Year 8 outdoor experiences build resilience and mental fitness

“My favourite activity was definitely the snorkelling,” said Lachlan Maslin. “We saw so many cool stingrays and sea urchins, and I had never done it before.”

During the camp, the boys prepared their own meals using Trangia stoves.

“We cooked some butter chicken with rice,” said Jack Wilson. “We’re not the best cooks but in the end it was pretty good.”

The boys went fishing at Racecourse Beach, with several boys catching flathead and one student bringing in a 5kg Australian salmon.

“Surfing was a big one for me,” said Jack. “That’s something I haven’t done before. It was fun having a couple of crashes but also getting up on the board a couple of times.”

The boys also learned about Yuin indigenous culture on a guided walk with a local indigenous elder.

“We met Uncle Les and we did an indigenous walk along the beach,” said Noah Farr. “We headed along the beach and he taught us a lot about indigenous sacred lands.”

For Lachlan, the most challenging part of the camp was the hike. “We were walking with 20-35kg backpacks across sand and steep hills.”

“Outdoor education is an essential part of every boys’ education at Knox,” said Headmaster Mr Scott James. “When we take the boys off-campus we really do find that it gives them an opportunity to grow and develop as a person, building their leadership and teamwork skills.”

“By challenging the boys with new experiences such as surfing, snorkelling and hiking, we find it builds their resilience and gives them the tools to overcome adversity in the future.”