We’ve been to camp

This article appears in the May 2010 edition of Sportshorts.

Each week thousands of people visit Sport and Recreation camps.  They come from all walks of life – but all walk away with an experience to remember for life.

Here we talk to a group about their recent visit to camp. This month: Petersham Public School

Petersham Public School

Naomi Tisdell, Year 6 teacher

• Age range of group: 10-12 years (Years 5 and 6)
• Size of group: 54 students
• Length of camp: 3 days
• Visit date: December 2009
• Camp: Broken Bay Sport and Recreation Centre

About the visit

Have you been to this camp or another before?
It was the first time our school had visited Broken Bay. After much research into possible venues for our end of year celebration camp, I settled on this Sport and Recreation option due to several factors. Firstly, the location looked amazing: the Hawkesbury is such a unique location with a special outlook. For inner city students, it was intended to be a true escape. Secondly, the website featuring the various locations and the comprehensive information was impressive and somewhat reassuring when planning such a memorable trip. Lastly, my experiences with Burrendong Sport and Recreation personnel as a youngster made quite the impression on me. Fondly, I recall much laughter, exciting activities and confident and welcoming staff. Broken Bay now holds similar memories for the Petersham students from 2009.

Why does your group go to camp?
Our school has an annual excursion for the graduating Year 6 students and their Year 5 peers. It is a celebration of time shared and a treasured opportunity to explore new ways of thinking. We aim to encourage a sense of growing independence for our older student population and to provide a chance to enjoy each other out of our normal school routine. Underpinning these concepts is the goal of supporting students to explore without constraint. The staff at Broken Bay helped individuals to find the courage to dive into new physical challenges and to continue to pursue the dream of being the best they can be. It was a beautiful thing to behold!

What are your impressions of the camp and facilities?
The camp itself is modern and thoughtfully planned. As one of the oldest venues for fitness escapes in NSW, it has a tone of accessibility and ease: possibly due to the fact that it has been an active venue for quite some time. We really appreciated that we were immersed in nature whilst having access to facilities that catered for every student's comfort. There were several other schools staying and playing during our time at Broken Bay. It was refreshing that all of the sleeping quarters were distant enough from each other to not cause any major disturbance: always so important when you're away for two nights!

What was the highlight of the visit?
The highlight of the visit was multi-fold: experiencing such a high level of engagement from all of the students was certainly something to behold. Children, when immersed in activities that fulfil them, create memories that will last a lifetime. Their excited chatter and pride when "pushing the boundaries" of physical achievement created an atmosphere of happiness. The staff were truly exceptional: professional, dedicated and attuned to the needs of groups of individuals. In my eyes, it is the people running venues who make any camp a once in a lifetime experience.

What was the most challenging part of camp?
The fact that none of us were used to three days of physical challenges - if only there were more hours in the day to sleep!

What did the group gain from the camp?
For many of the students, it was one of the first times they had stayed away from their families for more than a night. This seemed to be quite a liberating experience and also one in which they reflected on how lucky they were to have such a remarkable opportunity. After speaking with several students, I realised that they had recognised how much joy can be gained from experiencing the outdoors. This has so many positive repercussions for their futures, in a multitude of ways.

Will you be back?
We booked in again for our next trip to Broken Bay before we had even left on the final day of our stay. The demand is high, so it was wise to secure our spot. We are already counting down the days!