Blackwood River FWR

intro and training week

WARRIUKA SCHOOL ADVENTURE CAMPING 2007

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE TEAM
Well, things have changed a little at Warriuka since last year and even this past term staff changes have taken place so hopefully this will bring you up to date.
At the beginning of the term Ross, Matt and Dave were all a part of the Warriuka leadership team. Since then Matt has taken on the role of Scripture Union Camps Coordinator and Dave has decided to head back to Canada to work. Both of them are definitely going to be missed. Carly is now half way through her internship, which finishes in July. Warriuka also welcomes four new interns......
Danni Smith has come to Warriuka after completing her Cert IV in Outdoor Recreation at TAFE and has brought loads of skills to the team which is awesome.
Anna Pargeter 'aka' Pargy was a Physical Education Teacher in the UK but has ditched that to work for as an intern for the next 12 months.
Sarah Turner has also come over from the UK to be an intern for six months before heading back home to undertake her teacher training to pick up where Anna left off.
Theo Messenger was working with the Fine Edge department at SU and has joined the Warriuka Staff team for the first school term of the year.

If you want to find out more info on the funnest internship then click on this linkhttp://www.suwa.org.au/warriuka

TRAINING WEEK

This took place the first week of February in Wellington Dam National Park and was such amazing fun. Not only was it a great time for the new 2007 team to learn new skills, but also to get to know each other and have a good giggle. And I'll briefly try and fill you in on a some of the highlights of that trip with a few one liners to speed up the process......

• Having just flown in from the UK Sarah met the team for the first time at the SU office at 6am Monday just before leaving for Wellington Dam.
• The first day we hiked along the Bibbulmun track from Mungerup Rd to Yabberup Hut (about 11km) where we camped for the night. It was baking hot, there were Mosquito larve in the water tank, we ate lush curry made by Ross and Theo snored loudly at night!
• I saw my first kangaroo jumping its way through the dense bushland
• Next day was a walk to the canoes at the Dam and then a couple of hours on the water paddling to Potters Gorge Campsite, which was full of March flies that bit like crazy. But that was OK as the views of the lake were amazing.
• White water rafting down the Collie was flipping awesome. We put into practice a few of the rescue techniques we had learnt as most of us tipped out of our boats at some stage.
• That night we camped at Honeymoon Pool, which was a really nice campsite
• By mistake Matt chucked all his clothes in a big skip rubbish bin that smelt of something that had died. He promptly had to jump in and get them back.
• Abseiling at the quarry was short but sweet as we had to make a school visit for a camp taking place in a few weeks time.
• Lots of technical stuff to remember with abseiling.
• Anna hadn't abseiled in a while so was a tad shaky at the top!
• Matt, Anna, Carly and I went on the school visit,but managed to squeeze in a trip to Woolworths for some apricot slice.
• And that is a whistle stop tour of our training week. From here we entered in the misty realms of term one.

Hayley's Reflections on Directing a Warriuka School Camp

Well, what can I say? Regent Year 7 camp this year was a blast!!! We had an amazing bunch of students to work with, fun staff and a great Warriuka team. I think this camp would definitely be a highlight of the year for me. As this was the first camp I’d directed I had been praying especially hard that God would really bless this camp and equip me with the skills I’d need for this new role. As always God was SO faithful and he was obviously at work throughout the week & answered these prayers and more. So what did we do? Here’s a little taster………

We did a range of activities with the students from beach Olympics, a ‘rafting survivor challenge’, ‘Adventure journey’, the Cape Naturalist lighthouse walk and tour of the lighthouse and a visit to Calgardup cave. (unfortunately Giants was closed) It was fantastic to see the groups working really well together, facing any challenges that came along and trusting each other.

