Outdoor adventures
Former professional rugby union player Nick Cummins has co-launched a series of all-blokes adventure tours, including a father-and-son experience, with Rogue Gentlemen’s Club.
Why did you start the Rogue Gentlemen’s Club (RGC)?
I’ve always had this project in mind, and the timing felt right. Statistics show that males commit suicide at a rate three times higher than females, and sometimes it takes a nontraditional approach to rediscover our identity and passion for life. The outdoors and nature have consistently proven a source of clarity and motivation for me. It’s been a grounding tool through my biggest challenges. I want men to understand what an adventure in the outdoors can do for the mind, body and soul. What role have you found travel and experiences in nature has played on your own wellbeing?
Nature has always been the pinnacle for me when it comes to wellbeing. Whenever I’ve had challenges, I’ve always found the outdoors to be the place where I can fully process and understand my emotions, thoughts and feelings. The goal is for RGC to help men learn the power of disconnecting. It does wonders to be able to get off-grid and figure out what’s happening in your mind.
What types and ages of men are joining you on your trips?
We’ve had men from all walks of life join our missions. It’s been a mixed bag of guys and between 16-60 years old, looking to take a break from their busy lives, enjoy the outdoors and build new bonds. You’ve talked about creating a platform for men to talk about their fears and vulnerabilities. How do you facilitate that on the trip – or is discussion something you find occurs organically?
The RGC groups are always small to medium sized, and we find that through the activities we do, it is inevitable that these guys start to let their guard down and exchange stories. Of course, there’s a few hard eggs to crack, but signing up for a trip shows us that they are looking for some sort of outlet.
Setting your intentions and understanding what you’re hoping to get out of it is something we really focus on. Each day our Rogue missions will come to an end around a campfire where there is meaningful conversation and genuine friendships formed. What are some of the adventure activities attendees will take part in, and is there a certain level of skill or fitness required to go on the trips?
We do a variety of activities including camping, fire building, morning workouts, cooking, survival skills, fishing, snorkelling, boating, mindfulness sessions, hiking and the list goes on.
While some of our missions do require a fair degree of fitness, we have a range of options.
The Kimberley mission is particularly demanding, with an itinerary focused around trekking and swimming. Our Queensland missions have a more laidback schedule and activities.
One of the takeaway’s from an RGC mission is education on good food and exercise. The goal is to enable these guys to apply this to their day-to-day and empower others around them.
We understand you are introducing father-and-son experiences. What will those trips entail? Where will you be hosting those tours and is there a minimum age limit for ‘sons’ on these tours?
At this stage, the father-and-son experiences are being offered in Sydney. Father-and-son missions are awesome, because you get to watch them connect in such a raw and authentic environment. The youngest we can take is 12 years old, and it’s cool to have these young blokes come along because it really can become the foundation of something huge for them later in life.
After the trips, how can the men all stay connected with each other?
Everyone who comes on a trip will be added to a Facebook group, which myself and the other tour leaders are incredibly active in.
Something that is really important to us is keeping these bonds strong following the RGC trips. As blokes, we don’t open up enough.
We want to make sure that once these guys have come on a mission, we keep the connection alive so that we can celebrate each other’s successes and offer support in times of darkness.