Operation Raleigh in Belize 1985

A remembrance of a 35 year old adventure

By David Luttrell

March 8^th, 2021

In 1985 I was fortunate enough to be one of the photographers that a company called 13-30 used on a regular basis. It later became known as Whittle Communications.

I was in my early thirties and they were a great client to have. Print was still very much alive and they were a targeted media company. At the end of their run they published 30-40 magazines and wall media and were getting into television as well. But that and their ultimate demise is another story. This story is about one particular assignment that was rewarding for a number of reasons.

A writer and I were sent to Belize in Central America to do a story about a group of young people with an organization called Operation Raleigh. Founded in 1984 by Prince Charles and Colonel John Blashford-Snell, it was similar to the familiar Outward Bound and Peace Corps in the US. But different in its approach from the outset. Participants were required to raise funds for their own time in the group. So one became a fundraiser in your own behalf. Skin in the game meant you were more likely to succeed. One enterprising young man in the group was quite the salesman, he approached the musician Sting who underwrote his entire funding.

The group we were focusing on had already been in Belize a while. Our observations were to last about a week. And we ate, worked, played and slept as they did in the rural part of Belize not in one of its cities.

Most of these kids were in their 20’s and the writer and I, being in our 30’s were considered to be old men. So not only was our intrusion into their world an inconvenience, we had to prove ourselves as worthy observers.

Accommodations were rustic and our sleeping quarters were a couple of tents. Food prep was communal and there seemed to be a lot of strange tins of delicacies from home.

Their tasks were many but during our stay they were creating new trails thru dense jungle for tourists and adventurers as well as the locals to use for transportation and for observations of the prolific flora and fauna.

I will say, at this point, these are my recollections 35 plus years later. I had reached out to the writer, Ron King, and asked for his story as written be used here. But his notes and copies of the publication have been lost to time. So pardon my view of history and any inaccuracies contained within.

I’m really not sure how long these kids had been together before we arrived in Belize but they all seemed to get along. In this sort of situation you have to. You depend on each others skills to get you through. Its not like Survivor where only one comes out on top. Success is judged by how much you coalesce as a group to accomplish goals.

The jungle trail cutting was brutal. There was a guide who looked to be in his 70’s. Small, thin and full of energy, he was always the one who set the pace. His instructions were simple, don’t get hurt and don’t get bitten by one of the most poisonous snakes in the world, the Fer de Lance, sometimes called the Yellow Bellied Tommy Goff. Worst part of an encounter is that this viper is particularly aggressive. So we were all quite aware of where we stepped or backed up when you might be taking photos.

I’m not sure if the trails were marked for clearing or they were just in our guide’s mind. I saw some maps being studied before we left for the work but we seemed to be guided more by the Belizean’s instinct. The foliage was dense and dangerous with palm fronds that had barbs that would pierce your skin as they fell from the machete blows. Those blades. You had to keep your distance, get your shots, (photos), and stay out of the way and not step on any snakes as you mostly walked backwards.

.We did a couple of forays into the jungle that week. One a day trip and the other one overnight. It was hot, humid and a dozen other things out of your control that pushed you into the uncomfortable side of the equation. Getting the Land Rover stuck in the mud was one of those things, trekking thru that mud flat and having your boot sucked off you foot was another. And no one mentioned the ant hills.

Having been told by a couple of the kids that we had too keep up and not slow them down, we were both a bit on the defensive. But after the first day it was apparent that we old guys could keep up.

We were accepted and for the duration of our stay we were part of the team.

Belize, formally British Honduras, gained its independence in 1981. Operation Raleigh continues today as Raleigh International and currently operates in Costa Rica, Nepal, Nicaragua and Tanzania. Over 40,000 people have been involved in a Raleigh program and it continues today working in communities around the world.

Ron King, a friend, talented writer and editor from the Whittle Communication days is now president of Vanguard Communications, a Denver based public relations firm.