Year 7 Camp

For the last week of Term 1, Year 7’s were lucky enough to finish with a School Camp at The Ranch, in Cape Schanck. Kurunda and Alinga were first to venture off on the Monday 6th of April, followed by Myamba and Bindana who arrived on Wednesday the 8th.  

With all of Year 7 together, an Aboriginal Teachings was held by Living Culture, Lionel Launch, the founder of Living Culture. He educated us on the rich history of the Boonwurrung people and their ways of life. We were shown many artifacts and tools they used everyday, such as shields, bowls, spears, boomerangs, possum skins and much more. We then paired off in groups and attempted to create smoke using an ancient technique and throw hunting spears. In between activities, slowly but surely a large line formed of students eager to be healed by the Yidaki (Didgeridoo). It is easy to say everyone learnt something new from the amazing experience. 

Once Kurunda and Allinga left for home, Myamba and Bindana were quick to begin activities after being sorted into activity groups. In Group 8, we started off with some horse-riding along the Forest Trail at the Ranch. As we were riding along, we all got to see the beautiful nature that surrounded our trail. After some horse-riding, it was off to the skies in the Giant-Swing! Everyone went to the maximum height of 18 meters, even if they were a little nervous. We all got to see the stunning view of the acreage around us, whilst simultaneously losing our weight on the way down. Everyone loved the giant-swing and would do it again. Once it got dark out, we filled our bellies with some pasta and garlic bread, preparing ourselves for the night walk. Torches were out and hiking boots were on as we trekked our way through the long trail. We were fortunate to stop at an area filled with small edible plants, ‘Salty-Baby-Spinach' as we called it. Everyone tried a leaf and were surprised on its taste (as well as after-taste). 

Thursday morning arrived and we were all pumped about the day ahead. We all fueled up on some toast and cereal then began our first activity for the day: Hut Building! Though the start was awkward, and an efficient method was yet to be found, we eventually decided to build one large wall, planted into the ground. Once we determined it was sturdy and strong enough, planks of wood were rested on a 45-ish degree angle, making one funny looking triangle. Our creation survived some ‘rain’ and we all celebrated by sliding down a hill on the wood, ‘wood-boarding’ if you will. Funnily enough, after some ‘wood-boarding' was Mountain Boarding! This is one of the activities that makes the Ranch so special. After an introduction to controls and how to equip some snazzy safety gear we were set! It felt quite funny at first, but by the end, everyone was a pro not just at falling but also mountain-boarding! Even though we all stacked at least once, it was by far one of the funnest activities on offer. Then, we got to ‘make’ some damper! Though the results were questionable, no-doubt we had a good laugh trying to make some of the stuff. To finish the day: Leap of Faith. We all were a little shaky but conquered our fears and jumped from the 8-meter pole to the floating orange buoy. The wind was strong and proved a challenge when trying to climb up the pole but was all part of the fun. We were all tired from our activities, so we devoured some chicken schnitzel and veggies, then enjoyed a marsh-mellow and movie night before hitting the hay. 

Friday came and sadly, our adventure was nearing its end as we munched on some hash browns for brekkie. To end our trip, we worked as a team in the initiative course and scaled our way up the rock-climbing wall, encouraging each-other to keep on climbing. The Ranch was one of the best camps I have ever experienced, and I loved the large variety of activities they had to offer. The staff, food, cabins and activities are perfect for an end of term school camp and a great opportunity for the Year 7’s to get to know each other. What a way to end Term 1. 

Jack Boyle- M7