At last, on September 19th, we were able to make our way to Wirraway Homestead at Strathalbyn. We were thankful to have Mr Josh Taylor and Miss Emily Little join us on the Camp.

It is always refreshing to head out of the city and enjoy the expansive 180 acre property that the campsite sits on. The rolling hills, lush countryside, and ample activities always make for a great time.

Outdoor Adventures

On arrival, we were greeted by the friendly faces of the Wirraway staff. After some time to settle into our dorms, we were introduced to the camp and, importantly, the horses. After a few more instructions, we were soon split into groups and headed off to begin our activities. Throughout the camp, students participated in Horse-riding, archery, shelter building, bushwalking, low ropes obstacle course, the Amazing Race, and sheep herding. All of these activities provided the opportunity to have fun, but also challenged the students.

On occasions, the students were given free time, which provided them the opportunity to play table tennis, billiards, and carpet bowls, as well as jump on the in-ground trampolines. Some students chose to relax to save their energy for the next activity! AND once a day the snack bar opened, which saw long lines form quickly in order to get a tasty snack.

Time to Grow

Throughout the camp, we heard a few staff share personal stories with the students to encourage them to think about how they live, how they act, and how to grow their faith. These talks were often accompanied by games and challenges, including the famous horseshoe puzzle.

After all the excitement and two nights of reduced sleep, it was time for us to pack up and head back to Adelaide. There were many weary but happy travellers on the bus coming home and some didn’t take too much time to start catching up on missed sleep! Good times, good people, and good memories are a good way to sum it all up.

Mr Nathan Carson, Miss Susan Dix & Mr Lochie Jackman, Year 6 Teachers

In order to have a clearer understanding of their respective animals, the Year 7 students embarked on an excursion to the Adelaide Zoo. Each student was given a booklet to fill in, to record observations and information about their animal’s enclosure, movements, and diet. They will use this information to help create their presentation.

Independent Exploration

Working in groups, they had a fantastic time at the zoo, analysing endangered animals whilst being given the freedom to explore the area without having to be constantly supervised. This allowed the students to engage in independent learning with plenty of time for self-reflection on how they can help improve the lives of the animals.

Student Highlights

Below are some of the exciting insights the students have to share: 

The Adelaide Zoo excursion was a refreshing experience. I really enjoyed walking around with my group, taking photos of the animals and learning new things about them. I also enjoyed the freedom we had to walk around and explore. Overall, it was a great event, and I would definitely do it again. – Qianen O 

The Zoo excursion was an exciting trip, especially with the amount of new animals our group had discovered there. It was a fun experience being able to walk around the zoo with freedom. The knowledge we obtained from our time at the zoo will also help us with our assignments. – Hazel K

Miss Kerry Spriggs, Year 7 Co-ordinator

The students were involved in a whole day of presentations and activities. The day started with information from an Intensive Care Unit nurse and a paramedic. Students role-played a real-life scenario of a 19-year-old male car crash victim. A few students had the opportunity to try to resuscitate ‘Rob’ in a simulation room with specialised equipment. Unfortunately, ‘Rob’ didn’t make it, which allowed the hospital’s organ donor department to share their important presentation. In the event that ‘Rob’ was able to be resuscitated, students could participate in a few rehabilitation activities lead by four physiotherapists.

Lasting Impact 

The day concluded with a trauma survivor sharing about his injuries and his loss. It was an impactful excursion, and our students were respectful and engaged. Each student also received a gift bag from AAMI containing their very own First Aid Kit.

Feedback from some of our students, to the question “What do you consider the most important thing you learnt today?” was as follows:

“I learnt that you can choose your risk but not your consequence.”

“Hearing consequences of risky activities from the trauma survivor presentation.”

“To stop peers from being in bad situations.”

“Don’t be afraid to speak up!”

Mrs Melissa Rogers, Year 11 Health and Wellbeing Teacher

The Year 3/4 and 5/6 Gold teams started off the week with an incredible result of three Grand Final wins and one runner-up. Both Year 5/6 teams won their Grand Final by one point, with an amazing show of determination under pressure. The developing Silver sides also played extremely well and learnt some valuable skills for the following year!

The Year 7/8 Netball carnival followed soon after and was another excellent display by the Cedar Gold girls’ team. They breezed through to the Grand Final with strong wins, but were unable to get the last win over the line against Emmaus. For a predominantly Year 7 girls’ team, this was a significant accomplishment and I know they will come back stronger and more determined than ever.

The Year 9/10 Netball carnival included the largest group of students we have ever had in this age group, which was very encouraging to see. Thank you to the Year 10 & 11 students who assisted with scoring throughout the week.

A huge thank you to all of our parent and student coaches for your dedication to the training and development of our students. We appreciate you giving up your time to work with our netball teams!

MVPs

5/6 Cedar Gold: Girls – Chloe G / Boys – Liam G

7/8 Cedar Gold: Girls – Sophie D & Grace S / Boys – Tau M

7/8 Cedar Silver: Girls – Kelsey J / Boys – Heinrich U

9/10 Cedar Gold: Girls – Endene J / Boys – Eric W

9/10 Cedar Silver: Girls – Zaneta G / Boys – Lukas S

Mrs Bek Robinson, Year 3-12 Sports Co-ordinator