Year 7 Camp

It was a buoyant mood that was present as students keenly boarded buses last Monday morning for our Anglesea camp. On arrival, students were given a tour of the campsite and facilities before heading to their bunk room and familiarising themselves with their surroundings, especially knowing where the dining room was located (as the aroma of muffins for afternoon tea was enticingly permeating the air).

The bushland setting and vast array of facilities makes this an ideal venue for students to connect with each other, have fun, be brave in taking on challenges and working collaboratively.

I was fortunate to join Georgia & Hattie in the canoe and we gradually gained control as we paddled around the wetlands, narrowly avoiding hitting the bank and others’ canoes. At one stage, I felt some water on my back from Jack’s wayward oar and there were a few more ‘accidental’ splashes as we raced each other, ducked under bridges and enjoyed the tranquility of being on the water. A few got themselves quite wet when their raft-building exploits didn’t quite go to plan and with ropes loosened and drums separating, the inevitable spills occurred but there was still plenty of laughter. Not all were sent into the water, however, as some skilful people ingeniously managed to secure all their materials well enough to successfully float their raft. It was a great exercise in problem-solving and teamwork!

So many students pushed themselves out of their comfort zone, encouraged by peers and teachers, to scale the Vertical Climb, experience the Giant Swing or pedal hard up many steep inclines during Mountain Biking. The satisfaction felt on attaining their goal was exhilarating and much high-fiving could be heard when feet hit the ground. Well done to all our students regardless of how far up one climbed or how fast one biked! It was all about participating and trying new activities, never forgetting to have self-belief and to be persistent. Ms. Anderton exemplified this on the mountain biking when it got tough to keep going and yet she did, never giving up and staying strong. Her activity group was most impressed!

With the changeover of students on Wednesday, Ms. Edmonds and I sadly farewelled Group One and warmly welcomed Group Two. They were so excited to be there, especially after hearing about the good times others had experienced. Another two days of enjoyment, relaxing and meeting new people followed with games and a film in the evening, along with a presentation by Mr Exton and school leaders who shared how St Ignatius has shaped them into the people they are today. Our Yr 11 Arts Captain, Zoe Walter, even did an impromptu “Wicked” performance which we were all in awe of and reinforced the leaders’ message to take up opportunities on offer and get involved in school life beyond the classroom. We all slept well despite the chilly nights and the food was wonderful, particularly the apple crumble and garlic bread. Before long, Friday quickly came around and our camp drew to a memorable close.

Students are to be commended on the exemplary manner in which they participated in this camp experience. They were kind to each other, showed superb manners in the dining room, followed the expectations around bedtime and just had a really great time. It was a joy to be around them and watch them have fun! Most importantly, it was affirming to see them reach out to new people and welcome them into a group, fulfilling our camp theme of “New Beginnings, New Opportunities.” Huge thank you to staff for caring for our students and ensuring they had the best experience possible. We know you had to leave your own families behind and are very grateful for your involvement. It is this generosity and commitment that enables the camps to run and to do so without any hiccups. Special acknowledgement to Ms. Caroline Edmonds who kindly stayed with me for the week and her thoroughness and expertise in managing all medical issues. She truly was our ‘Florence Nightingale!’ To Mr Exton, Mr Lewis and Mr Timms, we thank you for coming to visit and meeting the newest additions to our College Community. It was wonderful for the Yr 7 students to get to know you in this relaxed setting.

We will continue to develop the Ignatian spirit of courage, hope and compassion that was so frequently on display at camp and which is such an integral part of our identity. Thanks to parents for embracing the camp experience and to our students for their enthusiasm, good humour and friendliness. We had a blast!

Deb Hodge | Yr 7 YLC

Here are some memories of camp from our Ignatian Leaders.

“One of the things that the majority of our classmates enjoyed was the giant swing because they had a chance to overcome their fear of heights and achieve their goal, even though they were terrified. Another thing that was a big highlight was how the YMCA Instructors reassured us that everything was going to be okay and kept giving us advice to keep going, so we wouldn’t regret not trying.”

Saisha Tagore and Sofia Delgadinho

“The food was excellent - fried rice, spaghetti with garlic bread, toast and cereal for breakfast, yummy salad rolls for lunch, and for dessert there was ice cream with chocolate sauce topping and apple pie with custard. We really loved the food!”

Fred Ing Chung and Ava Stonehouse

“Camp was an awesome experience! I personally loved the giant swing; a lot of the kids in our Mentor group did too. The food was delicious, we loved all the activities. We all had so much fun! Thank you so much to all the YMCA staff and all the Saint Ignatius staff for all their hard work and commitment to this camp!”

Olivia Cox

“The giant swing was our favourite activity at camp. I loved the view of the beach. Another highlight was the adrenaline you would get as you got pulled to the top. For a split second your stomach dropped and you would think why are you doing this. But it was all worth it as you reached the ground and had the privilege of telling your peers about the ride of a lifetime.

One of the funniest activities to watch from the sidelines was the crate climb as some of the students' teamwork was tested at times, ending up in some hilarious fails. Austin provided some great commentary to keep it engaging for everyone participating.”

Sonni Andrew and Tasman Gilroy

“I loved the activities and the opportunity to challenge myself. It was challenge by choice activities meaning that we could choose how far or extreme we wanted to go. We got to form connections with new people and create stronger connections with our already close friends.

We had to work together to achieve bigger goals. If things didn't go to plan, we had supporting peers to help us bounce back. Overall, the camp was really fun and gave us each new lessons to take with us on the next stages of our life.”

Iluka O’Loughlin and Grace Edwards

“What we loved about camp was the giant swing. It was 18 metres high, and most

people went to the top. The food was awesome! On the first night, we had chicken and

potatoes, followed by ice cream, and on the second night we had pasta and mince, followed

by apple crumble. Most people on the camp were very excited about their cabin groups.

Everybody got their friends or at least one of their friends in their cabin. Camp was heaps of fun!”

-Massimo Costanzo and Charlotte Carlson.

“Once we were off the bus, we were given a warm welcome by the YMCA staff and the leader, Austin. He took us around for an interesting tour and played some fun games. Finding our camp cabins was both nerve wracking and exciting. Once we were settled in, we started our activities. We were faced with so many challenges and persevered with them really well. As we know, heights is a common fear and the giant swing really made people overcome their fears and show resilience. This was true for the other activities too. One of our favourite moments was when we were able to overcome our fears and challenges. We thank the staff of YMCA Anglesea and Saint Ignatius for letting us have a great camp experience and getting to know other people.”

Sienna Stowe- Winder & Ruby Mc Manus

“I loved the giant swing as the 18 metre drop was amazingly fun, exhilarating, exciting and spectacular. Archery was one of my favourites as it is calming and enjoyable to try to hit a bulls-eye and even if you didn’t, it was fun to try. Radio rogaine was great. I loved going around the camp searching and finding the hidden markers and reading out the clues. It was entertaining and also calming and relaxing.”

Izzabella Barr and Brody Farrugia-Zarb