Clubs SA and Operation Flinders

Funding received from Clubs SA supported teams from the Craigmore High School and the Mark Oliphant College to participate on the Operation Flinders program in Exercise 1 in May. The exercise took place on Yankaninna station in the northern Flinders Ranges of South Australia Eighteen young people participated in the trek, which is an adventure-therapy program that creates opportunities for young people, who are facing challenges in their lives and communities, with a unique experience that provides personal development opportunities and pathways to wellbeing and life success.

During the exercise conducted on Yankaninna station, participants trekked approximately 80 kilometres in wilderness terrain, slept in makeshift shelters, participated in abseiling, learnt about Indigenous culture, bush survival, and engaged in a range of outdoor activities all designed to build personal skills such as resilience, self-esteem, responsibility, leadership, teamwork, motivation, and ambition Operation Flinders will also offer ongoing follow-up support to help participants grow as valued members of their communities.

Participants received training in navigation, basic survival skills and bushcraft They learnt to cook over an open fire, engaged in team-building activities, and performed other duties necessary for the trip’s success Each participant learned about trust and faced their fears when they undertook the abseil and high ropes course, under the instruction of experienced Operation Flinders volunteers. Each participant decided their own personal limit for the activity with the ability to cease the activity at the point where they had reached their own personal stretch limit.

Each team was also required to carry a mascot – a bear, handmade by Operation Flinders volunteers. The mascot is given a name by the team and then accompanies the team on all aspects of the journey.

Further activities undertaken by the teams included engagement with the Indigenous cultural stand. The aim of the cultural experience is to provide participants with a deep appreciation of Adnyamathanha (the traditional owners of the northern Flinders Ranges) culture, allowing them to gain an understanding of the importance of connection to country. The cultural facilitators were able to draw on their own knowledge to provide the young people with an unforgettable experience. At camp, a traditional meal was prepared and shared

with the team Over the campfire, there was an explanation of dreamtime stories, star formation and other aspects of Adnyamathanha culture.

Each team also undertook a night of ‘bush camping’, which is an activity added to the program in recent years. The teams are required to locate a re-supply point providing only essentials such as food and water. It is then up to the team to decide where they camped for the night and how they carried their supplies. This added an extra dimension of challenge to the journey and required additional problem-solving and resilience skills.

In most cases, participants have never been asked to take on such a physically demanding challenge before, much less complete it, which they all did - an incredibly significant feat. And in undertaking the exercise, participants developed personal skills such as resilience, self-confidence, leadership, motivation, and communication.

EXERCISE COMPLETION!

Since its inception, more than 9,500 young South Australians have participated in an Operation Flinders exercise in the Flinders Ranges Thanks to generous support of Clubs SA the young people supported by your generous funding are now part of the Operation Flinders ‘family’, when perhaps more than ever, the youth of South Australia need our guidance and support – one step at a time.

On behalf of the Foundation and the young people impacted by the commitment of Clubs SA to our cause, we thank you once again for your ongoing support.