The evening’s were pretty jam packed too with a Bush dance on the first night which was very energetic with dances such as ‘The birdie song’, the Macarena, Limbo, plus some more typical bush dance tunes. The second night we played ‘Foxholes’ where the students dig trenches on the beach to hide in and then have to get from a starting line to the finish point by hiding in the trenches and being sneaky. My personal favourite had to be the camp concert though- it was hilarious!!!!!! In Australian Idol fashion we had a panel of judges which consisted of the two teachers and myself. For some reason I had to be the mean judge. (obviously there was a lot of acting needed for me to do this well, as it’s really not in my nature) There were a wide selection of acts to suit all tastes. I think ‘Kyle burping’ had to be the most bizarre, yet funny performance of the night. Although, the ‘Human Table’ would also go down as a highlight. Carly and Dave also got to have a hair make-over- I think the girls did a good job- what do you think???? (Photo to come)

Warriuka time was also well received. We discussed a range of topics which included relating the ‘Footprints in the Sand’ poem to real life, we talked about how every member of the team is important and has different gifts to offer using Corinthians 12 as an example. Life as a journey was the theme for the third night and we discussed how sometimes life can be hard, even as a Christian, and how we can deal with life when it’s tough, such as pray about it, discuss it with others and read the bible. I was really encouraged with our group’s mature attitude and on the last night we encouraged them to “shine like stars in a wicked & depraved generation”(Phil 2)

A real tribute to our efforts was the fact that one of the girls said to her mum on the Friday night she got home from camp “Mum I’m homesick for camp”. We were also privileged enough to be invited to the Year 7 graduation and it was great to hear that for a lot of the students camp was one of the highlights of their year.

For me this camp was a great way to end up my internship at Warriuka. It meant that I could put into practice all the things I’ve learnt this year but also that I could try out a new role. I enjoyed directing although it did provide a few unexpected challenges, such as one of the students hurting her arm and having to have it checked out, but on the whole it was a really fantastic camp to direct. The students were a pleasure to spend time with, the staff were friendly and supportive and I had a fab Warriuka team whom I knew I could rely on. And obviously we have an AWESOME God, who is faithful who answered our prayers and worked in and through us. My hope and prayer is that the students would continue to build on their relationships with him and that they would be encouraged to keep going and growing in faith.
- HaylesX

The Wonders of Warriuka.

To be perfectly honest I don’t want to be writing this article because it means that my internship is over and I am off home in a few days time!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well as many of you know I came over in January having never been camping before and to be honest I was a bit of a girlie girl! I have to admit before coming over I did wonder ‘What on earth am I doing?’ but I really felt that this was where God wanted me so I trusted Him and he hasn’t let me down. This year has been an amazing experience for me, it’s had challenges, highlights, hilarious moments and occasional tears! It has been a year where I’ve learnt new skills, spent time in God’s creation, and grown personally. Most of all though, I have learnt to be more dependent on God and I have grown so much in my relationship with him and have a new enthusiasm and energy for doing His work.

I’ll just share with you some of my highlights of the year…….

My first Warriuka camp was a flat water rafting camp with Leschenault Catholic Primary. This is still one of my favourite camps this year, (despite the fact that there were no flushing toilets!!) My group of Year 7s were so keen and worked SO well as a team, they were a real joy to spend time with. Kristy, their teacher, was lovely too. On the last day we even joined our raft together with one of the other groups to form one big raft which was named “The Love Boat”. Thinking of this camp still brings a smile to my face!!!!

Our intern hike aptly named “The Walpole Wander” would have to be another of my highlights this year (see my previous blog article to find out exactly what we got up to). It was challenging but I was reminded so much of God as we walked in his beautiful creation that it definitely gets included here!!

I have to mention the Warriuka team as a highlight too (they didn’t even pay me to do this!!!!!). It’s been a real pleasure to work with the other members of the team this year. They are a great bunch of people who have heaps of outdoor skills and experience, but they also have an enthusiasm for what they do, which is clear on camps. I’ve been really encouraged by their faith & relationships with God and have enjoyed our daily team prayer time. The training events we’ve had this year have been challenging, but also fun, as they gave us time to spend time together as a team and allowed us to strengthen our relationships with each other. The Albany Amble, a few weeks ago, was a good time to spend together as a team. I think the fact that we were ‘bush bashing’ some of the time & that at some points I had to crawl through the bush on my hands and knees highlighted for me how far I’ve come this year. We also got to experience the wonderful scenarios that the boys throw at us!!!! I was not at all amused though when Ross decided to get lost at around midnight one night so we had to all get up and try and find him-good one Ross!!!!!!

