The annual year seven Rottnest Island Camp was once again an outstanding success with the happy campers being blessed with a week’s good weather which was perfect for swimming, snorkelling, bike riding, cooking, acting and a thrill-seeker trip around Rottnest on the ‘Mega Blast’.
The annual camp is a celebration and culmination of the term’s Inquiry work on Rottnest Island and a much deserved reward for students completing eight years of primary school education. To make it to Rottnest, students receive special invitations from their teachers in recognition for the work they have done and good behaviour throughout the year.
The aims of the camp are many with opportunities to engage in social learning with life skills being a priority. Students learn to coexist in cabins with limited space and negotiate all the problems and issues that this entails. It fosters the development of cooperation, negotiation, problem solving, effective communication, taking responsibility for tasks and possessions, organisation and being prepared for the range of activities programmed for every day……without adult direction. Of course there are hiccups along the way but overwhelmingly, we have found this to be a very enlightening and valuable experience for our campers and hopefully, parents too have noticed a positive change in their adolescents when they return to home life!
Altogether, 107 students attended the camp along with eight staff members including Mr Delfs, Mr Harrison, Mr McLeod, Mr Morrison, Mr Kerimofski, Mrs Daniels (School Chaplain), Mrs Holmes (Education Assistant), Ms Ormonde (Camp Cook) and a keen, dedicated, hard-working group of nine parent helpers who worked tirelessly cooking and preparing meals, fixing up cuts and grazes, assisting the groups with activities such as snorkelling, swimming and bike riding, providing a bit of TLC to all the kids during the week, and working professionally with the staff. It is a huge commitment to give up a week’s work to attend a camp, so thanks are extended to Mrs Bec Lawson, Mrs Bec Geneve, Ms Pauline Alferink, Mr Jeff Bevan, Mrs Jo Graham, Mr Giles England-Brassy, Mr Jeremy Sanderson, Mrs Natalie Russell, Mr Gary Haworth, and Mrs Michelle Manners.
We would also like to acknowledge Kim and Jan Harwood for the annual donations of free range eggs for our camp over many years. Bacon and eggs have been on the breakfast menu each day and are very much appreciated by all.
Sadly, our 2014 Rottnest Camp is to be the last of an era that continued for 33 wonderful years from 1982 to our present day. Unfortunately, we will no longer have a Year 7 cohort and the tradition is now broken.
We sincerely thank all parents and helpers who have contributed to the success of this year’s Rottnest Island camp and all camps over the last three and a bit decades. They will be remembered fondly by all those lucky enough to have been a part of the Rotto Year 7 Camp experience.
Many Thanks
Year 7 Staff
Written and photos by Geoff Mcleod; Posted by D. Veary
Canteen