This year’s camp began at Douglas Scrub, McLaren Flat. The camp site and grounds provided a beautiful nature setting and it was great to witness the children outdoors and enjoying some much needed warmth from the Sun. The good weather continued to follow us to Victor the following day, with some fun activities for the day, before heading to Open Light, which hosted us for the second night.
Camp From a Student's perspective - written by L. Paterson
Day One was full of activities and got going pretty much as soon as we arrived. After splitting into four groups, we met our instructors, who would stay with us for the three days. The highlight of the day was challenging ourselves on the bouldering wall. We had to put helmets on and we had to pair up; one person would be the spotter and the other was the climber. The spotter had to stand behind the climber in case they fell. The best part was playing boulder twister. The instructor called out something like, right hand red, and we would have to find a red rock on the wall and put our hand on it with out falling off. Some parts got really hard and it was tough to hang on. Other activities for the day were 'shelter making' and an 'environmental walk'.
To end the first day, we enjoyed a camp fire and all had a go at roasting marshmallows. We followed this up with 'Family Feud' before heading to our dorms about 9:30pm and tried to get some sleep... I say 'tried'.
As we had two locations, day two of camp started by us having to pack first thing in the morning. The bus arrived after breakfast and drove us down to Victor. When we got there the bus driver dropped two groups near Granite Island and the other two groups at Encounter Lakes, for canoeing.
Both activities were great, but I think most liked the canoeing. Whilst canoeing, we got to play some more games, such as 'Rule the world', where we had to tag other canoes and they would have to join our country. That was fun, but the strong winds did make it difficult at times.
Around 4:00pm, the bus picked us up and took us to Open Light Campsite for the night. After some free time, we had lasagne for dinner, before getting into our pyjamas and grabbing our sleeping bags. We all gathered in the main hall and watched a movie called 'The Sandilot Kids'. Not all were able to stay awake, and unlike the night before, most of us got plenty of sleep.
Our final day, started with a full breakfast, before making sure we were all packed. Soon after, we continued with more outdoor games, such as 'Capture the Flag'. It also happened to be my birthday and everyone was really nice to me as we sang 'Happy Birthday'. There was even a mini cake with candles.
Before too long, it was time to say our goodbyes to the instructors and head for home. We took one large group photo with everyone in it, and left around 1:30pm for the trip back to school. Overall, camp was great. We all had lots of fun, a little bit of sleep, lots of food, and got to mix with other class mates who we might not always speak to. I can't wait for next year's camp!
