2019 saw a big change for our Year 6 camp with students embarking on a team and character building experience at Emu Gully which is located just outside Toowoomba.

Our Year 6 students participated in activities that are framed to provide a simple historical context of epic events such as The Western Front, the Siege of Tobruk, The Tunnel Rats of Vietnam, The Bridge over the River Kwai and the Kokoda Track. After each activity, students were encouraged to focus their reflections on the core character values of Courage, Mateship, Perseverance and Sacrifice - a timely exercise as Anzac Day approaches.

Our students spent the first day learning to think of others and work together as a unit by developing their communication and listening skills. This set the precedent for the challenging activities to follow.

The Commando Cable Crossing relied heavily on full team participation and balance and was one of the first activities to see students fail... a very important life lesson in which everyone was encouraged to persevere and try their best.

Escaping from Colditz saw groups climbing through tunnels and getting their team to safety before the enemy caught them. It was a great activity for problem solving and planning and this particular activity brought out student’s (and some teachers) fears of being in a dark enclosed space.

The swinging log was a tricky activity that appeared to be an individual challenge however students soon learned the power of team spirit as an ingredient for success. There were students who failed the activity first time round but on their second attempt, when teammates encouraged and supported each other, they succeeded. What a great way to highlight the importance of team spirit.

Tunnel Rats was another activity performed in the dark that saw many students show courage by facing their fears. The team’s mission was to save a wounded soldier and bring him/her to safety while working together to communicate what was ahead of them in the tunnel and hoisting each other up to safety.

The Bridge over River Kwai was a super nerve racking activity as two people needed to cross over each other on a plank of wood that was balancing 3m above water. Some students did this with ease while some required loads of support and encouragement. A few of the teachers even had a go at this and their legs were still shaking once on solid ground!

Students once again worked together when rowing boats full of supplies and transporting injured soldiers. They needed to withstand stormy weather (hoses) and bombs (swinging sandbags) that tried to stop them in their travels from one end of a river to the other.

And then there was mud... And lots of it! The 'Kokoda Track' was replicated and saw our students wading through rivers of mud. Groups worked together to help their mates up and over the obstacles. The idea was to leave no 'man' behind - we all finish together. This activity was a favourite along with the monster waterslide, swim and diving boards in the dam afterwards.

The evenings of Day 1 and 2 alternated between a fun Trivia Night organised by Mr Burrows and Mr Raffin and a Night Walk that was really scary. Some groups were asked to use their imagination of jumping out of a plane with a parachute but in fact they were sliding down a 25m slide in pitch black. So many students demonstrated courage by stepping out of their comfort zone and facing their fears. Their teachers couldn’t have been prouder!

What a great way to finish the term. Congratulations to all participants and a big thank you to all our staff who made this camp possible!