At the conclusion of the long 5 hour drive to Mt Arapiles (near Horsham), the Year 9 boys were greeted by two unwelcome elements: ferocious winds that made it near impossible to pitch a tent, and swarms of flies which made it near impossible to do anything. Fortunately, both of these factors were negated after a violent electrical storm blew over, and conditions for the remainder of the week were close to ideal. A first night dinner without the use of coking facilities due to a Total Fire Ban was handled by all the boys with maturity and aplomb.
The week was certainly full of adventure. The boys learnt how to use their bodies and the rock climbing equipment provided to successfully scale several difficult challenges. It is fair to say that all students were taken out of their ‘comfort zone’ and all managed to reach climbing goals successfully. To see boys hanging on the end of a rope 50 metres above the ground, but perfectly safe and trusting of the safety mechanisms put in place was inspiring.
The skills of climbing and abseiling were developed during the week, as was the ability of the boys to co-operate with one another and staff in order to cook, clean and maintain a workable community for the week. The way the boys encouraged one another on many challenging activities demonstrated their use of compass values in real life situations.
Well done to all boys on the camp for their spirit, sense of adventure and most importantly, sense of fun. Our thanks to Dan and Freddy (Outdoor Education instructors) for their instruction, leadership and encouragement throughout the week.
