Liz Tan, Year 10, Ridgeway Campus

Year 10 Camp has been one of the most memorable experiences this year. It was broken up into two parts, a retreat and a journey. The retreat was mentor based, allowing us to bond with those within our houses and complete the 24-hour solo. The journey was an adventure of your choice, in which I picked canoeing, this was where students had the opportunity to complete an adventure for two and a half days. I began the camp with the journey aspect, which in my case was canoeing. There, I partnered with my friends and canoed along a calm river while experiencing the most breathtaking view. The sky was clear, a calm breeze kissed our skin, and the birds sang as we canoed. We canoed a total of 18km in the two days before heading to the retreat.

At the retreat, Thoresby was assigned to mentor-based activities first. Here we participated in many mentor bonding activities while experiencing some self-reflection. We did the giant swing, maze run and received letters from our parents. The letters were a highlight for many as they were heartwarming and emotional. To conclude the night, Thoresby students watched a movie and were sent off to their cabins. One of my highlights from camp was the cabin bonding at the retreat. The Thoresby girls crammed into one cabin where we played card games all night before sneaking off to bed, I made many new friends and spoke to others I don’t normally talk too. Finally, the next day we were sent off to our solo. This was an amazing experience where I had the opportunity to self-reflect and write letters to my future self and to those who I am grateful for in life. Camp was an unforgettable experience in which I will treasure for the rest of my life. Many new opportunities and bonds were made at this camp and I will be forever grateful.

Jahnavi Srikantha, Year 10, Plenty Campus

The Year 10 Students at Plenty Campus embarked on our final year level camp for five days on Monday the 26th to Friday the 30th of August. This year, the layout was different to previous years. We spent the first two days on a retreat doing activities such as the giant swing and flying fox before starting our respective ‘adventure journeys’ for the remainder of the week. These included a choice between Hiking, Biking, Canoeing and White-water rafting.

24-hour Solo Experience

The girls went on our ‘24-hour Solo Camping Experience’ on the very first night of Year 10 Camp. Yes, this made it daunting, but the weather was considerably better than the second night when the boys went out on their solo. The students were driven out to their own secluded campsite 200 metres away from each other. We were left to our own devices (without electronic devices). At first, it was not too bad because we had things to do, namely set up our tents and eat dinner-a cup of 2-minute noodles which the HALLS staff dropped off flasks of hot water for. But after that, the boredom kicked in and we unanimously realised that we were in for a long twenty-four hours. The whole point of this activity was to take time away from our friends and our screens to disconnect with our busy lives and reconnect with ourselves. It is important to pause and just breathe. Not thinking so much was so relaxing because our fast-paced lives only shorten our childhood. I spent my time reading the motivational stories in our camp booklets and writing a letter to my future self to look back on when I reach Year 12. The story about “Tiny Frogs” spoke of not listening to other people’s pessimistic opinions when it comes to reaching your goals. The story about “The Weight of the Glass” said that people should let go of the worries and stresses from yesterday in order to move on to a brighter tomorrow. Although I was terrified at the sounds of unidentifiable animals in the middle of the night and could not sleep due to how uncomfortable sleeping on a yoga mat was, overall, I enjoyed the experience. Even though I will not be doing another 24-hour camping solo any time soon, I will strive to implement moments of self-reflection into my daily life as a reminder to slow down and I hope those reading this article will take it as a sign to do the same.

Hiking Journey - Yanan

Embarking on a hiking journey during a Year 10 school camp is more than just a physical adventure; it is a transformative experience that offers students a unique opportunity to connect with nature, build resilience, and foster teamwork. Students that got involved in the hike journey spent three days hiking. The first day the hike leader staff lead the students on an hour and a half hike, where we hiked beside the river by a narrow dirt path; this lets our camp leader grasp an understanding of our navigation and hiking skills. On the second day, the group headed off in the morning after breakfast and concocted our own lunch, we took a boat and arrived on an island, where two students were handed the role of being the group leader (I was lucky to have been handed this role), and enabled us to experience leading, reading maps and so forth. On this journey, we walked past a national park, where the group were able to see adorable koalas in close range and take pictures with these furry creatures. The entire hike was an estimated 12km and took the boat back. The third day, the hiking group went on a bus ride to a route along the river coastline, where we could feel the warmth of the sun and the soft breeze, understanding the true beauty of nature and the river’s brief history.

Damein Eastman, Year 10, Ridgeway Campus

Year 10 camp provided me with many unique experiences that benefited me physically and mentally, while allowing me to have a wonderful time with my friends. I began at ‘Coonawarra Camp,’ where I spent the day with my mentor group. We did many activities including the giant swing, in which it brought us closer together as we all faced our fear of heights as a group. The mentor-based activities allowed us to bond as a group going into the next 2 years. The next day, we were thrown straight into the 24-hour solo, 24 hours of solitude to challenge the mind. During this time, it was easy to identify all the things my mind was itching for, but the silence was broken by some memorable events. A wallaby visited my tent in the night, at first its footsteps scared me, but I could not help but laugh when the mountain of fear built by my imagination turned out to be a cute little wallaby. After the solo, I moved to the Lakewood Park Camp, where the food was amazing, and the showers were hot. Here, we embarked on our journeys, for me, this was mountain biking. The mountain biking journey was amazing, we challenged our skill with steep tracks and rode a total of 50 kilometres in a day. Night at Lakewood Park was unforgettable, with mattresses designed to keep you up. This however turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as I had some of the most fun throughout the entirety of camp when I should have been asleep. In the cabins, we talked, played card games, and got to know one another on a deeper level. Then suddenly, it was time to go home. Despite the enjoyable time we have had at camp, everyone was ready to return home. Bums were sore, bodies were aching, and minds were exhausted, rest was much needed. We took one final relaxing ride down to the beach and dipped our toes in the water before being sent back home. Overall, my highlight of camp comes from the experiences I had with all my friends, kicking balls around, playing in the rec room, sitting by the campfire with marshmallows, and the endless nights in the Lakewood cabins.

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