The Class 7 Waratah Bay Camp was a huge success. The students worked incredibly well together to keep themselves engaged, cooperative, entertained and well fed. Many new friendships were formed, new skills were learned and challenges overcome.

We began by setting up our tent village at the rear of the camp ground, quickly getting organised with our own tents, and then setting up our communal kitchen. Once established we hit the beach and got to feel the power and playfulness of the ocean waves. Many Trangia stoves appeared and meals were cooked, heated and shared. Each night, much to everyone’s delight, we slept until woken by Jenna in the morning for our pre-breakfast walk.

The first full day we took our bus to Wilson’s Prom and walked for an hour or so over a steep, sandy hill to descend to a little stretch of paradise that is Fairy Cove. Bright sunshine, turquoise water and white sand greeted us and we immersed ourselves in this incredible place through swimming, snorkelling, and exploring the rocks.

The next two days we spent surfing with Shane and the crew from Offshore Surf. They were fantastic! Pretty much every student got to stand on a surfboard, riding the waves at either Sandy Point or Waratah. There was much laughter, cheering, splashing and joy, along with some serious wave riding.

Thursday night brought the fabled and highly anticipated Lantern Stalk game to life. The guards were faced with some tricky terrain, which favoured the stalkers, but nonetheless most students were sent packing back to base, caught in the beam of the vigilant guards. Despite our efforts a few stealthy stalkers managed to successfully reach the prized lantern. Tales of heartache and triumph were shared later, much to everyone’s amusement.

It was a fantastic camp. Very big thanks go to Jenna our camp teacher who led us so beautifully throughout the whole week. Special thanks too to our Waratah specialist crew of Ant, Vinnie, Imogen, Matt O and Ben. They generously brought their various talents and good humour to support all the students for the week.