Chaos at Camp

The senior school... gone silent? Where did the screaming go? What happened to the girls crashing into seniors? Why was the Year Seven Area such an antipandemonium? Well, there ’ s only one answer: Year 7 Camp!

1.03.21- 8:00 am: Conversations fueled with adrenaline roared beyond the horizons, lacing through the queue of year sevens waiting to board their allocated buses. It was a new experience, and the vague ideas given at the camp briefings certainly didn ’t satisfy our imaginations. For some, camping out in the wilderness was a dream come true, while others shivered in their timbers. These thoughts, conversations and information were silenced by the bus, prepared to deliver us to Camp Marysville!

Despite how long and exasperating the trip was, the year sevens did not let their vibrance fade. Excitement spread like a plague, soon infecting the cabins. The afternoon whizzed by quickly.

It was early, and the sun leaked through the outrageously tall hills that no one expected to be climbing later on. Each group was doing something different. Some were gliding down the steep abseiling block or venturing upwards using the slightly dodgy rock climbing wall. Not only did we have to challenge our bodies, but we also used the brain. While hiking to Steavenson Falls, each group stopped at a bushfire museum to learn about the 2009 Bushfires that devastated Marysville and other Australian regions. But it all came down to the ACTUAL camping. Camping involved a trek around the camp with insanely heavy bags strapped onto our backs only to reach a large paddock five minutes away from the campsite. Huffs and puffs could be heard from kilometres away. Unfortunately for us, this did not mean that we could sleep. Stomachs were growling so audibly that one could mistake the sound for a bear! Dinner was cooked. None of us were professionals, so it was tough- having one person instruct and the others in charge of the dirty work. We worked so hard to the point where we had rippling biceps; luckily, our efforts had paid off. The food looked delicious. However, there was one final test. Our true connoisseurs were our excellent camp instructors. They had guided us throughout our journey, helping every one of us. This meant that they would be the people to test our dinner.

As a group, everyone was anxious and on the verge of bursting. Puppy eyes surrounded the mildly uncomfortable instructors, keen for answers. In a nutshell, the food was great, aside from the fact that the spaghetti had grass in it. ‘Spaghetti and grassballs ’ : a dish we truly won 't forget.

Year 7 Camp was a treacherous journey with numerous ups and downs, but everyone learnt something new, and the teachers were beyond proud.

With that, the halls were back to bustling, and the Year Sevens returned after an intrepid camp adventure!

Maithri Fonseka Yr 7

L A J E E N

B I L A L

Y R 1 1

8 R Y

G N E M

E C Y O J