Year 12 Retreat

Each year after the Mini Exams (for HSC) the Year 12s go on retreat for three days. My House (Manton) along with two others, went to Kurrajong, which is up in the hills very near to Tycho's orchard; in total, 65 boys and nine staff. The purpose of the retreat is for the boys to relax, unwind and reflect. As well as plenty of free time there are some large group activities, however the focus is small group discussions, which provide an opportunity for them to reflect on their lives, relationships, plans and purpose; to prepare for the transition from school to life beyond, and to get to know themselves - and each other - a little better.


We had a beautiful location, with views of eucalyptus forests in every direction, and surrounded by plenty of wildlife....

One of the highlights for me was seeing this diamond python on the first night, just outside one of the cabins:

The diamond python is non-venomous, killing its prey by constriction (generally small marsupials rather than humans). This one was moving pretty slowly as it was evening and getting cold; no doubt it was looking for somewhere to warm up - such as a cosy bed....

During our free afternoon, I went for a walk with a couple of colleagues around the place we were staying and came across various 'outdoor adventure' activities, most of which were inaccessible/far too dangerous without protective equipment. We did, however, manage to have a go at this:

Of course, when the kids saw what was going on we had to tell them it was far too dangerous and pretended to lock it up so it couldn't be used. 

Aside from the many birds (including king parrots) we came across some pretty fierce - and large - ants. Now, despite being a bit of a wimp (is 'fierce ants' an oxymoron?) these are the only ants that, once tormented with a stick, you have to out-run: they will hunt you down.

We were really fortunate to have fantastic weather. It was beautifully warm and sunny each day (low 20s), although the temperature dropped to 7C at night once the sun went down. I enjoyed the experience; I had some great colleagues and the boys were really well behaved and engaged. All in all, a positive experience all round, although I feel exhausted; now it's back to marking and report deadlines. I'd have loved to have stayed a bit longer (with a couple of bottles of wine and without the boys!).