Year 6 Camp

Last week, our Year 6 students eagerly participated in a 3-day adventure to Camp Somerset. During their time away, the boys took part in a variety of outdoor activities ranging from archery to cooking their own damper over a fire! Considering this was the first true camping experience for many students, it was incredibly pleasing to see the manner in which the boys embraced the different opportunities on offer.

Please enjoy reading a selection of student responses from each class based on the boys’ own unique experiences of camp.

6 Black

Benjamin Calleja: Overall, Camp Somerset was quite boring. That’s what I would say if I was in another universe! It was an amazing time to spend away from the busy life that we live and take some time to be with the natural world. I really enjoyed going on a hike to a sandstone cave where we saw First Nations Peoples illustrations and learnt about their written language. My two favourite activities were ‘All Aboard’ and ‘Base 7’. In ‘All Aboard’, I was the first person in my group to stand on top of the pole we climbed up and in ‘Base 7’, my group won with 220 points. I found the first collectible of the match and one of my group members located the last one, earning us 40 easy points. I also enjoyed getting to know people that I didn’t really know before. It was one of those moments you need to make the most of while at St Patrick’s because they aren’t things you do every day. It was a phenomenal experience, and I would do it all over again if I could.

Benjamin Prichard: On Monday 7 November, Year 6 were lucky enough to embark on our first SPC camp together. Everyone was excited as we waited for the coaches to go to Camp Somerset. When we got there, I was stunned by the vast fields and open space there was to relax in. I found camp a really good time to be away from all the distractions and screens we have in our lives and at school. I also loved the activities. I especially enjoyed the ‘Milk Crate Stack’ which was an activity where you were required to put on a harness and had to stack milk crates beneath your feet, climbing to great heights. I also loved ‘Base 7’, which was a stealth game. In this activity you had to steal codes for satellites and cameras while not getting caught by a camp leader or member of staff in a tower. Overall, I really enjoyed camp and I am sure my peers did too!

6 Blue

Jason Abraham: As we arrived at the ‘Wombat Hole’, the nerves were building up inside me. I was not prepared to get covered in mud let alone crawl in a small, eerie tunnel. I started to second-guess my decision of going in… “You got this” I thought in my head. “Give it a go or you will go home without trying something new!” So, I gathered myself as I was next in line and gave it a crack, but only after we got told that there was a lever that if we pulled it, a slide to the river would open up (I still think that was 100% a fib!). “Good work, Jason!” Ms Osorio Narvaez cheered. I jumped out of the tunnel feeling a sense of accomplishment and ready to jump straight back in. I really enjoyed camp as it showed me not to judge a book by its cover and try new things. “I’ll be back to have another go at the ‘Wombat Hole’, sooner or later”.

Isaac Lorenzo: When I was watching the camp instructor telling us how to do the ‘Milk Crate Stack’, my heart almost stopped as he told us that other boys’ lives were in our hands when we were holding the rope! The rope was connected to a harness which one person was in while standing and stacking on the milk crates. Eventually, I gathered all my thoughts and soon it was my turn. I started stacking the crates to see how high I could go. It wasn’t too scary until I got up to the eighth or ninth crate and it was very wobbly. Then I got up to the twelfth crate where it was super wobbly and I could not balance anymore so I fell off. Luckily the people holding the rope for me did a good job and held me up in the air; then lowered me slowly. After I got out of the harness, I felt very proud of myself for getting over my fear of heights and having lots of fun during it. Camp Somerset was a great experience and I look forward to coming back again when I’m in the Senior School.

6 Gold

Sean Costello: Camp was loads of fun and I enjoyed getting to know people better and learning new things like how to make a tent and how to cook. I had fun playing footy in the river and doing the ‘Wombat Hole’. I think I was very talented in the ‘Base 7’ activity because I was very sneaky and had a good eye to get intel. I liked my group leader, Cameron, as he was fair and didn`t speak over anyone. I think he was the best cook out of all the other group leaders as he was very patient with me and my group by giving us heaps of chances. Though there was a downside to camp as the food was a bit off, except for Cameron’s, and our tents got wet during the night due to the moist dew. Another annoying part was that we missed out on kayaking and archery, but I guess you can`t have everything in life! In all honesty, the food was actually very good for camp food and the nachos were even better than the food I have at home, so well done to the chef. I had so much fun at camp and am excited to go back in later years. I would like to end this reflection by thanking everyone who helped make this fun Junior School memory happen.

Darius Faker: Now how was camp? Prior to going to camp I was pretty excited, but I would not say I was jumping out of my shoes for this. At the same time, I was nervous about it and didn’t really know what to expect. Although there were many ups and downs during camp, I can say that I mostly enjoyed it. I would say that sleeping in a tent with your mate was fun, the nachos we had for dinner were nice, playing in the river with your friends was cool and most of the camp activities were great. However, I definitely did not enjoy the uncomfortable sleeps I had each night. I learnt that it can be good to experience new things every now and then and make the most of the opportunities given to us as everyone else should. I definitely think that this was a worthwhile experience and have no regrets about going to camp. I think this was a wonderful adventure, but am happy now that I can sleep in my own bed.

