Yr 7 camp

Year 7 had a wonderful time at camp as you can tell from the student reflections below:

I thoroughly enjoyed the Year 7 Camp for so many reasons. Although it seems to always be raining in Sydney these days, we had the most perfect weather and were able to enjoy fishing, beach games and raft building. While most of us were unsuccessful catching anything, Braidon caught a small reef shark and a tailor, both of which were returned to the water. Raft building was also lots of fun. We built an unsinkable raft that ended up sinking and taking me with it!!!!! We also did archery and frisbee golf which is a great combination of frisbee and golf.

I think we were kept active all day so that we would be encouraged to sleep (which was half successful!). The dorms were comfortable and cosy and  I think everyone was pleased with who they dormed with.

All in all, It was the best camp I’ve been to, mostly because of its location. It felt remote and catching the ferry to the island made it feel even more remote. It was a great three days of fun and I think most of us made lots of new friends.

Felix Fisher

The best part about camp was spending time and mucking around as in the girls cabins. Even though some of us barely knew each other, we made some really great memories. One of which didn’t please Ms Thompson very much.. sorry for waking you up at 4 in the morning…

It was fun gushing over how cute somebody’s stuffed toy was or learning what books other’s liked to read (mostly manga). Rushing to use the showers first (only to realise it was TERRIBLE) and whispering at night made it feel like us Year 7 girls knew each other since forever!

Nancy Zhang

Camp was full of fun experiences, and picking one is going to be tough.

However, I’d say my favourite moment/moments at camp was going to the beach every morning and during free time. It felt so nice just to relax as the waves caressed your feet and the sand smoothed itself around you, especially when you’ve woken up after a good night’s sleep and you can watch the sun cast magical rays before you.

But another amazing aspect of the beach were the remains. There was lots of seaweed amongst other debris that had been washed up on the sand. And I chanced upon some amazing finds. There were dead insects, some preserved with all body parts intact. I found two different species of stick insects and a cicada. The most unbelievable part though was the wings and colours. They looked like they had been stuck and painted on from some sort of fantasy tale. Here’s what one of my insects looked like:

William Short 

As the 2023 year is beginning to unravel, the Year 7’s began their Fort Street journey with a bang as they recently ventured to Broken Bay where they spent their three-day camp. The groups arrived early on the 27th of February where they did fun activities such as archery, fishing, games on the beach, bushwalking, making damper and building rafts.

Many of the activities were enjoyable however there were a few that surely stood out. One of the personal favourites was archery where a competition was held to see how many points each person could score with three arrows. We’re sure everyone just loved getting their arms hit by the bow’s string upon releasing an arrow and getting multiple bruises!

Raft building was also one of the fan favourites. In randomised groups, using teamwork skills and logical thinking, you’d have to construct a raft using pipes, ropes, milk jugs and bread boxes and safely get across one of your team members without accidentally drowning them in whatever was in the water underneath!

As activities passed the time and memories were made, unfortunately, the camp eventually had to come to an end. On February 1st, as the Year 7s packed up their things and prepared to be on their way. Whilst the trip has now ended, the bonds that were created there won’t. They’ll be waiting for the next!

Jennifer Chuah & Steph Ha 

My favourite part of camp was definitely fishing. After accidentally dropping my bottle, I hooked on my bait with our guide’s instruction. From then on, I felt as though nothing in the world mattered. All of the stress was lifted off my shoulders and I just relaxed. Suddenly, I felt a tug. I was really excited and when I finally pulled out my ‘fish’, I found out it was a baby ray. I had such good feelings then and it just improved when the guide flipped it over and I saw its cute mouth smiling.

Mohsin Fouladi 

Wound up in the hustle and bustle, year 7 Fortians gathered at 7:00 together, awaiting the bus ride with bated breath. Throughout the ride, snippets of conversations and tunes and screeching peers echoed through the bus, ecstasy for the students making the noise and hell for the receiving end of the racket. After a commute of about an hour including the ferry, we arrived at the Camp. In a period of three days, we did activities such as raft building, trivia, beach games and frisbee golf. My favourite activity was probably the damper-making, which commenced after breakfast on the last day. Although it was boiling hot outside, it was still a pleasure to cook the damper, argue with your teammates about whose responsibility it was to keep the fire going and to rate the outcomes of the damper. I also really enjoyed the food at the camp. My favourite meal was the breakfast on the last day as it consisted of pancakes, croissants and other remote-island delicacies.

Nina O’Keeffe