For me directing Regent Christian College’s Year 7 camp would be another highlight. It not only gave me an opportunity to put into practice all the skills I’d learnt this year but it also has to be another one of my favourite camps. It was a small camp (only 20 students) but it meant that there was a real community feel to it and I felt that God really blessed us with some fantastic students and staff to work with. I also had one of my favourite Warriuka times of the year on the last night of camp. I pray that God will continue to work in and through these students’ lives.

I have so many great memories from this year and upon reflection there are so many things I’ve loved, but there’s only so much I can include here!(otherwise I could go on forever!). I’ve also loved learning to kayak and have had heaps of fun kayaking in white-water trying to ride stoppers and fairy-gliding etc. I’ve enjoyed spending time with the Warriuka team, the staff and students on camps and most of all I’ve grown in my own faith through spending time with God in His creation. I’m not quite sure what the future holds but one thing’s for sure I know that God has a plan for my life & I’ll continue to trust him in everything. I know that “I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.”


This year has probably been one of the best of my life so far and I’m truly thankful to God for sending me here. I’ve met some really amazing people who it’s been fantastic to spend time with, work with, live with and become friends with. I’ll miss you all. I’m sure that next year’s interns will be blessed in many ways as they begin in 2007.
- HaylesX

Intern Appeal Movie

Spend some time with our Interns from 04,05 and 06 years in this slideshow format video. If you're interested in an internship with Warriuka then this video will give you an idea of what is in store for you down here in Australia's South West!

Warriuka Picture Presentation

A digital picture slideshow for all our supporters. Thanks for enabling us to do this amazing work.

PlayBoat Thursdays

Perth's SurfKayak Movement - Playboat Thursdays intro movie from the shores off Perth Western Australia comes the Indian Ocean's playground while the rivers are dry. compiled by Dave Gemmell Music used without permission

Dave's Paddling trip in Canada

My Paddling trip in Canada was AWESOME! I had forgotten that there was so much fresh water in that country. the pictures below are of low water levels... there is more water there now than a WA river in flood!
It was great to be able to paddle three different rivers; the Main and Middle channels of the Ottawa River, the Gatineau River and the Pettawawa river, all in one week and have a different paddling experience on each one of them.

This is a rapid called 'right suicide' on the Pettawawa river. A small river by Canadian standards but nice technical creek style paddling. Short, quick, rocky drops and ledges with safe pools at the bottom. A good line was preferable so that some of the holes/stoppers wouldn't recirculate you around for 5 minutes, but if you got off line and trashed, you could rest easy that it would let you go.

'Right Suicide again, from the bottom'







I'm not sure if this wave had a name, but the rapid set was known as 'Le Lucifer' or 'The devil'. The Gatineau river in Quebec is a seldom paddled river and the day that myself, my instructor Tom (in the photo) and the other participant Aaron paddled it, we were the only three boaters on the river! Amazing to think that we had the whole river to ourselves, but also scary to think that if something happened it would be a long wait until help came. Most of the features on the Gatineau are 'catch on the fly' type play spots. No eddies to bring you back up to the top, so if you miss it... better luck next time.


Having a lunch break at one of the biggest and scariest rapids on the Gatineau 'L'Haute Tension' or 'High Tension' named after the electrical high tension lines that cut across the river right above the rapid. The hole you see just in front of me looks mild from this viewpoint, but it is a mega huge keeper hole. The intruction from Tom was, "You must miss that hole, and don't get sucked into the one of the left either". Thankfully I hit the line perfect and rode over the train of 10ft standing waves!

