It was deeply disappointing to read in this morning’s Royal Gazette that there will be no Outward Bound camps this summer.

The Royal Gazette reads as follows:-  

"Outward Bound Bermuda does not have sufficient instructors and so is not expected to run its popular annual camps for teenagers on Paget Island in the summer.

All its other activities, including fundraising, are also understood to be on hold.

The programme had two full-time instructors: an officer from the Bermuda Police Service and a soldier from the Royal Bermuda Regiment.

However, The Royal Gazette understands that the police officer is no longer assigned to the Outward Bound unit.

A source described the programme as having been “mothballed” owing to “personnel issues”.

Commissioner of Police Darrin Simons said this week: “The OBB programme will be in abeyance until staffing and training requirements are met.

“This decision was not taken lightly and came about due to unfortunate circumstances.

“I deeply appreciate the significant role the Outward Bound Bermuda programme has played over the past five decades in youth development across our island.

“The programme has unquestionably made a positive impact on thousands of young Bermudians, providing valuable life skills and experiences that have helped shape their development.”

He added: “The Ministry of National Security, the Royal Bermuda Regiment and the Bermuda Police Service are working collaboratively to put a solution in place that is sustainable and builds on the rich history of OBB.

“Our shared goal is to preserve the valuable legacy of this programme while ensuring it meets all necessary requirements for safe and effective operation.

“We remain committed to youth development and community safety initiatives across Bermuda.

“Programmes like OBB align with our strategic priorities of reducing serious crime, working in partnership with community organisations and building public confidence in policing services.”

Mr Simons added that updates would be provided "as the collaborative work progresses towards restoring this valuable programme“.

CLICK HERE to read the full RG article 

Brief History of Outward Bound Bermuda

It was in 1970 that the Police first became involved with Outward Bound with the active support of then Minister of Youth and Sport, The Hon. Lancelot "Lenny" Swan, the Director of Youth and Sport, Reggie Ming, Johnnie Johnson from Outward Bound in London (former P.C. Dick Johnson's father), and the then Commissioner of Police, George Duckett. In his reminiscnces about being a police officer Lynn Hall described how he got involved with Outward Bound with P.C. Tony Diggins who was, at that time working in Special Branch. Then Premier Sir E.T. Richards was also a strong supporter of introducing Outward Bound to young Bermudians. Tony Diggins was friends with Chay Blyth, the international sailor and Outward Bound leader, and when Tony asked Lynn if he would be interested in helping to set up the programme Lynn jumped at the chance.

The two of them flew to London after being invited to attend a meeting with the Lord Mayors Financing Group and in October 1970 the first ever group of young Bermudians attended O.B. Devon. The following year Mr. Swan handed over the running of Outward Bound in Bermuda to the Police.

Lynn, who attended a course at the Moray Sea School in Scotland, regularly took groups of young Bermudians on the overseas Outward Bound courses, and in 1974, after extensive negotiations, the Police took over the former Junior Training School at Paget Island and began to operate local courses in addition to annual overseas courses which were kindly sponsored by a group of dedicated local businesses. The facilities at that time were very rough and run down, but they were gradually transformed into an exceptional OB facility that has, over the years, seen literally thousands of young Bermudians testing their skills and perseverance.

There is no question that Outward Bound has been a major success in helping young Bermudians to recognize their potential, and its success in Bermuda is due in large part to the efforts of Lynn and Tony as co-Coordinators during the programmes early years, and to Lynn's continued efforts as the sole Coordinator after Tony Diggins' departure from the Island.

As Lynn said in the OB 5th Anniversary magazine, "The aims of Outward Bound are simple and yet fundamental, Outward Bound exists to provide young men and women with the opportunity to achieve personal growth, self awareness and self confidence; to become aware of the qualities and needs of others; to create a really effective, active and purposeful community, and to engender a love and respect for the wild places and natural beauty of the countryside."

Perhaps nothing could better exemplify the high regard with which Lynn was held than the personal letter he received from H.R.H. Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, on his retirement from the Police in 1983. Prince Phillip praised Lynn for his service in the Police, and also for his substantial contribution to Outward Bound Bermuda from its inception in 1970.  As a result of his commitment to the programme Lynn became known as "Mr. Outward Bound."

Outward Bound continued to survive and thrive after Lynn’s retirement, and never more so than when P.C. Mark Norman was seconded to ‘F‘ Department as an Outward Bound instructor during the summer programme in 1982. This was his first taste of Outward Bound!

Mark was transferred to Operations (Traffic) after that first summer, and he became a Driving School Instructor, but Mark returned to Outward Bound the following year and proved to be such a talented, natural and popular Outward Bound instructor that he was transferred to “F” Department where he worked on the OB programme during the summer, and on the Road Safety Bus during the rest of the year.

I remember writing an Assessment for Mark when I was OIC “F” Department about his ability as a first-class Outward Bound instructor. Mark also did an excellent job on the Police Road Safety Bus along with P.C. Bernie Pitman visiting schools Islandwide teaching road safety to every class in the schools, and Mark had volunteered to be an instructor for the Police Super Cyclist Scheme teaching youngsters how to ride their bikes safely.

There are some people who might question whether police officers should be devoting their time and energies to activities such as Outward Bound and teaching Road Safety, but one of the biggest criticisms of the Police at that time was the lack of positive contact with children and young people. That was exactly the purpose of programmes such as Outward Bound, the Road Safety Programme and the annual Pedal Cycle Gymkhana   -  bridging the gap between the Police and Bermuda's young people - and Mark was the ideal man for the job.

Mark became the co-ordinator of Outward Bound Bermuda in 1989 and later became Executive Director when the OBB became a registered charity.

There is no question that Mark Norman inherited the title of "Mr. Outward Bound".  You can read more about Mark’s involvement in Outward Bound in our article  at 

Commissioner Simons has clearly outlined his commitment to youth developmemt and to Outward Bound and has indicated that  updates (will) be provided "as the collaborative work progresses towards restoring this valuable programme."

As a person who was directly involved in managing the Outward Bound programme during my time serving in “F’ Department, I know first-hand what an incredible programme OB has been in establishing and maintaining a positive and much closer relationship between the police and the youth of our community.  It would be a major boost to both the police and the Islands young people if the Outward Bound programme can be re-instated as soon as possible.