Past Adventures

Gobi March 2010

In the second instalment of the 4 Deserts series of footraces in some of the world’s most inhospitable environments and extreme climes, Thaddeus endured the harshness of the Gobi Desert across 250km in 7 days.

His successful completion of this race qualified him to participate in The Last Desert – Antarctica. From the severe heat of Sahara and Gobi to the mind numbing cold of the polar desert that is Antarctica, Thaddeus will raise funds for Gracehaven, a home for children from dysfunctional families.  

Crossing the Sahara for Needy Children

In October 2009, Thaddeus participated in the Sahara Race, a self-supported 250km footrace in the Sahara desert of western Egypt to raise $60,000 for the Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund, which aims to alleviate the financial burden of children from low-income famillies attending school.

Ranked by TIME magazine as one of its Top Ten Endurance Competitions in the World, each competitor carries his own gear, food and clothing for the week in a backpack and the only assistance provided by the professional medical and operations team is water, medical assistance and tents to sleep in at night. 

 

Oxfam Trailwalker Japan

 

In May 2008, Thaddeus and a group of friends attempted Oxfam Trailwalker Japan, a challenging endurance fundraising event in which teams of four complete a 100-kilometre trail through mountainous bush terrain in 48 hours.

 

 

 

   

 

 

Community Building in Laos

 

In 2003, led and guided a group of Junior College students on an Overseas Community Involvement Project to build a community hall in Vang Vieng, Laos.

 

Located on a hill overlooking the Song River valley, the building was constructed from local materials as much as possible, using unfired bricks, mud plaster, and local lumber. It is now available for use by residents of Phoudindaeng Village and is also the location for English language classes.

 

 

 

 

 

Cycling for Children’s Cancer Foundation

In 2002, Thaddeus cycled 1,200km from Hatyai, Thailand to Singapore and helped raise a total of S$337,395 for the Children’s Cancer Foundation, Singapore.

The seven-day ride organised by BikeAid was a gruelling experience and highlighted the key essentials of teamwork, preparedness and mental resilience for any pursuit.

 

Street Children in Thailand

In 2000, Thaddeus committed half a year to teach, care for, and rehabilitate street children and drug users with the Duang Prateep Foundation (DPF) in Thailand.

Living and working in the farmlands of Kanchanaburi Province and the slums of Bangkok was a most humbling experience. And yet it was very uplifting work. The DPF was founded by Ms Prateep Unsongtham Hata, herself born and raised in the slums and who at age 16 opened a school in the slum while working and studying at the same time.

In 2004 Prateep won a seat in Thailand’s first-ever elected Senate and she received the World’s Children’s Prize and the Global Friend’s Award “for her 35-year long struggle for the rights of Thailand’s most vulnerable children”. What an inspirational figure indeed!

Trekking in Alaska for Deafblindness

Trekked eight days in the freezing harsh terrain of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska to personally raise £2,500 for Sense, a UK-based charity campaigning for persons impaired by deafblindness, sometimes called multi-sensory impairments (MSI).

The trek involved bush whacking, fjord crossing, glacier exploration and travel through bear country amidst the stunning scenery and spectacular landscapes of one the last wilderness of the world. 

School Building and English Teaching in Tanzania, East Africa

Joined a team of volunteers from Britain to build schools and teach English in two remote villages of Tabora and Ifucha in Tanzania, East Africa over three months in 1998. This programme was organised by Health Projects Abroad and has since been discontinued. However former staff members in Tanzania are building on the foundations through a new organisation called Health Action Promotions Association.

Following the project, Thaddeus trekked to the summit of Mount Meru, Tanzania (14,980 feet) and went on to white-water raft the Zambezi (Zimbabwe/Zambia) and Blue Nile (Uganda) rivers, a most incredible experience.

 

Mayan Civilisation and Bird Conservation in Belize, Central America

A key member of the team during a three-month archaeological (Mayan Civilisation) expedition and sustainable conservation project with Trekforce Expeditions in the unexplored rainforests of Belize.

Following jungle survival training, trekked through remote wilderness areas to rediscover ancient Mayan ruins, caves, tombs and artefacts. The work contributes crucial data and evidence to complete the cataloguing and mapping of the Mayan culture.

Also undertook the construction of a watch tower for park wardens to protect the local area at the Crooked Tree Sanctuary, a protected zone for over 275 species of birds.

 

Cheetahs in Namibia, Southwest Africa 

Champion of the wildlife cause through the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in Namibia where Thaddeus spent over 4 weeks in 1998. The purpose of the CCF is to research and implement strategies for cheetah conservation in its natural habitat.

Activities included wildlife counts, feeding and behavioural observations of captive wild cheetahs, data managements, release of cheetahs into the wild, tracking radio-collared cheetahs, collecting biological speciments, discussions with farmers and the livestock guarding dog programme. 

 

 

 

  

Other Outdoor Sporting Pursuits

  • 21-day high altitude traverse of the Everest Region, including the summits of Kala Pattar (18,192 feet), Gokyo Ri (17,989 feet) and Cho La Pass (17,782 feet)
  • West Highland Way and Ben Nevis in Scotland
  • Mount Toubkal in Morocco, highest peak (13,665 feet) in North Africa
  • Snowboarding, Skydiving, Vertical Marathons and Marathons
  • Dragon Boating, winning silver in the 2003 River Regatta in the International Business Community Category with the British Team