Jack Caldwell sporting the kind of hard-won relief that comes from surviving the Zambezi intact.
While most of his Otago peers were doing nothing more challenging over winter than surviving on two-minute noodles, Jack Caldwell was suffering heatstroke, drinking water from a filth-rich African river, and playing dodgems with hippos and crocodiles.
Jack took time out from his Bachelor of Arts and Commerce studies in July to go on the adventure of a lifetime: rowing 900km down the jeopardy-laden waters of the Zambezi River and Lake Cahora Bassa to help raise money for clean water charities in Central Africa.
He won a coveted spot on the 2024 Row Zambezi Sculling Club squad by virtue of a timely check-in with his former rowing coach and chaplain from Hamilton’s St Paul’s Collegiate School, the Reverend James Stephenson (Stevo).
Jack had already spent a month in Africa, aged 17, to help Stevo coach Zambian youth at the Kansanshi Rowing Club and volunteer at the Emmanuel Orphanage in Solwezi. It was the sort of momentous experience that helped set his humanitarian compass.
“It was one of the most sobering experiences ever. The orphanage was a little house with 60 kids and only one person running it. We turned up with a bunch of footballs, stationery and lollies and taught them how to play rugby for a few hours each morning before going inside and doing some basic English teaching.”
Back in New Zealand, Jack was mortified to learn that the landlord of that too-squished house was upping the rent, forcing the orphanage to move to a rural area without access to markets.
“So, I made this little video of my time there and raised NZ$2000. I sent that over to Stevo and he bought them a water pump, solar panel, stationery, bikes and basic stuff to grow crops. I still call the head of the orphanage to this day.”
With that sort of empathy on show, it’s little wonder Stevo was keen to bring Jack back to Africa. This time, he joined 16 rowers from eight countries and a 14-strong support crew to row an average of 45km a day for nine days. At 22 years of age, he was the youngest non-African participant.
This being the fourth rowing expedition of its kind, the organisational team’s risk-planning was meticulous. There was even a rifle-clutching ranger stationed on the lead boat ready to alert the rowers to any imminent threats.
Happily, none of Jack’s pre-expedition daydreams about becoming a tasty crocodile snack came to fruition. But for a Kiwi used to the tame wildlife of Hamilton, it was pretty confronting.
“The ranger would radio in and tell us to move to the left to navigate around a pod of hippos. But with the crocs, as soon as they hear or see a boat they just go under the water. On one session, the lead boat saw about 20. I’m glad that I only saw three, but I knew they were under there.”
His legs were under there at times, too.
“Mozambique was in drought, so the support boats were always getting beached on the sand banks. I never would have thought I’d be jumping out into crocodile-filled waters to push the boats a couple of times every hour.”
Then there was the merciless 37-degree heat.
“We got very ill with heatstroke – we were vomiting and had diarrhea in the first two days. We had to start waking up at 5am to get a few hours in before the heat came.”
The water issues they were raising money for were everywhere evident. Fresh water was so scarce that the rowers were forced to drink from the Zambezi.
“When we scooped water out of the river it was brown. But when we squeezed it into our water bottles it’d be crystal clear – just from the little filters. It was pretty amazing.”
Sly-eyed crocs, dodgy tums and dirty water were grist to the adventure mill for Jack, though.
“You’d think morale would be really low but everyone was in such high spirits. You get a lot closer to people when you’re at your worst. It was just awesome.”
The Row Zambezi mission raised a whopping £100,000 for freshwater charities. Jack gathered an additional NZ$8,500 via his Givealittle page (some of which he used to cover expedition costs).
“I’d be keen to do more of these missions but with a community engagement focus. I have a graduate role with a commercial real estate firm in Brisbane next year, but I’d love to get involved with NGOs down the track.”
For now, though, it’s back to the less perilous surrounds of campus, where the only things chomping at his heels are a few friendly economics and geography assignments (risk management: nil).
Kōrero by Claire Finlayson, Communications Adviser (Otago Business School)