South Island Survival is a New Zealand based survival company, offering over 30 years experience to provide you with knowledge to survive and adapt to any situation. Our team has unmatched expertise and training capabilities, enabling us to create the perfect course for novices through to the experienced outdoorsman. As well as our courses, we sell affordable and practical pocket survival kits which are essential for anyone who ventures outdoors.
SIMON AMOS
As a Serviceman and professional trainer, Simon has accrued nearly 30 years experience in the design, development, delivery, management and evaluation of training. He was a qualified Military Survival Instructor at the Royal Air Force Survival School (now UK Joint Service SERE School), having been the first member of his military Branch to undergo Combat Survival and Rescue Officers’ Training in the early Nineties. Simon was Training Officer for the Royal Brunei Air Force’s Training Establishment. He assisted in designing and providing leadership development training for the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force. In his last military role, he was selected to be the first Commander of the Royal New Zealand Air Force Training Squadron charged with the development of technical and professional skills of potential military aviation Tradespeople.
Throughout his career, Simon has exhibited a passion for the Outdoors (holding a Certificate of Adult Education – Further Education; and a Higher National Diploma in Outdoor Activities) and gained experience through playing, working, training and living in a diverse range of environments in both operational and peace-time contexts. Simon has learnt, applied or taught survival skills in the Arctic; Northern and Eastern Europe; North and Central America and South East Asia. He is comfortable dealing with survival in the water and on the land; and possesses a wealth of knowledge and skills needed to successfully live in coastal, forest, jungle and mountain environments.
Simon provides an effective, engaging and no-nonsense training experience which presents high fidelity, challenging and engaging; but controlled activities in a supportive and measured manner. Through this approach, he assists people to develop self-reliance and personal awareness whilst experiencing growth through the acquisition of skills and knowledge which have real value and utility in the real world. He teaches subject matter which has applicability across a broad spectrum of challenges that we could face, and provides real enhancement of an ability to survive, no matter what.
Acknowledging the renewed interest in ‘survival skills’ and ‘bushcraft’, Simon adapts his delivery to cater for all from the ‘everyman’ through to the enthusiast. The equipment and techniques that he uses have proven to be of true value to ‘accidental adventurers’ who have found survival to be a reality that was unexpectedly presented to them by fate, through to those adrenalin-junkies for whom living on the edge is a way of life.
CAROLINE AMOS
Caroline is a qualified te
acher, researcher and trainer who has been involved for a number of years in the design, delivery and evaluation of educational and training material across a number of industries. Her first involvement with professional training delivery was in the early 90’s, when she attained qualifications to up-skill others and evaluate their training progression. Caroline entered formal higher education in the mid-90’s and graduated with a Science Degree and a thirst for research, challenge and innovation.
Finding few outlets for her talents that appealed to her, Caroline opted to complete a Post Graduate Qualification in Education and entered the teaching profession, specializing in physics and science delivery. Whilst newly-qualified as a teacher, she was a core contributing member of an acclaimed group of subject matter experts charged with developing an initiative to radically overhaul the formal structure and delivery of teaching practice in the UK. Early on in her teaching career, she identified education and training as keys in enabling people to perform to their full potential, and dedicated herself to rendering only the best professional performance that she could muster.
Caroline has the ability to ably exercise critical thinking to perceive the real nature of an issue and strike to the heart of the matter; she is adept in the formulation and incorporation of innovative and effective teaching and training techniques – and has proven to be a keen mentor and skilled coach of others attempting to do the same. She is also a gifted training needs analyst, who is subsequently able to structure and deliver effective and efficient training to make-good any skills-gaps.
Since a teenager, Caroline has displayed a keen interest in the outdoors – having been a recreational Kayaker, Sailor and Climber – and has acquired a wealth of technical and scientific information relating to the natural world. Her training forte is in challenging the established and asking the difficult questions so that the essentials of any related subject matter can be accurately identified; fully understood; logically structured and ably delivered to an audience. The underlying philosophy driving Caroline’s efforts is that those receiving training must be at the centre of all activities, both figuratively and literally.
Caroline has played a key role in developing South Island Survival’s training courses, documentation and philosophy. Additionally, in regard to South Island Survival’s Survival Kits, she has been pivotal in determining the ideal composition of each kit; has directed the research and evaluation needed to determine each component item’s quality and utility; and has led the sourcing and procurement activities necessary to put each kit together. These activities have ensured that each South Island Survival Kit has sufficient equipment of the right type, quality and utility to serve the purpose as described on the tin.