The press conferences were followed by some intense questioning of the policies presented, as each party endeavoured to highlight potential issues in order to sway the votes their way. There was some strong campaigning in the form of political posters from the Australian Conservatives, Greens, and a number of the independent candidates.

On election day, each student voted within their electorate after getting their name crossed off the certified list.

Too Close to Call

Once voting was completed, votes were counted and distributed according to the preferences. After finalising postal and absentee voting, the seat of Bradman was taken out by the Greens and the seat of Gould was won by Labor. The seat of Laver went to the Liberal party and, while the seat of Jackson is still awaiting a final vote to determine the outright winner, it is strongly leaning towards becoming a Liberal seat.

We have currently been left with a hung parliament with no major party declared to be the outright winner. The best we can hope for is that they will form a minority government once the final vote comes in.

Miss Susan Dix, Year 6 Teacher

We headed off, and the bus was filled with excited chatter. After a trip up the freeway, we arrived at Strathalbyn for a quick recess break before finishing the journey to the campsite.

Friendly staff and picturesque scenery greeted us, with rolling green hills and crisp country air. We found our way to our dorms and set up before we had lunch and got straight into activities.

Horse-riding proved to be as popular as always, but students also enjoyed herding sheep, completing obstacle courses and testing their accuracy at the archery range.

Afternoon breaks gave students the chance to explore a variety of activities on offer as well as visit the much-loved snack bar. The line was long, but students loved being able to buy a tasty snack.

It was also a fun challenge to build a shelter and then to see if it was waterproof. There were squeals and laughter as some groups realised their shelters weren’t as waterproof as they hoped.

Night sessions were fun and consisted of the horseshoe challenge as well as other fun games. It was also interesting to hear different staff share stories about their life and talk about their faith journeys. The night session was also memorable for the girls who managed to beat the boys 3-0 in a tug-o-war challenge. It amazed me how loud the celebrations were!

New Experiences and Challenges

It was a fun experience to walk out in the darkness one night with the staff and listen to the night sounds of frogs and birds and to look up and see the bright abundance of stars. Doing this away from the city lights really is a sight to behold.

This year we were also able to try whip cracking and lasso challenges. Everyone felt confident they were movie stars from the old Wild West movies, but it turned out to be a bit trickier than it looks. However, with some determination and practice, the cracking noises started to come, and the students got great satisfaction when they succeeded.

Camp always goes so quickly. Many great experiences were had and memories made. In no time at all, we were packing up and boarding the bus to come home. Wirraway had yet again provided a fun and unique experience that will be remembered for many years to come. The bus trip home was quieter than the one going up as students realised that the long days and reduced sleep had indeed caught up with them.

Thanks to Miss Dix, Emily, Josh, and Nurse Lorelei for coming on camp and making it a great experience, and to Mr Austin and Pastor Jeremy for coming up for a day visit.

Mr Nathan Carson, Year 6 Teacher

Music students from Years 9 – 12 and families joined together in the CityReach Auditorium, basking in the warmth of live music. Lara Tuzewski and Lydia Thewodros, our Creative Arts Prefects, MC’d the night with class and precision.

The Year 9s kicked off the night with 80s classics Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics), Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears) and U2’s dive into Pop Gospel, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – a strong opening set.

Year 10 groups showed their skill variety and taste, covering Disney Tunes Love is an Open Door (Frozen) in the Bossa Nova style, and Just Can’t Wait to be King (The Lion King) in a Rock style. Then they smashed some Earth Wind and Fire – September, and Let’s Groove, just for good measure.

“Brandon’s Mohawk”, a.k.a. the Year 11s, performed iconic latter-20th-century pieces I Wish (Stevie Wonder), Walking on Sunshine (Katrina and the Waves), Love Me Do (Beatles), finally finishing with arguably the epitome of 80s Pop Ballad Sax – Careless Whisper (George Michael) – there was harmonica too!

Lastly, the Year 12s. Upon hearing Motown tunes Higher Ground (Stevie Wonder), with ‘Red Hot Chili Peppers’ panache, and My Girl (The Temptations) elegance, we knew something epic was building. In a fitting tribute to Tina Turner, Proud Mary closed the night with fanatical energy.

Congratulations to all students involved; the hard work has paid off! Thank you to parents and staff behind the scenes for supporting the night. Your hard work also paid off!

Mr Matthew Downton, High School Music Teacher

It was a busy day, punctuated by warm, good food and plenty to see, including an original Sir Hans Heysen painting, the only original Rodert’s farm still standing, and the oldest still functioning Lutheran Church in the whole of Australia.

The Academy, which was the original school, founded by Boehm, was the favourite site. There were many items of interest and lots of historical artifacts from 1836. We tried writing using the old-style script, and saw an old map of how the original town was divided, as all German villages were built with the river towards the back fence. The main road still has many original buildings, with many repurposed as shops.

Each Year 9 had a particular family to trace, and the stories about the “How”, “Why”, and “How long it took”, all became real. It took the early settlers four months of travel by ship, and three weeks to walk to Hahndorf. Sadly, many died on the voyage out to Australia from what was then Prussia.

“Das Haus restaurant welcomed us all with hot Brezeln (pretzels) for morning tea on our way to the farm, and then afterward for a scrumptious lunch.”

“Today, Hahndorf is mostly for tourists, but it is important to preserve this unique part of South Australian heritage. We were thankful to have experienced it while we still have the opportunity.”

Mrs Andrea Field, High School German Teacher