I took the opportunity in the long flatwater sections each day to practice two things. One my back deck roll, usefull for a quick roll in shallow water or while in a play feature to theoretically stay on the feature; and the other my bow stall. This is day 4, when i was finally able to balance for more than a few seconds. Although not tremedously usefull, this trick looks impressive to the uninitiated and is the foundation for many of the very trendy and spectacular arial and loop manuvares. Next up, the front loop (basically a forward summersault in a kayak).
Thanks to Esprit Rafting, www.whitewater.ca , and my intructor Tom for a great week. I highly recomend the experience

Walpole Wander - Intern hiking trip stories

Steve…

The Interns’ trip to Walpole was filled with great times and awesome adventures.
I’ll just share a few for this blog entry, and you can ask me about more of the
trip at a later stage.
Low light – there weren’t many bad times on our trip, but sometimes I give the impression that everything I do at Warriuka turns out peachy, which isn’t always the case, so I’d like to share a low light from my week. Ironically it was low–light and rain that turned out to put a dampener on the week. As we were walking on our first day we had underestimated the difficulty of the track, and therefore ended up walking in the dark. To add to our woes, the dark clouds had rolled in and it rained pretty solidly for about an hour and because of lack of preparation on my part, a lot of my clothes inside my bag were moist if not wet. Another factor that contributed towards having a bad day was that the shelter that we were staying in wasn’t on the Bibbulmun track, it was on a 4WD track, about 3km from where we thought it would be. So a hungry, night walking in the rain made me consider pulling the pin on the whole trip, but after a warm meal and some sleep and the sun shining in the
morning, it was only onwards and upwards from there. Highlight – there were many cool points along the way, from the food (including the powdered milk tasting good) to the time we were able to spend with God, being out in His creation. The biggest highlight for me was seeing God’s awesome power displayed in the ocean waves that were crashing along the rocky cliffs on the coast. This was in addition to the beautiful silhouette created against the hills as the sun set behind them. The rays of sunshine poking through from behind the clouds was a reminder that God has the time planned for rain and no rain and He is in control of everything.
I can’t wait for my next adventure with Warriuka and all the highlights and lowlights that come along with it.

Anupa...

Hiking is probably not the most exciting thing in the world, at least it isn’t
for me anyway!
So when we, the interns set out for the Walpole Wander last week I asked myself about 10 times during the first 2 hours of the hike "what in the world am I doing walking up and down hills carrying a back pack that weighs nearly 20 kilograms?" It was raining and dark by the time we reached the first hut on the Bibbulmun track and I wasn’t convinced that it was worth it. However, I needed to know why people hiked and why they chose to brave crazy weather and put their bodies through so much pain! So I decided to go on with the hike and complete it. I needed to know the answer.
The next morning we walked along Mandalay beach and it was beautiful!! Later on that evening we sat on the rocks
and watched the sunset. You know what I’m going to say next… yes!! It was awesome. The ocean reminded me of Gods power, His control over everything and how little I seemed standing there watching the huge waves crashing on the rocks. The next 2 days were pretty cool as well…quite literally! We were freezing on the last night. By the end I got a hint of why people do this; I had a sense of satisfaction when we walked to the car after the hike. I felt fitter and very lucky that I had been to places that only few people had seen. I have not fallen in love with hiking or anything but I know I will do it again if
I get the opportunity.
The pain was worth it in the end!

Hayley...

