Year 9 Camp

This week, the Year 9 students returned from their camp after a very positive experience. Thank you to the Rite Journey team of Dr Peter McMahon, Mrs Toni Fisher and Mr Duncan McNee for their leadership of the camp. Following, Year 9 students Joseph Higginson and Stephanie Keenan, share their experiences:

“Camp for the Year 9 students was a bit different this year; we weren’t sleeping in a bed in cabins, we were under the stars in tents. There were many parts of this camp that were difficult for some people such as the four hour hikes and abseiling, but everyone managed to get through them. Having to carry all of our own gear for the week was a struggle, but we all worked together to keep moving. The highlight for most of us on this camp was the duo experience. This was where we went off into the bush with a partner for 24 hours. In this time there was no one else to talk to and no technology to distract you. This really helped people realise how good the outdoors is. There were other great experiences as well such as raft building. This activity was important for most of us, as if your raft sunk, all of your gear for the week would get wet. This caused some tension but really helped us to build relationships and work better together. Overall, this camp was a great experience not just for me, but for all of the boys in my group.”

- Joseph Higginson

“From a girls perspective, the Year 9 camp was one of the most challenging things we have ever had to take part in. Camp was not only physically challenging but mentally as well, testing every aspect of ourselves. However, this challenging, emotional week led to huge growth. The week started with packing our bags and planning the food and equipment we’d need over the course of the week. We then had to divvy everything up and find space for the food and equipment in our already full bags. This was followed by a short hike to our camp site, whilst carrying our 20kg packs on our backs. We left our packs at log cabin and continued to our abseiling site. This activity proved very challenging for many of the group and people pushed their boundaries. After a challenging first activity we made our way back to our camp in the dark, set up our tents then made dinner.

The next day started with a huge 5-hour hike. Again, this proved very challenging for many of the girls. The terrain was rough and there were plenty of falls. Our backpacks made the job even tougher. We made our way into a valley and then all the way back out. We then walked to raft building, where we had an hour to build a raft that could carry all the girls and their packs across the dam. We then walked to our camp and made dinner. Day three consisted of canoeing back over Somerset Dam and another 5-hour hike.

On day four, we woke early to get ready for our 24-hour duo or solo experience. We were checked on twice during the day and once at night. We had to build our own bivvy out of tarps and then had a list of activities to complete so we were not bored. After the 24 hours were up, we were collected and walked back together in silence. We found a spot to sit and let go of all of our emotions from the previous 24 hours.

Though the Year 9 camp was challenging, we all grew mentally and physically and achieved more than we ever thought possible.”

- Stephanie Keenan

Mr Brendan Delaney, Director of Students