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Why I have decided to cross Iceland
A brief history about meMy name is Dominic Edward, born in Colchester on the 30th of October 1979. I live in Edinburgh and I am currently a postgraduate student at Napier University.
Why I have decided to cross Iceland
Since leaving the army I have continued to do a lot of walking and living in Scotland now means that I can get to the hills whenever I like. In the last couple of years, having less free time because of other commitments, I have tended to do more short distance/lightweight trips - especially around Glencoe and Ben Nevis. On one occasion I managed to get up and down Ben Nevis in just 2¾ hours.
Why I am supporting the BSAI have had a stammer ever since I can remember. At primary and middle school it didn't really affect me very much, but at Secondary school it was starting to cause me more problems. I was having trouble reading out loud and answering questions in class and so ended up being very quiet, even amongst friends. In the end I found it easier not to talk whenever I didn't have to, which only made the problem worse. It wasn't all bad though as I would hardly ever get into trouble and always had my work in on time - just because I didn't want to have the hassle of trying to explain myself! I did get some speech therapy whilst at school, but this was only at the age of 15 and did very little to help, so I decided to end this therapy after only a few months. In my final year at school I had decided that I wanted a career in the armed forces and so applied to the Royal Marines and went to Lympstone on a Potential Officers Course. The course lasted three days, and was an assessment of fitness, communication skills and potential to become an officer. I was fairly fit at the time and so managed the physical test without much trouble - even completing the 7 mile endurance march. (If you have seen the TV ads for the Marines, the endurance march includes an obstacle that is a short sump. You are pushed under at one end, swim thorugh and then get pulled out at the other end. The intention being that you get scared, cold and have to complete the march in soaking wet combats!!) The assessment also included a presentation as well as a number of interviews. I was not so successful at these because of my stammer and so they were unable to offer me a place. At University my speech was still a problem, though I kept a low profile and managed to cope for the first year. Part of the assessments were group seminars and I could see that if I didn't get something done about my speech then this would start to affect my results and restrict my future career. I investigated speech therapy in Leeds and was lucky enough to be referred to Jackie Turnbull. After our first one-to-one session it was decided that it would be best if I start going along to group therapy sessions, which she ran jointly with Trudie Stewart. Both Jackie and Trudie were excellent therapists and it was lucky that I had chosen to study in Leeds. Though I wasn't keen on the idea of group therapy I did go along just to see if it would work and in the end it had a massive influence on my speech. After about 6 months of going along to the group I had virtually no problem speaking to people face to face or even in front of a group. I would stammer now and again, but then I was able to use techniques to get through blocks and so it wasn't much of a problem. A key turning point was when I had to do an assessed presentation in front of my entire course of about 45 students plus lecturers. I practiced the presentation within the speech therapy group and was fairly confident that it wouldn't be a problem. I decided that I would tell everyone at the start of the presentation that I may stammer to try and relieve some of the pressure. The theory being that if I did block then they my audience would not be so shocked. In the end I managed the presentation without stammering once and so had to go back to my seat feeling a bit of a fraud! It was then that I realised a career in the armed forces may still be possible and so I investigated the Leeds University Officer Training Corps, which I joined in my third year. I then managed to pass a number of interviews and, most importantly, the Regular Commissions Board, (a series of interviews, physical tests, problem solving exercises and leadership exercises over 3½ days), which allowed me access to the Royal Military Academy and a career in the army. I think my biggest achievement was not to pass the RCB, but to get though it without stammering once. I would not consider myself fluent as I still have trouble using the phone and intercoms - just because it is harder to use techniques when the conversation is not face to face. This affected me where I used to work part-time for an assurance company and had to make and receive calls both internally and to customers. I would often stammer on a call but found that most people were quite sympathetic. I am pleased to say that I never had to pass a call to somebody else to take over and never had any complaints - so I suppose it really can't be that bad. If you were to speak to any of my friends now they would probably tell you that I don't have a stammer and I generally don't advertise the fact to them....until now!. I find that having this small amount of pressure to be fluent does help. I would say that I do still stammer most of the time but manage to disguise it, other people may just call that being fluent though! When I have the time I attend the Edinburgh Self-Help Group which has been useful for me to practice techniques and keep in touch with other people who stammer. The group has also made me realise that though I may not be completely fluent, I am very lucky to have had the speech therapy which has got me to where I am now. It is for this reason that I have chosen to raise money for the BSA. I know how important the work of the BSA is, how the work of the BSA has benefited me and that this is definitely a worthy cause. Click here to find out more about the BSA. |
For
information on stammering: Tel:
020 8983 1003 Fax: 020 8983 3591 info@stammering.org Page last update on April 15, 2003 Page created by Dominic Edward |
After I left
the army I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself. I eventually had to make a living and
started temping with various agencies. I had always wanted to live in Scotland and
puzzled over whether to move to
Glasgow or Edinburgh - only because I knew it would be fairly easy to get work
in either city. In the end I chose Edinburgh - no particular reason, but my
brother had been in the Festival the previous year and my parents 
recommended
the place. Once I had moved up to Edinburgh I didn't
plan on temping forever and so started to look for graduate
positions. Whilst surfing the net I considered studying again, as I knew that I
would
just about be able to afford another year in full-time education. I have never
wanted to be stuck in an office, enjoy the outdoors and would consider myself a
scientist, so I started an MSc in Wildlife Biology and Conservation at 
Of
all the outdoor pursuits that I have ever done, the two that I would consider
myself particularly
good at are hiking and orienteering. I continued these after school at University where
I had more scope to go off and do my own thing. I joined the University Orienteering
Club where I perfected my navigational skills and I would go walking in
the Scottish Highlands for weeks at a time. On each occasion I would just fill
my pack with everything I would need, took a map and went as far as I could in
the time I had available. I tended to go on my own and carried everything I
would need, so there was no need for me to have to find any form of
civilisation.
As I got more confident I decided to
venture out in the winter more often,
so invested in a pair of crampons and an ice-axe. On my first winter walking trip I
managed 10 days solo and unsupported, climbing Ben Nevis on the first day! I
learnt a lot about my limitations over those 10 days and the hazards of
winter-walking. Whilst in the army I continued on this theme, and a favourite
exercise of mine was Long Reach - 60+km across the Brecon Beacons over 2 days
and with only 4 hours sleep! This gave me extra confidence as I was able to
'out-walk' all my fellow cadets and they trusted my navigation sufficiently that I
effectively led the entire exercise.
It came to a point that I really needed a new challenge and something that I
could really focus on and prepare for. I remembered that I had recently read an
article in an adventure magazine about a group that had crossed Iceland from coast to
coast. The article intrigued me and I decided to look into it. After looking at
some maps and getting some advice I decided that the trip would be quite
feasible solo and unsupported. It
seemed the perfect challenge, just the right length, very accessible during the
summer months and just about within my ability.....I think!! As I had done on many
occasions before, I wanted to make this a solo and unsupported trip as this adds
the extra challenge of not being able to share any of the weight, being sole
navigator and having to maintain my own morale. To read more about the challenge
click 