This is the section of the magazine that is devoted to news of past unit members - where are they now?? Thank you to those who have contacted us - keep those letters and e-mails coming!

Shortly after the Norway trip Lucy Payne travelled up to Scotland to start university. For those of you who do not know Lucy, she was the first official female member of the 44th. She writes...
"Hi all. Uni is good, but there is a lot of hard work. I've joined the mountaineering club, D of E Society and OTC/TA. I go away with the TA most weekends - its cool! Scotland is freezing!!"

This next letter is from Paul Kingsbury who used to be in the unit between 1990-1993.

I have just received my copy of the V44 magazine about the summer expedition in Norway and I saw your e-mail address. I went on a Norway trip myself and met Ernst Davies so it was lovely to read that the links are still being made.

The raft story was great as well because I had the fortune to sink in the Wye on one - we never made it!

Well I am writing this from Lexington, Kentucky USA. I am doing my first year as a Ph.D. student in geography at the University of Kentucky (I finished my MA here after two years) and I'm about to do research for my dissertation on Jamaican tourism. You should consider an expedition out here in the US it's great fun.

A big hello to Phil and I look forward to receiving the next issue of V44.

At the end of last year, Lee Rounce and wife Michelle travelled to various places around the world including Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. Lee writes of his travels...

I know I promised to keep you up to speed with our travels but life is just so hectic (I mean, today I had to go to the beach, eat dinner and then go back to the beach!)

The extravagant note paper is probably a clue that we are in Thailand. In fact we've been here about three weeks and have just started to head south to the islands and Krabi (our next stop where I plan to climb for a week or two.)

Australia was very hectic and I guess we underestimated the distances up to Cairns and just how long the train took (4 days). The Barrier Reef was stunning and we got to watch humpback whales at very close quarters.

New Zealand was breathtaking - many mountains to climb, many beaches to relax on. We hired a camper van for two months which meant that we weren't tied to the tourist trail or the public transport. We could park up by the coast or at the foot of Mt. Cook. This did have its price - the fridge would pack up halfway through the night and we had to read by candle light - but still...

As for outdoor adventures we walked some of the Kepler Track, kayaked/walked the Abel Tasman, I bungied off a suspension bridge, swam with dolphins and the best - a helihike on the glaciers on Mt. Tasman - stunning ice formations, caves and deep crevasses - and Michelle got to sit with the helicopter pilot twice!

It was a far more relaxed experience than Oz and infinitely more rewarding.

As for Thailand it is hot, humid and in the Gulf coast monsoon season. It's been a shock from the very rural life of N.Z. We stayed in a respectable hotel in Bangkok for three days and then went north into the hills around Chiang Mai. This was not as hectic as China Town in Bangkok but still mad. Since then our standard of accommodation has dropped dramatically. We are in the south now on an unfortunately commercial island. Koh Samui, staying in a beach bungalow for about £1.60 each. Food is cheapish, beer much the same - but with an amazing ability to addle the brain and induce "great" hangovers.

We've got four weeks or so left and hope to venture as far as the Malaysian border. We've had to book an extortionate hotel in Phuket for the Christmas week, when hotels/guesthouses and any place touristy double or triple prices. Then it is back to Plymouth in winter (and work!)