Deputy Principal

The Common Ground of Austin Appelbee and our Year 7 Cohort 

In a world of cynicism and bad news stories pervading every channel, station and social media platform, how good was it to read about 13-year-old Austin Applelbee last week! If you missed it, the story is here: Austin Appelbee speaks after 'superhuman' swim off Quindalup to save family in Geographe Bay - ABC News

Austin’s superhuman effort to save his family is a miracle. How difficult for a mother to send her son into shark-infested waters to get help. To find courage in a range of ways – prayer, songs, positive self-talk – to keep persisting goes far beyond any expectation of a child so young. Austin was able to swim 4km in the Indian Ocean when an inability to swim 350m without stopping in the local swimming pool meant a ‘fail’ on his recent swimming certificate.

While Year 7 Camp certainly doesn’t require feats that are superhuman, for many of our girls, going on camp has an anxious lead up: Will I find friends? Will I be able to do the activities? I’ve not spent much time (or no time) away from my family. How will the cabin sleeping go? I had a problematic primary school camp experience, I can’t do this again!

This is the very point of our outdoor education experience happening early in the transition to secondary school. Our well-planned activities, camp groups and cabin groups are designed to encourage students to move from their comfort zone to the growth zone, creating small immune responses to uncertainty or difficulty when those moments arise. 

It’s also more than an immune response to uncertainty. We ask our students to take responsibility for choices, widen their circle of connections and prepare themselves for the culture of service to others that our College wholeheartedly fosters. Not to mention the Franciscan philosophy of a strong connection to nature and its creatures. Noosa North Shore is the perfect setting! 

Young people don’t build their immune response or participate without support. The cohort are guided by our Heads of House, Counsellors and Learning Enhancement staff who are credentialed education wellbeing experts. The Total Adventures Outdoor Education staff, with extensive safety protocols in place, challenge our girls to master the activities while supporting each other.

Resilience and grit do not appear by magic. Who knew Austin could swim 4km and then run 2km to save his family?! No child walks around saying ‘look how resilient I am being today.’  Resilience and grit happen in the moments when we are tested. Being resilient doesn’t feel resilient. It feels difficult. It is loaded with ‘I can’t!’ It hurts. It is uneasy.

And that’s the point! We know that living our mantra – high challenge and high support – gives our girls the opportunity for their resilience and grit to appear in those moments of discomfort. It was there the whole time. What a joy and privilege it is to witness the reveal!

Thank you for sending your daughter on camp. For those of you who left our campus with tears in your eyes or worried because they were worried, thank you for trusting us. 

Every blessing,

Michelle Licina

Deputy Principal - Student Development and Wellbeing