It has been a busy time in Year 9 in recent weeks, with the highlight of the term no doubt being BRIDGES Week. I shall let the students speak for themselves with their reflections of the week outlined below.

Dinner Plate Project

During pastoral sessions, each student designed a dinner plate, which they ‘brought to the table’. This was a metaphor for what each member of the Homeroom brings to that Homeroom. The plates are on display in the Homerooms, which act as the dinner table. It is delightful to read each student’s story captured on their plate.

The only rule when designing their plate was that a student’s top three to five character strengths had to be included on their plate. The creativity and imagination shown by many of the students was brilliant. The use of colour and pictures to tell their story was fabulous and the conversations that were generated during the activity were engaging. The laughter and smiles that ensued were priceless.

As said so eloquently in ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’, “Always remember you matter, you’re important and you are loved, and you bring to this world things that no one else can”. The stories on the walls of the Homerooms are a daily reminder of so many things the Year 9 students bring to this world.

Jane Cowan
Level Leader: Year 9

BRIDGES to Country Week

Student Reflections – Camp Jungai

Year 9 Camp was an amazing experience where we learnt many new skills with Aunty. The staff members at Camp Jungai welcomed us with warm, open arms and big smiles. Some activities allowed us to step out of our comfort zone such as the high ropes course, canoeing, bush walks, bush dancing and so many more. During our stay at the camp, we learnt with Aunty what plants are used for medicine, some survival skills to use in the future and some groovy dance moves during the bush dancing! It was an opportunity to connect with other students and make new friendships as we camped with our class, rather than our friendship groups. The camp was an amazing opportunity and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Ashleigh Siebel
Year 9

Two weeks ago, we went to Camp Jungi. Over three days, we engaged in a variety of activities designed to challenge and push us out of our comfort zones, such as canoeing and a high ropes course. Not only were these activities enjoyable but they taught us valuable skills. 

In addition to this, we also took part in cultural sessions, bush walks and nature art. These activities provided us with a deeper understanding of Aboriginal culture and heritage. During our cultural sessions, we spent time with Aunty, who shared her knowledge with us, from teaching us how to make soap from leaves and the plants that could be used to treat stomach aches. Aunty’s lessons were incredibly enjoyable. Our evenings were also filled with activities like a Q&A session with Aunty and Bush Dancing. These activities were great fun and helped us strengthen our connection with one another. 

Our time at Camp Jungi was amazing. Each of us gained valuable insight into Aboriginal culture and we were able to challenge ourselves in many ways. 

Emma Greaney
Year 9

Student Reflections – City Experience

As part of BRIDGES to Country week we explored Indigenous culture in Melbourne, as well as visiting the ‘Little Lon‘ exhibit at the Melbourne Museum. The day began with a walk along the Yarra River, where we learnt about the spears used by Indigenous people to kill and hunt for food. We studied various weapons including shields, boomerangs and clubs used by Indigenous people and we gained a deeper understanding of the significance of the Kulin Nation as a sacred gathering place for Indigenous tribes. We then caught the train and walked from Federation Square to the Melbourne Museum. We walked around, admiring Indigenous sculptures, art and stories about their lives including personal experiences from the ‘Stolen Generations’. We also visited the ‘Little Lon‘ exhibition, showcasing late 19th-century living conditions. Overall, I had an enjoyable time with my peers and would love to return.

Isla Kouchakdjian
Year 9

As part of the Year 9 BRIDGES to Country program, throughout Week 4 of term, groups of Year 9 students travelled into the city to learn more about First Nations People. We each participated in the Birrarung Wilam Walk with Koorie Heritage Trust and were given the opportunity to wander around the First Nations People exhibition at the Melbourne Museum.

We travelled into the city by train, arriving at Flinders Street Station, where my group began our day with the Birrarung Wilam Walk. Our guide took us on a tour around Federation Square and along the Yarra River, looking at different Aboriginal art pieces. Afterwards, we walked inside the Koorie Heritage Trust Gallery and learnt about different tools Aboriginal tribes would use to hunt.

Our next destination was the Melbourne Museum where we explored the First Nations Peoples exhibition. As we wandered through the exhibition’s different sections we took notes and answered questions in a booklet. One thing which I found fascinating was the number of different tribes within and languages used by First Nations Peoples.

To conclude our day, we were given permission to make our way home by ourselves. Some people travelled home by train while others wandered around the city with their friends. This excursion into the city was a great opportunity for the Year 9 students to become familiar with navigating their way around the city and expanding their knowledge of the First Nations Peoples of Australia.

Charlee Marks
Year 9

Student Reflection – Kilbreda Day

As a Year 9 cohort, we were lucky enough to not only go to an amazing camp but to also spend the other two days doing other activities. On one of the two days here at the College, we spent the day completing an activity booklet. In the activity booklet we answered questions and took notes after watching videos and spending some time reflecting on, not only our learning at camp, but also our personal experiences and how as individuals and as a group we could help to ‘Close the Gap’. ‘Close the Gap’ is a campaign that advocates for equality and to ‘Close The Gap’ between First Nations People and the rest of Australia.

