To kick off 2024, nine Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award students spent the last three days of the school holidays at Bouddi National Park on the Central Coast completing their Practice Adventurous Journey.
The hike started out with a leisurely 12km walk around Kilcare Beach, Box Head, and Wagstaffe Point on the first day. This was followed by a shorter but much more challenging section of the Bouddi Coastal Walk, covering about 8km of undulating terrain which posed some challenges to the students and raised the very real possibility of starting the year without a Careers Advisor.
Following this trip, the students had four days back at school and then were away again from Wednesday to Sunday, tackling the Beowa National Park Light to Light Walk near Eden on the Far South Coast.
Despite having to alter schedules and routes thanks to unforeseen track work, the students really outdid themselves by tackling long walks with loaded packs. As a group they covered at least 10km each day, which included navigating overgrown sections of bushland, crossing tidal lagoons at high tide, and the odd showdown with angry Goannas.
All students performed exceptionally well and worked as a team to achieve their award. They also displayed excellent leadership and communication skills.
These camps would not have been possible without a lot of forward planning and organisation, and thanks are extended to both the P&C for their ongoing support of the Duke of Edinburgh Award and Alison Stephens for taking the time away from work to assist with transportation and supervision of the students.
