Year 5 Coffs Harbour Camp
I wonder how many children living in Sydney will ever get the chance to sit and chat with Aboriginal children, be supported by them through a commando course, be painted by them with ochre, learn about Aboriginal culture and heritage from them and alongside them, and share a meal?
For the second year, our Year 5 boys have engaged in a rare opportunity, experiencing positive connections with the Gumbaynggirr Aboriginal people of the Coffs Harbour region. During the week, they met and interacted with Aboriginal children and adults; learning about the history of the land and their culture, and how to care for the land more responsibly.
Activities included a ‘bush tucker tour’, Aboriginal weaving and art, Dreamtime stories around the campfire, and cultural tours of locations such as Mutton Bird Island and the Arrawarra fish traps.
Our boys connected with Aboriginal students from two local Coffs Harbour Schools on the cultural tour (including making ochre and painting each other), working together on an Adventure Centre confidence course, and sharing meals.
A highlight of the trip was visiting Kulai Aboriginal Preschool. In the lead-up to the trip, the boys engaged deeply with fundraising for Kulai. They eventually raised over $4000 (thanks also to the generosity of our school community) to purchase a dishwasher for the centre, hats for the children embroidered with the preschool name, blankets, various balls and other sporting equipment. Along with presenting their gifts, our boys spent the morning with the Aboriginal preschoolers, learning Aboriginal language through games, stories and singing; and playing with the preschoolers.
In addition to the above, the boys had a great deal of fun developing positive relationships with each other, and powerful life and team building skills through the Adventure Centre confidence course (commando obstacle course, giant swing, Zipline, Zorb ball, canoeing and initiative activities), as well as through surfing together.
‘Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians – as individuals, families, communities, organisations and importantly as a nation. At the heart of this journey are relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.’ Reconciliation Australia
Research on the educational value of outdoor education has consistently shown positive outcomes for students in the following areas:
- academic performance
- social and emotional development
- environmental awareness and stewardship
- health and wellbeing
- personal growth and life skills
Along with all the benefits listed above, the Year 5 Mosman Prep Coffs Harbour trip provided an extremely powerful opportunity to connect authentically with Aboriginal people and culture, which is difficult to do through visiting speakers and performers, Dreamtime story books, and doing dot paintings in an art class.
It is our hope that through activities such as the Year 5 Camp, our boys will be lighthouses for positive connections with Aboriginal people.
Peter Grimes | Headmaster
