Annual Australasian course report Camp Todd 2025

Mil CQC Drills to Command

CQC Confined Space Contact Inoculation hard cover guard truing up

For 29 years of our 98 years of mil close combat and self-defence training provision, we have been conducting an annual course at Todd Group HQ and Camp Todd.

The 2025 annual Australasian course muster surpassed some pre-Covid courses numbers and was a full course in all three phases of instruction, with course applications having to be cut off sometime before the course commencement date.

The courses not only included a Phase 1 Basic course of instruction, but also a Phase 2 Advanced course of instruction, a Phase 3 Specialist course of instruction and CPO specialist close personal protection actions on tactics and skills threat neutralisation training component.

The course was conducted at Camp Todd Berwick close to the Dunedin airport and at Todd Group HQ Central Dunedin.

Training at the camp provides fitting outdoors training environments that are beneficial not only for the tactics and skills training, but also important fundamentals like footing and stability enhancement and sudden aggressive shock actions on training.

Real life unarmed CQC contact under Phase 1 Basic testing

We had a full contingent of Todd Group HQ instructors and assistant instructors as well as visiting Australian proponents assisting with instructing on course.

The two weeks involved with the course rapidly passed with constant conducting of training and facilitating and resourcing duties.

There was one Phase 2 Advanced candidate that tested and passed which is a demanding undertaking when on your own up against multiple enemy party pers over 3 to 4 hours.

This testing phase was conducted in both an outdoors training area and in the CQC indoors training hall at Camp Todd.

Four Phase 1 Basic candidates volunteered for phase 1 testing which was conducted on the morning of the final day of the course.

All four candidates passed Phase 1 Basic testing.

CQC actions on testing phase component of the Phase 1 Basic testing

2025 in regards to testing outcomes produced top results with all candidates passing their Phase 1 and 2 testing.

When you consider on many previous testing phases not a single candidate passed or just a 1 or 2% pass rate, this was a very good outcome.

The courses completion certificates were presented after the Phase 1 Basic testing ended along with the annual prize giving recipients being announced.

The attending close personal protection operators underwent a basic instructor under assessment course of instruction in our most current specialist close personal protection actions on threat neutralisation tactics and skills capabilities.

The mix of military, law enforcement and civilian exponents, proponents and instructors on course made for a diverse range of individuals of wide ranging backgrounds that enjoyed the company of other enthusiasts of mil close combat and mil self-defence.

Over the last 29 years of the annual Australasian course being conducted many friendships have been forged and many attendees on the 2025 course have returned year after year to experience living CQB/CQC/MSD under military intensive courses of instruction conditions as serious civi enthusiasts, from the World War II eight per army huts accommodation to the mess hall and outdoor training environments, everything is about getting on with striving for ones best levels of competency and capability.

The Phase 1 Basic testing requires not only commitment but also controlled aggressive output objective achievement to prove oneself physically and mentally under duress to surpass the required testing levels and earn their right to promotion and advancement.

Phase 1 Basic BHEs testing component

Male and female exponents and proponents on this year’s course of instruction all demonstrated dedication and commitment to their training, working well together taking orders and instructions, and giving their very best to achieving objectives including achieving increased competency and proficiency capabilities.

Crowd Combat Toughener training coming back from the dead

While it’s not that hard to throw a punch or a kick, being on the receiving end and being able to overcome the effects of hard contact impact and threat neutralise takes mental toughness intestinal fortitude and inner resolve.

Toughener and sickener training is to develop such capabilities by inoculating combatants against the effects of hard heavy hostile contact and ensuring they are primary capabilities armed and prepared to do what it takes.

Visiting new entry exponents enjoyed the opportunity to visit the old Todd Group HQ facility in central Dunedin and undertake training there as well as spent some time looking around the history room.

They also crossed the road and had the chance to shop after hours at our fight times supplies shop where Todd group developed close combat kit was available to them.

There were so many positive comments in regards to this course getting back and surpassing some pre-Covid 19 musters and how after decades of attendance, attendees still relish the opportunity to attend the annual Australasian courses of instruction.

Many commented on how everyone was deadly serious about their training and testing and there were no disruptive types or those that were weak minded or not prepared to give their best under the physicality realities of training and testing.

Unarmed threat neutralisation on the BHEs component of testing

Being the only training provider of our European military elite armed and unarmed combat and military self defence systems it is those seeking mil close combat overseen by mil elite Master Instructors that serious exponents from throughout New Zealand, Australia and overseas want to undertake training from. Getting serious committed individuals that have done their seeking such training homework attending our Camp Todd and Todd Group HQ as well as our international hub country of Thailand courses proving themselves one by one is important for setting and maintaining of CQC standards ensuring those that make up our senior ranks are not only highly skilled tested and proven exponents and proponents but are importantly of the right character and attitude.

There is no other way to set and maintain the highest standards other than for exponents and candidates to accept the challenges of training and testing and surpass high-level required standards to achieve promotion and advancement.

Phase 2 Advanced and Phase 3 Specialist packages being restricted trade craft training means that the only way to learn such skills is by being accepted for training/course joining, completing mandatory training hours to volunteer for testing and passing testing and being accepted for promotion and access to advanced/specialist training.

There are no advanced and specialist training productions or publications publicly available and this is important to ensure these skills sets do not get into the wrong hands and out of respect for those that have trained, tested and earned the rights to such training access.

It is the willing able and ready types of quietly confident lads and lasses that we aim to recruit and that want nothing less than challenging and demanding training experiences and hard heavy and hostile testing.

They are very appreciative of being able to stay and train at Camp Todd with its 215 acres of fitting terrain and training and testing environments.

We already have confirmations from members on this course for next year’s annual Australasian course.

2027 will be our 100 years anniversary of our mil close combat and self-defence training provision and we will begin working on advance planning for this special event soon.

We can provide hot and humid training at our own stand-alone facility at our international hub country facility in Thailand as well as cold winter training at Camp Todd making for environments suitable for wide ranging varied training provision.

Applications are being processed now for the May 26th-31th Phase 1 Basic course Thailand. Course joining information instructions and online application facility can be found at www.toddgroup.com

I would like to congratulate the successful testing candidates on course and applaud all exponents and proponents that accepted the training challenges on the 2025 annual Australasian course of instruction. Hard heavy and hostile testing including real weapons disarming with all the factors of sudden aggressive armed surprise shock actions is a must to best physiologically prepare candidates for overcoming fears of real blades and hard bludgeons.

We have had on previous courses traditional practitioners and instructors of fighting arts self-defence styles not willing to face live blades, trench clubs or hard riot sticks and being volunteer courses this is their right but by doing so they cannot pass testing and achieve promotion and rank.

If they do not train the mil CQC way and overcome their fears it would be difficult for them to do so under a violent armed assault.

We provide the Brain to Boot mental toughness enhancement tactics and skills training and our best of battle proven threat neutralisation capabilities and the WAR (willing able ready types) accept the training and testing challenges risks and realities and then there are those that cannot.

It is up to the individual candidate to volunteer for testing and accept orders and instructions and surpass the required standards ratings to achieve promotion and rank.

Appreciation to the instructing cadre all assistant instructors and everyone that assisted with the facilitation and coordination of this major course of instruction. To set and maintain the highest CQC standards it comes down to making sure our ranks of tested exponents and proponents have proven themselves under testing and are selfless, dedicated and committed group members.

Below some pics from the Phase 1 Basic testing