Mr Jonathon Fender | Outdoor Education Coordinator

Our Year 9 class set off an outdoor education experience during Week 3 this term.  The Outward Bound camp is designed to challenge our students to utilise and build on their teamwork skills to work through a series of outdoor activities.  Students learn more about themselves, their physical strengths and their ability to navigate situations that might not always be within their comfort zones.  We asked some of our students to reflect on their Outward Bound experience, here’s what they had to say:

Outward Bound Camp was an eye-opening experience for all.  We participated in activities such as hiking with our packs on that contained all of our gear for the few days we were away. We went mountain biking and climbed Big Ben, the massive tree. While we were away we learned that teamwork is so important not just while climbing trees but in fact for everyday activities. While breakfast was supplied for us, we had to prepare all our other meals. This is where we used our teamwork skills as some cut up the food and others cleaned up. Overall, I think our tutor group (9.2) enjoyed the mountain biking the most as there were so many hills to go up and down! Our instructor, Jenny, was great too as she introduced us to some fun games to play around the campfire at night. – Alexandra Rickett

One of the activities I took part in on camp was a hike.  We had to walk along dirt trails up and down hills and through the bush.  We were in groups of two or three people and for a certain part of the hike each group had the map and were in charge of navigation.  This meant they had to lead the rest of us to the next destination on the hike.  The trail was approximately 8 kilometres long and consisted of very dense terrain.

What I took away from this camping activity, were the skills to read a map and navigate a trail.  I also learned the ‘good old’ lesson of: If you try your hardest at something and don’t give up when it gets tough you will succeed at it.  I also learned to always help others when they need help and also to accept help if it is offered and you need it. – Juliana Cox

On the Wednesday morning of Week 3, the Year 9 class set off for Outward Bound.  Once we arrived, the first thing we did was divide into our tutor groups and pack our gear into our hiking packs.  We needed to carry all of our clothes and supplies for the next three days.  Shortly afterwards we had lunch, then began our walk towards our first camping site.  Once we arrived, we were told that our first activity was to climb Big Ben.  Big Ben was a tree not far from our campsite, which we all climbed while attached to a rope.  The climb certainly exercised our patience and team work skills.

Our activities over the next couple of days included an eight kilometre hike, mountain biking, as well as team building activities. Outward Bound allowed us to learn an abundance of new skills and helped us to get to know each other more. – Eliana Jones