Gilroy House News

Outdoor Education Experience

The Gilroy Year 9 Boys participated in the Year 9 Outdoor Education Experience late last Term.

Under the supervision of Head of Gilroy House, Mr Brett Gillett and Mr Dallas Williams and the guidance of Qualified Outdoor Ed specialist Mason and Ben the boys had a great 4 day/3 night camping and outdoor experience.

Here is a summary of their time away as written by a couple of the boys.

Day 1

On day 1 we started with a long bus ride through the hills and cliffs. We arrived at the campsite near Springbrook. We then decanted our gear from our bags into our hiking packs. Where we then set off on our activity to set up our tents. We came across a surging river that we had to venture across barefoot. We then learnt from our course instructor who thought us to cook Greek souvlaki.

After washing up we sat calmly around the fire and reminisced about our days adventures. The night was cold and slept restlessly.

Day 2

On day 2 we all woke up disoriented with little sleep. We gathered around and started cooking pancakes and making cereal for breakfast. We then prepared lunch as we had a big hike upon us. Packing our heavy bags and tents and lunch we set off on a hard 4km hike. After the hike, we all set up camp and ate our delicious wraps. We then hung around camp and prepared for archery. The boys enjoyed nailing the archery targets and were pumped to play archery tag. Archery tag was fast-paced and exciting and the boys thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Back at camp, everyone had showered and we prepared Moroccan beef with couscous. After a delicious dinner, the boys played around the fire and had fun with 16 boys in one tent. After this the boys dispersed into their own tents for a slightly better night of sleep, excited about the next day of fun and adventure.

Day 3

Day 3 began with the perfect bush breakfast, consisting of cereal and damper after another largely sleepless night due to the cold conditions Damper quickly became the highlight of the day as we gathered around the fresh fire to cook the bush bread. After eating breakfast we gathered our belongings, morning tea and lunch and set our sights on a day around the dam. Lunch’s ham salad wraps were quickly prepared with an assortment of biscuits, fruit and muesli bars. Each group made their way to their busses to begin their morning activity. The first group travelled to the Heinze Dam boat ramp where they launched a canoe in groups of three. However, the early success was unravelled by the early capsizing of a canoe drenching three. The other group took up mountain biking along the wall of the dam where they made their way to the trail. Busses shuffled us between the two locations to allow us to maximise our time. They later returned the groups to the entry where we walked down to our new site and ate our lunch. After everyone had lunch and unpacked their equipment groups made their way to Joe's jump and initiative activities. Joe's Jump encouraged moving out of your comfort zone by jumping from the 10-metre platform onto an even higher trapeze. The initiative games quickly turned into a time to socialise with the cows. Some approached and mimicked them while others ran for their lives from the friendly beasts. Groups then swapped as we practised earlier today and swapped. One initiated in Joe's jump while the other prepared the campfire with the wood they could find and break off from fallen trees. Upon the return of both groups dinner consisting of beef udon noodles was prepared within the hour. Everyone enjoyed the meals even though some overloaded the chilli. Dessert was made with the far cooler custard and fruit. We then settled around the fire to share stories and enjoy its warmth. The very eventful and jam-packed day then concluded at 9:00pm with some tracking half a kilometre to use particular toilets and others bathing in the freezing river.

Day 4

The cool morning and kind instructors us permitted our tired group to sleep in until 7:00am. Some decided to rise early and build a new fire with the leftover materials from the night before while others neglected their eventual work and continued sleeping. Many rose to a well-prepared meal that other members of the group had prepared before. While consuming our meals we gathered around the fire and discussed our plans for when we get home and how much we need to do before our departure at 11:00am. Everyone was then gathered and given a role in packing up the tents and unloading our packs back into our bags. Some boys took a matter of minutes to prepare themselves for going home and others took half an hour. Instructors rushed us more water as we ran out and resorted to drinking the water of the river.

Upon its arrival boys filled the remaining water bottles and dismantled their now empty tents. The metal components were placed in bags and the other mesh pieces were layer out in the nearby paddock to dry them. The group was then further broken down into those who would cook and those who would flip the tents and pack them up. Six boys manned the wok stars, 12 went into the paddock and flipped the tents readying them for being packed up and the remaining assisted in clearing and airing out the bags. Once the bags were finished being prepared and the tents were packed away boys gathered for a final meal in the Numinbah valley, hot dogs. The hot dogs were prepared on three woks alternating once each pack was cooked. All the boys enjoyed their meal with an array of sauces and cheese on a fresh bun with freshly cooked hot dogs. Once the woks were cleaned and packed away with the rest of the equipment boys gathered their bags and said their goodbyes to their beloved instructors Mason and Ben who had guided the, on the journey encouraging boys to build resilience through the rite of passage that we know as grade 9 camp at MCA. We collected our bags and made our final trek across the open paddocks up to the entry where we had been dropped off on Monday. Busses were quickly loaded with bags and boys who wanted to get home to their modern lifestyle and comfortable beds. The 2-hour journey had many boys achieving some of the best sleep all trip while others discussed how quickly they would be using the lovely bathroom facilities at home and eating a well-cooked, filling meal. Upon the return of the large busses at 1:30 to the college, some boys were collected immediately while others awaited siblings to collect them at the end of the school day. Many parents were excited to see their sons while other boys listened to the stories of the boys who were at the Noosa camp. Some who described our camp as a hellish experience found a rude awakening when they heard of the large amount of activities and their length being completed by the northern group who arrived an hour later completely defeated.