A highlight of the day was watching Kilbreda’s interview with Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, where we listened to him talk about his journey from a child in the Tiwi Islands to making a name for himself, gaining an education and following his passions here in Melbourne. We rounded off the enriching day by creating a communal art installation which we all contributed to by colouring in 1 to 3 squares of the piece each. We can’t wait to see the finished product!

Pratima Thomas
Year 9

Duke of Edinburgh Practice Hike

Student Reflections

On Thursday 22 February, I went on the Duke of Edinburgh practice hike at Phillip Island. Due to the extreme weather (34 degrees) we didn’t do the full version of the hike on the first day. Instead of doing the 13km we only did 8km and we didn’t have our big backpacks full of all our equipment, we just brought smaller ones. Once we reached the end of the hike, we all got on the bus and went to San Remo Caravan Park. We set up our tents after watching the demonstration and it was quick and simple. The weather saw us sweating so we went to the beach and had a swim. After the beach we headed back to the caravan park to get changed and started making our food. Once we had our dinner, a few of us played footy and volleyball at the campsite for at least two hours. We all went to bed by 9:00pm and woke up the next morning at 7:00am.

My friend and I had our breakfast and then started to take our tent down together. By the time we finished our tent, everyone else had as well so we cleaned the campsite and boarded the bus. The weather was a lot cooler the second day, so we hiked with our big backpacks. We caught the bus to Cape Woolamai and started our hike along the beach. Walking on the beach was really hard because the sand kept crumbling underneath our feet, but once we reached the stairs leading up to the walking trail it was fine from there.

This hike in my opinion was much more scenic and enjoyable than the first one because we saw the ocean, cliffs, wildlife etc. It didn’t take too long until we were heading back and walking along the beach towards the bus. I can’t wait for the Wilson Prom hike near the end of Term 3.

Grace Fry
Year 9

On Thursday 22 February, the Duke of Edinburgh Year 9 students completed their practice hike on a two-day camp. We arrived at the starting point of our hike in Kilcunda. Due to the hot conditions, we completed a shorter hike with frequent stops for water breaks. Even though the weather was not the best and we couldn’t think of anything worse than walking in 40-degree weather at the time, we all helped each other push through and made an effort to make it enjoyable by staying positive.

Once we arrived at the caravan park we set up our tents with our tent buddies. With the help of Mr Brown’s technique for hammering in the pegs, we set up our tents as quickly as we could so that we could go down to the beach for a cool down. At the beach we all got in the water as quickly as we could considering how hot we were, some of us played some sports! Overall, it was the highlight of the day!

By the time we came back from the beach we were all starving, however due to the total fire ban we couldn’t cook our meals on the trangia stoves like we had planned, which meant we all had to work out another way of cooking our meals. Lucky for us the caravan park had an accessible camp kitchen. After we finished dinner, we got ourselves ready for the night and relaxed by playing some card games and hanging around the campsite. As we had our Year 9 BRIDGES Camp earlier that week, we were all pretty tired and got to bed early as we had a big day the next day.

On Friday, we were all up early to pack our bags, tents and eat breakfast so we could start our second hike. We started our walk at Cape Woolamai. It was a very nice and scenic walk and we even saw a wallaby up close! Once we got to the top, we stopped for a break to take in the amazing view. Overall, everyone had a great time, and we are all very excited to complete our camp in November as this one brought us all together.

Harper Sanders
Year 9

Recently, a group of 20 Year 9 students attended the Duke of Edinburgh practice hike camp. We departed Kilbreda on Thursday morning and headed to Kilcunda, where we began our hike for the day. We walked 9km, towards Wonthaggi, where we battled temperatures of 36°C. The extreme weather conditions led us to carrying smaller backpacks rather than the usual large packs. We then drove to the caravan park in Newhaven, where we set up our tents for the evening. Due to a total fire-ban at the campsite we were unable to cook our dinners on the trangias and instead used the resources provided in the camp kitchen. We finished the night off with ball games, playing cards and talking with our friends. 

After we packed up the next morning we set off to Cape Woolamai where we did the circuit walk. The temperatures on Friday were much different from the previous day. Being by the beach it was extremely windy and cold, but once we started walking we all warmed up. The Cape Woolamai walk was 7km filled with beautiful views, various terrains and plenty of wildlife. I very much enjoyed this scenic walk, especially how accomplishing completing the last stretch of sand felt. 

Across these two days we all had to be very flexible and accommodating as there were many changes made due to the extreme weather conditions. Such changes made our hikes both easier and harder, and even though at times it felt very challenging, I am very happy and proud of what we all achieved. I really enjoyed this experience and am so glad I chose Duke of Ed as a subject this year. 

Zara Solomon
Year 9