Last weekend 5 Year 12 girls - Brianna A, Angelina A, Olivia B, Charis O and Isabella VDR completed their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Practice Adventurous Journey.
They are now eligible to attempt their Qualification Adventurous Journey later in the year which will be the culmination and capstone of a lot of hard work, organisation and service over many years.
Thanks to Julianne Chavura and Anna Nalla who also accompanied the girls. We all enjoyed a fantastic four days in the majestic Budewang Range in Southern New South Wales (Friday thru Monday) wherein the girls demonstrated their substantial proficiency in hiking, navigating, and campfire banter.
Charis O has shared her experience
Our Preliminary Gold hike was probably one of the most enjoyable DoE hikes I’ve been on so far.
"It pushed me physically, but the beautiful scenery we experienced and the wonderful chats I had with the rest of the group made it worth it. I’m not as fit as some of the other people in the group, so it was sometimes a challenge to keep up, but everyone was very supportive. One of my favourite moments from the journey was sitting around the campfire at our second campsite, roasting marshmallows and having hot drinks while we chatted about that day. We got to know each other and the teachers a lot better, as there were only 8 of us on the trip. I also particularly loved abseiling on the third day.
In the moment, I was a bit nervous that I would fall, but ultimately it was so much fun and one of the highlights of the trip. It was also great to get some junk food together after a long four days away in the bush!"
Mr John Williams
Secondary Teacher