what the limits of the truck I can work with. Still very scary and not something you should do unless totally necessary.

  • Heading into the Ashley
  • Happy in my truck
  • Spring Green

I could easily bore you with a myriad of details about the ins and outs of 4WD dos and don’ts but I will not. Annushka and I had a great day just the two of us and she was beaming and so was I. This was a great day and I learnt how to self-rescue with a jack and how to safely get down a hill you failed to climb. Got to meet some great people an we are better prepared for our future adventures.

  • My co-pilot
  • Just chillin’