6 Green

Daniel Garrett: Last week, all of Year 6 went away on camp for a week down to Camp Somerset. It was about a two-hour drive there. When we arrived, we met our camp leader, grabbed our bags, and headed down to our first campsite.

When we arrived, one of the first things we did was to eat lunch. For lunch that day we had a chicken burger with chips. At the dining hall, most of the food was delicious, but some things had a funny taste to them. When we moved to our first campsite, we had to make our own food. I really enjoyed cooking the food. I also learnt how to chop certain foods such as onions and potatoes. We roasted marshmallows on the fire, cooked sausages and pancakes. It was delicious!

The activities were really fun as well. My favourite activity had to be ‘Base 7’, which was an army-like activity. The teacher would climb up into a tall tower and had to try and spot us, while we report intel to base which gives us points. Another really fun activity was the ‘Wombat Hole’. It is an underground tunnel that is extremely muddy and wet. It is a maze that you have to crawl through and it's dark inside, so it was really hard to see. Overall, I had an extremely fun and enjoyable experience at camp.

Seamus O’Connell: I enjoyed camp because it was a new experience and I had lots of fun doing activities with some different faces. I enjoyed having the company of many nice people there such as friends, instructors and teachers. I had lots of fun playing around in the river and participating in all of the activities our group completed. I really enjoyed learning new skills such as helping to cook and also setting up fires.

I found some of the activities difficult as you needed to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Furthermore, I found it hard pushing myself for the better and finding my limits that I can accomplish. I learnt a lot about what I can do and also gained some handy skills along the way. I am really happy that I went to camp, participated in everything and believe that I made the most of my opportunities.

6 Red

Luca Cavallo: My favourite activity was definitely the ‘Wombat Hole’. I have always liked getting wet and muddy! This time my friends were there, and we did not know where we were going. Suddenly, we saw the light, which was so exciting. I was expecting the food to be bad, but I was very wrong, as the food was actually nice. The nachos were definitely the best. Being outdoors most of the time made me think that I don’t really need technology to live my life. Making my own food and setting up my tent was very fun and now I have some knowledge to tell my family.

Stephen Finneran: At Camp Somerset I learned new skills like camping, how to make a fire and how to set up a tent. At first, I only knew four people from my class. I didn’t know my tent buddy, but it was good to get to know him, and he was really nice. Crawling around in the ‘Wombat Hole’ was so much fun because we got mud all over us and it was funny hearing all the screams. Swimming in the river was so nice afterwards as we could clean ourselves. Our group instructor and Mrs Grant were wonderful and fair to all the boys. We did a lot of walking and saw roads that were impacted by the recent floods. Two things were my absolute favourites though. Firstly, sitting by the campfire and roasting marshmallows was so awesome. Also, participating in ‘Base 7’ was really cool. It is an activity where you are part of the army and you have to try and get a flag without being seen by the enemy. Overall, camp was a great experience as I had so much fun throughout.

6 White

Lucas Bitar: The Year 6 Camp at Somerset was a great experience for my first ever camp. I very much enjoyed doing fun activities such as eating marshmallows by the fire, playing with my friends in the Colo River or helping make lunch and dinner on the barbeque. My two favourite activities were going on the flying fox, which was one of the biggest things I had ever seen, and going in the ‘Wombat Hole’ which was one of the most dirty, claustrophobic and fun things I have ever participated in. I also loved sleeping in tents and being pushed out of the comfort zone of my bed. Overall, I loved camp, and I can’t wait to go back again when I’m in the Senior School.

Xavier Brogan: Camp was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my time at school. It was an astronomical array of activities and delicious food that inspired joy to all. I had an amazing time mucking about with my mates and staying up late, awakening to the beautiful colours of the sunrise over the mountains and the glorious songs of the native birds, welcoming the daylight. Some of my favourite activities were the flying fox, swimming in the Colo River, the marvellous maze of the ‘Wombat Hole’ (which was extremely dirty!) and toasting marshmallows around the fire. I had so much fun, and I learned some important life skills such as putting up a tent and how to make a fire. We even had to cook our own food! We also saw a native bowerbird nest right by our campsite, which was decorated with a variety of blue objects scattered on the ground. In conclusion, I cannot wait to visit Camp Somerset again in all of its glory.

As always, if you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me via email (glenn.stephenson@spc.nsw.edu.au) or phone (8705 9247) and I will endeavour to assist you in any way that I can.

May God bless you,

Glenn Stephenson

Director of Junior School

Friday Morning Mass – Year 5

This week Year 5 students will be leading the Friday morning Mass in the College Chapel. All parents/carers are welcome to join the school community at this Mass. It is a beautiful way to start the day, enhance our relationship with Jesus and also model your faith for your sons. I look forward to seeing you there.

Stephen O'Connor

Junior School Religious Education Coordinator

College Notices