Moreland Term Week 4 2019

Week 5 was full of fun and excitement as the team prepared and departed for their Surf camp in Breamlea. The week started with us picking up the students from Collingwood station as we made our way to Sandridge beach to get a little insight of what to expect in the next two days when we will be surfing. Firstly, we took the time to enjoy the beautiful sunny weather before we talked about safety and first aid to ensure that we were properly prepared for the surf camp in the next following days. The students learnt the first aid method of DRSABCD which includes how to do CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) and a patient assessment. Students were put to the test as they had to perform first aid and CPR on a training dummy for two minutes to ensure that they were capable and understood the first aid procedure successfully. After the students had acquired the skills and knowledge in regards to first aid, we quickly had lunch and entered the water with our surfboards that we borrowed from Life Saving Victoria. For the rest of day, we spent most of our time on our surfboards learning the basics of surfing such as balancing and paddling. This activity would help us build our confidence and give us a glimpse of what the next couple of days will be like on our surf camp.

Thursday was the big day as we were all set and ready to go on our surf camp that we have all been preparing for! The students arrived on time in the morning with their bags prepared! Some students even brought their board games and playing cards with them for everyone to play on camp. We began with a little road trip to Breamlea where our surf camp was located. As we arrived, we took the time to look at the amazing scenery and the beach where we would be surfing. Afterwards, the young people were shown where they would be staying as they began to explore the area. The young people were given time to play pool and board games before they had their lunch. After lunch, students were all set and ready for their surfing lesson with surfing instructor Kevin. During this time, Kevin taught us how to paddle, balance and stand on the board with correct technique and form. Additionally, the students also learnt important traits that they would need in order to excel in life and also become a better surfer. Specifically, we highlighted the three important traits that we thought were very important and called it the three Ps: This stood for Patience, Perseverance and Participation. After learning the fundamentals of surfing, the students entered the water as they began to catch waves and practice what they learnt from Kevin. The students gave their best efforts showing a lot of patience, perseverance and participation as they all encouraged each other to do their best. It was very warming and satisfying seeing everyone participating and trying despite falling of their surfboards multiple times. Towards the end, it was visible that the students were improving and their surfing skills have gone better as they were able to balance and even stand on their surfboards! After surfing, we went to Bells beach for a walk to unwind and relax as we got to see many experienced surfers riding the bigger waves. In the evening, the students were asked what they could do better and how they can improve in regards to their surfing lesson during the day. The students discussed how they were determined to improve and try harder in their next surfing lesson that was planned for tomorrow. After the reflection activity, the students discussed amongst each other to determine who would be cooking, cleaning and washing for dinner. The young people worked as a team magnificently as dinner was organised smoothly without any problems. After a good chat over dinner, the students were able to unwind and have some much earned leisure time. The students played pool and other fun activities such as catch and musical chairs throughout the evening before they had desserts and went to sleep.

On Friday we woke up bright and early ready for the day. The students had breakfast which included pancakes that were organised all by themselves! After breakfast, we got ready for our next surfing lesson which was facilitated by a surfing instructor name Jake this time. Jake took us out to the beach giving us a short run through of the techniques and form as a quick refresher from yesterday. After that, we all went in the water putting our surfing skills to the test! This time the waves were much bigger but this did not discourage any of the students from participating. Despite the bigger waves, the students demonstrated a lot of perseverance and courage as they were reluctant to quit. All the students managed to balance on their surfboards and even stand showing a lot of skill as the waves was much stronger. We were so proud of the students’ performance that we had to stop at McDonalds on the way home to reward them for their efforts. After the surfing lesson we all made our way back for lunch. Before leaving the surf camp, the students all put in a shared effort in cleaning and tidying as the place was left spotless.