After a three-hour bus drive students from Year 11 reached the retreat at North Shore Noosa. On arrival, we were shown to our allocated cabins and then everyone headed over to the camp kitchen for a filling lunch and an explanation of our first activity called “Tribal wars”.
Tribal wars involved students competing in a variety of relay and group activities. Some games were messy with students hurling water balloons and attempting to eat jelly in a minimal amount of time, while other traditional games such as the egg and spoon race, wheelbarrow race and sack race were a lot of fun with each team doing their best to be the first across the finish line.
After some free time, dinner, more games and a devotion day one of camp was complete and everyone headed back to their cabins for a good night’s sleep.
Wednesday’s focus was on our guest speaker for the camp “Bernie”. His major message on the camp was the action of leadership and how each person within the cohort has value and can achieve great things. Students were challenged to make a difference and speak positive words towards each other by expressing individual words of appreciation. Following two sessions of Bernie, students were given some time to have a swim in the pool before dinner, devotions and games ended the night.
Thursday involved students participating in four major camp activities. These included archery, rock climbing, stand up paddling and raft building. Students enjoyed the challenge of each activity particularly the water activities on what was a rather hot day.
That afternoon at the conclusion of the camp activities, the students were given information regarding the evening dinner that would involve the prestigious “garbage bag formal”. There were a variety of items given to the students which included two garbage bags each, some straws, sticky tape and some aluminium foil. Within two hours, they were to create a formal outfit for the evening dinner. The effort that the students went to in designing their outfits in such a short amount of time was outstanding. The teachers decorated the room and unlike the students in garbage bags, they wore formal outfits and served the students on the evening with fine food and music.
On the final day, we all packed our gear up early and finished camp with some free time before the buses arrived to take us back to school. It was a great camp and I would like to thank the staff and students for making this a memorable time.
Here is what some students said that they enjoyed about camp.
“I enjoyed the creativity of the garbage bag formal and getting to meet people.”
“The night activities were great and getting to know people better.”
“Getting to know everyone a bit more and doing team activities to help groups learn how to work together.
“Leadership from Bernie and how to build positive relationships.”
“Doing the stand-up paddling and archery activities.”
“Activities, garbage bag formal and talking to each other in groups.”
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