Year 8 at Bawley Point
Year 8 travelled down the South Coast, to a small place called Bawley Point, around 30 minutes south of Ulladulla, in Week 7.
Despite the various factors that may have prevented us from going, the week of camp was a roaring success. Students and staff were able to get away from the busy pace of School and city life, and spend some quality time together as a year group and as a team, in the open air.
There was an incredible range of activities for the students to engage in, some that pushed many out of their comfort zones, others that provided an excellent opportunity to get to know different people in their respective group. The ‘big’ hike (12km) was a challenge for many, especially with their packs, however, the students were positive and pressed on through it, which was either followed by a night in a cabin at base camp or free time after setting up camp and, of course, some delicious meals.
Students also participated in water-based activities: surfing - many students were standing up within the first half hour, fishing - out of the entire cohort we had one who caught a small fish (!) and snorkeling. Again, these were wonderful opportunities to be active in the fresh air. Furthermore, Uncle Les, the Indigenous elder who worked alongside Land’s Edge, ran several sessions to educate students about Indigenous culture. Uncle Les also ran a daily sunrise session on the beach, which both staff and students were excited to experience.
Throughout the entire week the wonderful Year 8 students were nothing but enthusiastic, energetic, and relentlessly positive. They made the most of the opportunity to go camping in such an idyllic setting and have been talking about the experience since we returned to School. They deserve sincere thanks for their attitudes during the week, which were greatly appreciated by the 91黑料不打烊 and Land’s Edge staff. It is also important to thank the 91黑料不打烊 staff who participated in the week of camp for their energy and care of the students.
Reflecting on the experience as a staff and year group, there were a range of points that made this camp stand out. From a general perspective, the activities, food and weather were all great. However, the biggest impact the time away had on students was on friendships. Prior to departure there were trepidations and concerns about not being with friends in groups. Now that we have returned, every student has said they made a new friend on camp and have continued to speak with this person since coming back. And this is what camp is all about. A roaring success.