Camp Weekaway

Last Wednesday morning Rosie and Wilma left for the Grade 5 school camp held at Camp Weekaway (it was only 2 1/2 days away) near Kyneton about an hour and a half from Melbourne. It's higher and freezing there in July. Wilma was one of 2 parent volunteer helpers - at Rosie's request - with 6 teachers and 60 kids. It was great. Lots of exertion with Wilma joining in on the archery and canoeing and rogaining (orienteering) but definitely not the flying fox.

On the way the buses stopped at the Organ Pipes National Park, named for the distinctive rock formations.

Rosie was coming down with something the day before departure, not surprising with the amount of flu and colds about this winter, but was determined not to miss camp so rugged up in 5 or 6 layers - everything she had in her suitcase on at the same time pretty much - and powered through all the activities which included ropes course, flying fox, rogaining, archery and canoeing. Her free time was largely spent recuperating right in front of the fire. On the second afternoon after the five activities had been completed there was a hilarious event called the yabby race which was a team relay with many different parts and involving lots of baton changes especially since the baton consisted of a water balloon which the teachers could arbitrarily seize and burst at their whim requiring the designated team gophers to run up the field and get another one. Rosie's legs of the relay were the long-distance run around the lake, the blindfolded wheelbarrow race and the egg-and-spoon race using a water balloon instead of an egg during which teachers could distract, obstruct and generally cause the balloon to fall and pop requiring the poor gophers to go and get another one - many times and only one at a time.
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Meals were pretty good and quantities seemed unlimited. It's amazing how much food one can eat when it's freezing cold and there's lots of physical action. On the last night there was a concert with items judged by the two parents and one of the teachers. This was followed by what was loosely described as a disco and then the end of the movie "School of Rock" which had started the night before.

On the last morning it was Rosie's group's turn for duty - setting and clearing tables, helping with the dishes stacking chairs etc. Her cabin was the winner of cabin inspection both mornings with scores of 9.8 and 9.5.

On the way home the group walked up and down Hanging Rock and had lunch at the playground at the bottom.