YEAR 9 CAMP REPORT

Starting on the 19th of March the year 9s set off on our journey to Canberra. Not only was this camp educational but it was one to remember. By the end, we were inspired, challenged, and quite frankly, exhausted. 

It took us an exceptionally long bus ride to get to Canberra, which included plenty of stops along the way. Upon arrival, we went straight to Bounce to get moving after sitting still all day. Believe it or not, it was here that the teachers had just as much, if not more fun than the students. To end the first day, we checked in at the Lodge and had a delicious meal for dinner.

We woke up on the second day at 6:30 am and spent the morning at Old Parliament House and the National Film and Sound Archive. We had lunch in the senate gardens before we continued with our day. We received a tour of the Australian War Memorial which left us feeling very inspired and grateful. Our final activity of the day was a trip to the National Arboretum. Here we participated in a scavenger hunt through the beautiful trees and gardens and were able to check out some of the beautiful hiking trails. We concluded the day with a movie night.

We had yet another 6:30 am start on the third day, as we headed to Parliament House. Some heavy traffic had us running a bit late but we still managed to fit in an impressive tour, which included getting to listen to Pauline Hansen. After our tour we were lucky enough to have our local Member of Parliament, Dr Anne Webster come and chat to us about her job in politics. Then, at the shopping centre, we ran wild, getting whatever we wanted for lunch and doing a bit of shopping. 

Next on the agenda was the Australian Institute of Sport, where we had a short tour and tested a variety of different interactive apparatuses relating to sport. For our final night in Canberra, we spent some time at Questacon. We had the entire place to ourselves, giving us plenty of time to explore the rooms with science-related activities.

Our final morning at Canberra began with a 5:30am start. We quickly ate breakfast and got on the bus. We arrived home around 4:30pm.

This was an eventful trip but a great break from the classroom. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this opportunity possible. 

PACER Rebate 

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government will be contributing funding of $112.50 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate will be paid directly to the school. This rebate was taken into account when school fees were set for this year.

Grace Scott 

Student Extracurricular Activities Coordinator