When we were told we were going to be leading our own intern expedition I have to admit I was a little apprehensive. No Matt, Ross or Dave if things go wrong or to encourage us along our way! However, I knew that we had been taught the skills we’d need and that I should have more faith in myself and my fellow wanderers! So with plenty of prayer, a 18kg pack, rainjacket, sunglasses and other essentials we set off for the Walpole Wander! The first day didn’t quite go to plan and we ended up walking in heavy rain and the dark. Morale was pretty low, we were all tired and to top it off I had a huge blister! I prayed that night that God would give us each the strength we needed to carry on and a new enthusiasm for the walk, and he did. The next day we saw some amazing views as we walked along the beach. I was reminded of God so much that day as we walked in his creation. As we walked along the beach I remembered the words of ‘footprints in the sand’ which focussed me on the fact that God was there walking with me. Also that day as we walked over the hills we saw a rainbow over the ocean which reminded me that God is faithful and keeps his promises. I think that day was my favourite day of the wander because we saw some fantastic scenery and a beautiful sunset and I really felt God’s presence. I have to admit
that there were times during the walk that I found it difficult to keep going but it was during those times that I felt closest to God. I was reminded of Paul’s words to the Phillipians ‘I press on towards the goal, to win the prize for which Christ has called me heavenwards.’ The Walpole Wander taught me heaps about myself and also helped me to meet with God in his creation so I thank God for his faithfulness & strength & for giving me some great fellow wanderers to share the experience with.

Fitzgerald River National Park Photos

So here we are, hiking along the southern coast line of Western Australia, in one of the states most(ly) untouched parks. Fitzgerald River National Park. There are trails, but the three of us chose to walk our own path most of the time, and followed the coast line as much as we could. We encounterd plenty of flora and some fauna, but the most amazing thing for me - Dave - was to learn that we walked through plants and past flowers that only exist in this national park, no where else. Now that is a fantastic concept!


The first morning we encountered a fantastic sunrise, and about 10 whales with calfs in the sheltered bays. Ross here is looking out over the ocean where a whale is swimming approximately 50m off shore. As with all photo ops, the whale decided not to smile for the camera.


This is the inlet crossing we had negotiate. Thankfully the weather was unusually warm and going shirtless wasn't such a big deal. We warmed up and dried off in no time, and even stopped later on to try and catch salmon with our treking poles and shoelace fishing line! No sucess sadly.



Matt found this whale bone on a small beach where we stopped for morning tea on the second day. Further along there is a bigger beach called 'whalebone beach', but we couldn't find that whale bone and renamed the beach, rubbish tip beach because of all the plastic and rope that had washed up.


The first evening the sunset was gorgeous. This is Ross and Dave hiking up one of the final sand dunes. Dune walking is really similar to walking in the snow, and sometimes I wished that I had crampons on.


The final inlet crossing, on the second last day. Only 1km from the car, and thankfully this time we didn't have to swim it! Tired and dirty it was a great feeling to cross the Hamersley Inlet and discover that we had walked further than planned for that day!

Preview of article in this quarters SU News

Our Lord works in mystical and amazing ways. Truly the daily miracles that Warriuka is privy to witness are better referred to as ‘Mighty Deeds’.


Without a doubt, this last year working with Warriuka, I have seen God work on every single camp I’ve been involved in. Wether it be waking up to a calm lake on our canoe day after praying desperately for the constant wind to go away,


or starting ‘Warriuka Time’ not knowing how to intigrate God into the day; then having a student ask almost strait away "so is that like trusting in God?".


He has been there as students challenged the Warriuka leaders on ‘manipulating them into talking about God’ only to then spend hours explaining the Gospel message to themselves, with little input from the leaders! He has been there on the second ‘every body in’ 50+ student camp in a row, where all the leaders are tired, and under spiritual attack; it was there that God truly carried all of us, and gave us the strength to safely and joyfully (most of the time) reach those students through adventure activities.

Hopefully I can erase this once i've gotten a hang of what to do.
So another term has begun and the Warriuka office is in 'training mode'. with only 4 camps on this term we are heavy into training up the interns and taking advantage of the autumn weather to do a few staff only camps. After Carey Baptist next week, we will be doing a few role clinics and an abseiling day, so that the interns can feel more comfortable while with schools on these activities. We are then going to once again head down to the Stirling Ranges and complete the famed 'ridge walk', going from Ellens Peak to Bluff Knoll. We'll post some pictures and stories from those fun days after we've recoverd and all begun to get along again! just kidding. I've included a picture from last years ridge walk, probably the best sunrise I have ever seen, and boy was it cold! Until next time...