Year 10 Central Australia Camp
While everyone was enjoying their sleep-ins on the school holidays, 87 Year 10 students turned up to school at 5.30am in their Blue or Pink outfits ready to begin their Central Australia Tour with day one’s theme being a Battle of the Sexes Tournament. Every day had a different theme and the nights were filled with activities. Our famous Blind Date Night was a hit once again, seeing ‘Janice’ and Mr Nichol discuss the ways both ladies and gentlemen should behave on a date. At first glance, many see long bus trips as a deterrent. The staff and students on the other hand made the most of their time on the bus and played games such as Pictionary, stretch the snake, frog toss and Scategories to pass the time on the long stretches of road. Aside from travelling through Central Australia on an amazing trip, a key focus was making the students more aware of what was around them and understanding how doing small things can create big changes, and surviving life means moving around until they find their niche to thrive in.
We had a 24-hour period where there were no phones or electronic devices. This was well received and meant the students could take in the beautiful gorges, which we explored during the day. Some students said the best part of camp was when they couldn’t talk out of respect for the Indigenous culture during the Kata Juta walk. Others said having no phone meant actually walking around exploring the rock faces.
Every year we hold an auction to raise money to support the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). Families and staff donated items such as giant cookies, dilly bags, toothbrushes and ‘vintage’ camp T-shirts for the auction. RFDS have come to our aid a number of times over the years and without them, our camps would not run as well as they do. The students showed a true appreciation for what the RFDS does for remote communities and this year the group raised a whopping $3314.70. I look forward to contacting RFDS regarding the 2018 donation.
Although there was an overnight invasion at our camp on our second last night, I was very pleased with how all students responded to the event and they should be extremely proud of how they all grouped together and got around anyone affected by the incident. The hero of the camp was Mr Telford who demonstrated that a hero does not need a cape. Just courage and quick reflexes to pull on some pants and chase invaders away.
We thank you Mr Telford!
Tracey Lackman
Year 10 Camp Leader
