Term 1, 2022
After an early start and some butterflies in the stomach Year 7 headed off to the Southern Highlands for 3 days of fun and the opportunity to grow friendships with peers and lay some foundations for the next six years, a journey they will share together.
Despite the rain the students had a wonderful first day full of games 'in the barn' and the reports were that the campsite was 'just beautiful'.
But the rain cleared and Year 7 had the opportunity to go on the flying fox and big swing. These exhilarating activities were interspersed with some great sessions on how God made us unique and how God made us for community.
All the favourite things from Camp . . .
"I loved the valley fox and the giant swing because it was very scary but also very safe. The Giant Swing felt like zero gravity. The Valley Fox was so fun because we flew over an entire canyon!" AARON
"I had fun ziplining between the mountains." TULLY
"I loved all the games that we played and the food was awesome. I enjoyed the big swing and the zipline. Even though it rained the whole time this is the best camp I've ever been on." MAGGIE
"The midnight stories, my cabin friends and I talked about. The activities and games we played in the barn." SHAIANNE
"My favourite camp experience was the food and the zipline. My favourite activity was the 'cat and mouse' game, and my favourite food was the hamburger." SHINGRAM
"My favourite experience at camp was when we went to the Valley Fox and just admiring the incredible view and landscape. The food was really good and there was great variety. One thing I did not enjoy was when we hopped in the pool and it was freezing cold! I really enjoyed Year 7 camp." ETHAN
From a teacher's perspective . . .
Last week, Year 7 attended their official ‘Kick Off’ camp at Attunga Youth Ministries, set in the beautiful Southern Highlands. With 150mm of rain forecast we were heading into the unknown. Would we be able to do the activities we had planned? Would the staff at Attunga have a back-up plan to keep 43 students occupied, engaged and dry? Would we need a boat to get home?
All our concerns were alleviated when we hoped off the bus. The staff at Attunga were amazing, they had a back-up plan for their back-up plan! They were able to be flexible with the weather conditions and ensured that the students had a wonderful experience. They generously included top activities to compensate for the ones we couldn’t do because of the rain and organised a series of ‘Barn games’ when the weather was quite ordinary.
All the students (and teachers) tried the 300-metre zip-line and the giant swing. As teachers it was inspiring to see students stepping out of their comfort zone during these experiences. It was also great to hear their peers call out encouragement and offer words of support. Along with the activities, the meals were outstanding – we ate like royalty and there were always seconds.
Teachers ran a series of devotion/discussion activities with students and were able to get to know them during outdoor events and free time. Although the rain was constant it neither dampened our spirits nor diminished the enjoyment we had. We are thankful to God for the staff of Attunga, the time we were able to spend together and the safety we had over the course of the camp. It was a camp that will be remembered for a long time to come.