The time had finally arrived! Holidays were a distant memory and the countdown to camp was down to zero. We had had our bags packed for days beforehand, and the thrilling dreams of Year 3 camp keeping us up at night were now starting to become a reality – the hype and milling around classrooms, the excitement of the bus ride, the impending announcement of camp rooms and activity groups, the late night games and purposeful lack of sleep, and the range of incredible activities we’d no doubt always remember. It was hard to tell who was more excited – us or the boys…

The 2 day, overnight camp to Narrabeen was a huge success. It provided opportunities for the students to take risks, exercise resilience and take part in activities they had perhaps never experienced. All the students used the camp to initiate, strengthen and maintain friendships amongst one another, which was so wonderful to witness and be a part of. The camp called on each individual to take responsibility of their possessions and personal organisation, as well as taking the lead on clean up kitchen duties for meal times. All in all, this camp, for many students, marked the beginning of the journey from boys to men.

There are too many memorable experiences from our activities to name, however, indoor archery tried our patience, strength and aim, kayaking tested our coordination, strength and team work, the night games worked our sense of fun and enjoyment and the flying fox was excellent for taking risks and supporting each other.  

Newington College and the families and friends of the Year 3 students should be very proud of their behaviour and conduct on camp. Their attitude and approach meant they all extracted the most out of the experience and should enjoy reliving each moment for years to come. 

Finally, a very large and sincere thank you to the Wyvern teachers who accompanied the students on camp, Miss Brown, Mr MacRae, Ms Gray, Mr Jensen, Miss Karstrom and Ashish our GAP student.

Hugh Scott
Year 3 Team Leader