Grade nine students from St Peters College Broulee have undertaken a four day, 60 kilometre wilderness and cultural expedition, learning survival skills and Indigenous heritage.
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The camp, facilitated by local tourism operator Region X, saw students split into two groups, with one group starting at Pebbly Beach and hiking over two days to Maloneys Beach where kayaks awaited them. Over the next two days they paddled up the Clyde River finishing at Nelligen. The second group of students did the route in reverse.
Grade nine student Kaeleigh Peard said the camp bonded the students as a year group and taught them to keep trying, especially in tough times.
"The camp was hard physically and mentally, throughout the whole thing, but it was so good to push through," Ms Peard said.
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One of her highlights was sitting around the campfire sharing and celebrating the actions of each other throughout the day, for example a peer lending a towel to help other students dry their wet tent.
She said the students learnt positivity from their instructors' enthusiasm.
"If we had a negative thought in our head we would shout out positive thoughts to get rid of the negative things - like leeches," she said.
Region X director Josh Waterson said the camp was an incredible opportunity for anyone, especially for grade nine students before they entered the latter years of their education.
He said spending time in the outdoors was great for social and mental well-being and building resilience.
"These students will draw on this experience as they travel through the rest of school," he said.
On the Wednesday night in the middle of the trip, it poured with rain. Mr Waterson said such moments formed true resilience.
"That is hard - everything is hard, everything is wet," he said. "You have to prep your dinner in the rain. That is ground zero for these students. Most thought it was the worst place in the world for them to be... We are all very used to comfort."
Yet the students overcame and persevered, and Mr Waterson said they would draw on that experience for the rest of their lives, knowing they could complete the challenge.
"The feeling of completion on the last day was incredible," he said.
Ms Peard said her experience in a leaky tent that night taught her to never give up.
She ultimately loved camp and would definitely seek out similar things in the future.
The students had been planning the expedition throughout the year, and were responsible for sourcing their own gear and planning their own menu - forced to consider weight, nutrition, packability and preservation.
All 60 students learnt about the Yuin history and culture of the land through the stories, songs and dances of the culture taught by a group of local Yuin men - Muladha Gamara.
Mr Waterson said everyone should have a cultural understanding of the significance and history of the land they lived on or travelled through.
In the days after the camp, Mr Waterson received handwritten cards from students, and multiple phone calls from parents thanking him for the experience.
"It is an absolute highlight of the calendar year for the Region X staff," Mr Waterson said.