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| Justin Keniger - Juz |
Juz is an enthusiastic, experienced and competent adventurer with a particular passion for having the right outdoor equipment for the job. He established Outdoor Link (which is now under new management), an outdoor and adventure equipment consultancy service for the corporate, emergency management and outdoor education markets.
For three years Juz was a specialist Helicopter Rappel Fire-fighter with the Victorian DSE, and has held several positions with NPWS including his current treasured role as a Discovery Ranger in the Hunter Region of NSW – helping to inspire kids and the community about the many wonders of nature and the desperate need for its protection. With a degree in Leisure Management, Juz has taught the Certificate II & IV in Outdoor Leadership at Cairns TAFE.
Among so many other adventures, Juz has climbed in Peru, including Chopicalqui (6354m), trekked in Nepal, mountain biked in Bolivia, free-dived in Sulawesi, snowboarded in Andorra, paddled the Tully and nearly frozen alone in a storm on the summit of Gunung Merapi in Indonesia.
Juz has been paddling for just over two decades, from thunderous white-water to his favourite surf kayak on his local break. His true passion is sea kayaking and he shares many winter days exploring the NSW coast with friendly pods of whales and dolphins.
The ‘Archipaddlo’ expedition will push Juz to the limit – a challenge he can’t wait for.
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| Alaina Keniger - Lain |
Her passion for linguistics, and
an honours degree in this field, led her to live for several years in France,
Belgium and Sweden and her ability to rapidly learn languages makes Lain the
ideal travelling partner. Lain’s fluency in Bahasa Indonesia will undoubtedly
be indispensable during the ‘Archipaddlo’ expedition.
Until recently Lain worked as a Search and Rescue Helicopter Aircrewmen and Lain has proven over and
over again that nothing can stand in the way of her determination. Lain was the
first female to achieve a Helicopter ‘Dispatcher’ position with the DSE Rappel
Fire-fighting program in Victoria and is currently working towards attaining
her ultralight pilot’s licence.
For several years rock climbing
was Lain’s motivation and she has ticked off thousands of routes from Norway to
Tassie, and plenty of crags in between. Lain has summited peaks in Peru’s
Cordillera Blanca, trekking peaks in Nepal, and completed numerous extended
treks and snow-shoeing expeditions in Australia’s high country.
The biting fangs of the
adventure bug won’t release its grip on Lain and she feeds the voracious
creature with a healthy diet of adventure racing, trail running, mountain
biking, free-diving and treks in the hills. A relative newcomer to sea
kayaking, Lain is rapidly raising the number of paddling expeditions under her
belt (or spraydeck), and is confident her determination and passion for
exploration will keep her motor running during “Archipaddlo” in 2011.
