Welcome to our new Cambridge students!
Rock climbing, kayaking, surfing, roasting marshmallows, camp fires and Kookaburras called Frank… It is all part of the Langports Cambridge Retreat.
The first stop of our Cambridge Retreat was the indoor rock climbing centre. All students were eager and ready to put the very attractive harness around their waists and test their vertical limits. It was good to see students succeed in pushing their own personal boundaries.
From the dizzying heights of climbing, we moved on to a more calming land-based activity where we bushwalked through Burleigh Heads taking in the city, bush and ocean views of the Gold Coast. And afterwards, with 29 hungry students arriving at camp, our lovely coordinators set to cooking the BBQ whilst the students made themselves comfortable in their cabins.
After a great meal and the roasting of some marshmallows over the fire, it was time to learn ‘Random Game’ from Mike – one of our new Cambridge students. For hours we could hear the laughter and chorus lines such as “catch the rat” and “squeeze, squeeze, squeeze”. The theme song “random game, random game” has been playing over in my head ever since.
The next day, we started off with a healthy breakfast and ate way too much toast. Then it was time for the students to brave the windy conditions, put on their rash vest and try this sport called… surfing. I must be honest here, watching students learn to surf is one of my favourite activities. The song ‘Wipeout’ plays along in my head as I watch determined students try and try again to battle the waves and end up victoriously on top of their boards. Once again, this group of students impressed with their willingness to learn and listen and by the end many were riding the waves instead of rolling in them.
For a kinder activity on their bodies we headed to a nearby creek for a kayaking activity. Covered in sunscreen, all students set off with their experienced guides and 2 hours later returned looking slightly tanned!
Eventually, it was time to say good-bye to the Tallebudgera region and head back to Brisbane. After all the excitement and activity of the past 36 hours, usually the students are very quick to drift off to sleep on the bus ride home. Instead, I could hear an unusually large amount of noise coming from the back, only to see the students actively organising where they would be going out that night.
For me, the entire weekend was a positive and energetic beginning to our Spring time Cambridge class. I’ve got many more trips planned, like Fraser Island, Stradbroke and look forward to having our students explore this part of Australia, which for the next 3 months they will be calling home.
(Blog written by Keilie Stoke, Brisbane Activities Officer)