Yarra Term Week 3 2019
Its our third week on the program but our first camp week for the term! We started the week by focusing on our camp and packing our hike bags. We picked everyone up from Collingwood station and headed to CAS to get packing. In our hiking packs we needed to roll our sleeping mats and sleeping bags, add out wet weather gear, our tents and a few other essential bits and bobs. The crew got stuck straight into this and worked extremely efficiently to get the job done. After this we loaded the bikes and met Tony from Victoria police who told us a bit about himself and a bit about bike safety. With Tony on board we jumped in the bus and drove down to our starting point on the yarra trail. We geared up with helmets and sunscreen, ran through the A B C D E of bike safety and got rolling. On the ride is was great to see everyone working as a team to make sure everyone stuck together and considered the general public. We road quickly and before we knew it we were at fed square. Once here we ate some food, had something to drink and had a nice break before we road back to the bus. Much like on the ride to fed square, the ride was quick and had no hick ups. We reloaded the bikes, drove to Collingwood station and said our goodbyes ready for our camp tomorrow.
Thursday was an exciting day as it was the start of our camp. We met at Collingwood station, headed to CAS to pack our bags and got straight on the bus to drive to the Cathedral Rangers. The drive there was relatively quick and so we were at the cathedral ranges before we knew it. Once there we slopped on some sunscreen, covered some safety precautions, put our hiking bags on our backs and took off. Luckily for us we had perfect hiking weather on both days and were able to enjoy the hike without overheating. Everyone worked well to maintain a positive mindset and use high resilience responses. When we arrived at our camp site we took a few moments to enjoy where we were (and the relief of taking out bags off our back) and then set up our tents. This group has a real strength at getting what they need to done without much instruction. Once we were set up we had some food, shared some stories, played some hacky sack and finska and then started cooking dinner. After a great feed we cleaned, debriefed the day, played a quick game of Mafia and then headed to bed.
Friday morning was a great one as we woke up surrounded by the beautiful outdoors. We packed up our tents, repacked our bags, had breakfast and then loaded the bus. Day two on this camp is a harder hike but is done without the hiking packs on our backs. With this in mind we gathered our things in day packs, did a quick emu bob to make sure the camp site is as clean as we found it, and started our hike. With great respect and admiration to the young people they handle this hike like champions. It was uphill the whole way with a few flat bits that offered quick relief to our calves. Each individual maintained a positive mindset and were helping keep the moral up in the group. We slugged it to the top and were able to eat lunch on a few boulders that overlooked the gully of the cathedral ranges. The view was breathtaking and was exactly what we needed to re-energised us for the walk down. We ended the hike with a debrief and loaded back on the bus to head home. Once back at CAS we unpacked the bus, said goodbye and went home.
This camp really tested everyone resilience and was a great milestone in the young people testing their abilities. it was wonderful to hear everyone give it a 8+ rating out of 10 and set a great standard for the rest of the term. A big thank you to Maddy who is a past placement student who joined on us the camp. She was great hep and provided comic relief and a helping hand to the group.
