Base Camp 

Last week, Mr Hawkins and I had the pleasure of taking 14 of our Year 9 boys on Base Camp out in the Gippsland Lakes region. Although it was quite a small group, we were very fortunate to get some unique opportunities that the camp doesn't often provide for larger groups. The theme of the week was Challenge and throughout the week, the boys were often put to the test to see how they could overcome difficult tasks. 

Day 1

We arrived at Camp Coolamatong just before 1pm where we had our orientation briefing. After some free time playing basketball, cricket and soccer, we started our first activity - Survivor. We split off into two teams and had to compete through various puzzles and challenges, to find the missing pilots and get off the island. 

After dinner that evening, we got into the first of our Challenge theme activities where we all took a cold plunge as the sun set, linking arms and embracing the cold water together. Once we dried off, we ran some more theme/team building activities.

Day 2

After breakfast, and some more Challenge activities, we played combat archery, which was followed by climbing and abseiling. Making their way up the tower was a fun challenge for the students who'd never abseiled before. After lunch, and some free time, we explored the farm, getting up close and personal with the animals, and learning how the dairy and shearer’s shed operate. 

Our final activity for the day was the low ropes course, which we were able to complete in 2 minutes and 45 seconds in the time trial. While we waited for dinner, we played the 7v7 soccer game of the century, Team Hawkins vs Team Wakeham, which was hard fought and ended with a ‘last goal wins’ from Team Wakeham, to cement their 3-1 victory. Once we’d eaten and washed up, we settled in for movie night.

Day 3

We packed our lunch straight after breakfast, before we headed out for a boat trip to Ocean Grange. While enjoying the views across the lake, we solved riddles and played Two Truths and a  Lie until we made it to our destination. After morning tea, we continued through to 90 Mile beach to soak in the views, play some beach games and have lunch, after plenty of running around. We then played a quick soccer game while waiting for the boat to take us back to camp and head straight across to Mason’s Bay, for a team adventure race, and raft building.  

Despite some initially promising designs, only one raft had the structural integrity for the team to make it out to the buoy, before some sabotage from the other team lead to everyone in the water. Mr Hawkins and I were very impressed with the leadership some of the boys demonstrated during this task, and how they stood up to give their team the best chance at succeeding.

After dinner, we spent the evening bush walking around the campsite, seeing lots of kangaroos, learning about the history of the camp, and seeing some stunning sunset views over Mason’s Bay. At the end of the day, we played a couple of games of Mafia together to round the night out.

Day 4

Today was a great day out on the water. We started off with water tubing out on Mason’s Bay, a highlight of the week for many of the boys who were trying it for the first time. We followed this up with Stand Up Paddleboarding, and although shaky at the start, we soon got quite comfortable on them, organising some races and games of last man standing. We headed back to camp for lunch, before heading down to the dam for canoeing. In the canoes, we played games, such as Canoe ball, explored the dam and also took a moment to pause and reflect, getting in touch with our natural surroundings. 

Back at camp, we enjoyed some free time to dry off and clean up before dinner. At the dinner table, we took the opportunity to give a shout out to some of the superstars from the week, and it was great to see all the amazing things people had been doing throughout the week being recognised by their peers. To round out the night, we played Trivia which ended up a very close competition and featured some very interesting hidden talents as a bonus round. The boys were keen to play some more Mafia late into the evening, so that's how we ended our final night of camp together.

Day 5

We packed up our cabins and our lunch for the bus trip home, then played some final games all together. We loved playing 9 Square in the Air and then headed to the Gaga pit to say our final goodbyes and debrief the week that’s been. 

We had another chance to reflect and share something that will stick with each of us from this week, something we will leave behind after the experience, and something that has challenged us the most during camp. 

It was great to hear a common theme of how everyone has strengthened their connections with one another and made some lasting memories they would not have made had they not come on camp. We said our goodbyes and thanked our camp leaders Matty and Jeremie, as well as our cook Kelly, all of whom went above and beyond to provide an unforgettable experience to the boys. 

Student highlights:

My personal highlight was the water tubing. It was heaps of fun, and it was so cool going really fast and getting air time. This camp really changed my overview of independence and responsibility and I liked how the activities challenged us physically, mentally and as a group to work together to overcome obstacles. ~ Adam E 

Water tubing was my favourite activity but l loved how close knit the group got by the end of the week, given not all of us spoke much to each other at school beforehand. ~  Mason 

I really liked making new friends with people I haven’t spoken to much. ~ Christian 

I loved the connection I have built with some of my friends because camp pushed us in ways we wouldn’t usually experience. ~ Bailey 

I enjoyed the activities on the beach trip like Fox holes because it helped me work together with new people I haven’t worked and the game was really fun. ~ Michael 

We were very fortunate to have such a great group of boys to take on this camp. One thing that really stood out for us, was how at no point did any of the boys back down from a challenge, and were willing to give everything a go. The way every single student embraced every task throughout the week and weren’t afraid to be a bit silly and maintain a great sense of humour, was very inspiring and something they should all be proud of. 

Charlie Wakeham

Camp Leader