2022 Kurrawang Service Trip

As part of our Year 10 Christian Living program, students continue their development through the implementation of the Rite Journey program. Part of the program focuses on serving others and challenging yourself. This is the perfect opportunity for students to participate in a week-long service trip in the Kalgoorlie Goldfields area.  

Southern Hills Christian College has been doing this service trip for the last 8 years and it is always a memorable experience to serve others. Students travel to Kalgoorlie via the Prospector train, stay at the Kalgoorlie Camp School and then do day trips to Kurrawang Aboriginal community. Whilst they spend the day in Kurrawang students are involved in feeding programs, small construction and maintenance programs and they also help out with literacy and numeracy in the local CAPS (Christian Aboriginal Parent-Directed School) primary school.  

We have seen a significant shift in our school culture, where students leave for Kalgoorlie being self-absorbed and introverted, and returning home more mature and empathetic towards others. 

Student Leaders Charnae and Micah have prepared the following summary of the 2022 Kurrawang Service Trip, on behalf of the Year 10 students. 

Day 1
On Monday morning, exceedingly early, we began our trip to East Perth train station and from there began our journey. We were given our seats and excitedly boarded on the train. After about 8 hours of eating, sleeping, and watching movies we finally arrived in Kalgoorlie. We collected the hire buses and we drove to the campsite where we unpacked briefly. Then we went to the look out of the C.Y. O’Connor and made friendship bracelets to signify our commitment to each other and the kids we were serving. We drove back to the camp and had dinner, then from there we went to Lake Douglas for a bonfire. After the hectic day we all had, we crashed as soon as we got into our dorms.

Day 2
On the first day of the camp, we woke up early and made our way to CAPS Kurrawang Primary School. CAPS referring to (Christian Aboriginal Parent Directed)… To wake us all up we went for a bush walk along the C.Y. O’Connor pipeline. The bush walk served as an ice breaker between the children and the students. Before we knew it, we were all coupled up with a friend. That day we also helped the children with their schoolwork, we did arts and crafts and did jobs around the school. We finished school and made our way back to the camp where we then had some free time and later a delightful dinner.  Afterwards we made our way to the pools to enjoy some leisure time on the inflatables. To finish off the night we had devotions and went to sleep.

Day 3
Day 3 started with peaceful worship music for the boys and a nice calm wake-up for the girls. We began our day with a nutritious breakfast of cereal and toast. Then we made our way to the school where we helped with school activities and enjoyed some morning tea with the children. After recess we made our way into the bush where we spent the rest of the day, playing, building cubbies with sticks and enjoying sausages cooked on an open fire. We were all exhausted after the fun day we had and were given the opportunity to rest before dinner. After dinner, we played The Game of Life and enjoyed devotions with some chocolate treats. Then it was time to prepare for bed before the lights went out.

Day 4
This day was the last day at Kurrawang primary school, and we were all feeling various emotions. Some felt sadness because they were not ready to say goodbye to the children and some were feeling a sense of fulfilment for the impact and love we had on the children at the school. After saying goodbye, we went back to camp and got ready to go to the movies. We enjoyed popcorn and a soft drink whilst watching Top Gun. We came back and packed our bags and went to sleep.

Day 5
We got up at 5:00 am, got dressed and had breakfast prepared by the family that owned the campsite. We loaded the luggage onto the buses and made our way down to Kalgoorlie train station where we were assigned our seats. 7:00 am came and we boarded the train. Once again, we ate, slept, and watched some more movies. After another 8 hours on the train, we finally arrived at east Perth train station where we unloaded our bags. We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.

We would like to thank the teachers that came to the camp, Mr. Prinsloo, Mr. Pleysier, Mrs. Hasluck, and Mrs. Hill. Thank you for putting up with us for the week and for showing us that there is more to life than what is on our phones. Thank you for helping us to be selfless and teaching us how to care for others. We would also like to thank Mrs. Edwards and Mrs Groom for organizing and planning the camp and for the administration that went into the camp. Thank you!”

– Charnae and Micah (Year 10 Student Leaders)

Rite Journey Camp

We always knew our Year 9 students were tough but now we have proof! Last week, we put them through their paces in Tambellup, near the Stirling Ranges. As part of our Rite Journey program, the students had to complete a number of challenges, which included sleeping on the floor of a shearing shed, pushing their physical limitations by summiting Bluff Knoll, learning how to shear, muster and dose sheep, interacting with young students at the local primary school, and completing an 18-hour solo experience in a tent. During the solo, students were asked to compose a letter to themselves detailing their hopes and goals for their future selves. This letter is now safely stored away and will be returned to the students on their Year 12 graduation night.

The camp was a significant time for the students to see that they are capable of far more than they realise. They did exceptionally well at giving everything a go and not backing down from experiences that may have been way out of their comfort zones. Every student got to the top of Bluff Knoll and every student got through the solo. We are so proud of them! Our hope is that their accomplishments on camp will give them greater confidence in themselves as they transition out of childhood and into adulthood.

2022 Year 7 Offsite Team Building Excursion

Excitement was evident with the Year 7 class as they prepared for what would be an exciting Year 7 Offsite Team Building Excursion which was held at Point Peron Campsite in Rockingham. During the excursion, students were encouraged to work together as a team, showing thoughtfulness and patience with one another while building their confidence and trust. The students partook in various activities such as Stand up Paddle Boarding, snorkeling, team games, swimming and helping people in need in the community. 

Here’s what some of our students had to say:   

“What I experienced on my year 7 excusion was amazing. I learnt how to be more social, how to work together with others, and to just have fun all the time. On the year 7 excursion My group’s first activity was how to be a team, we had to work together as a team to get the tallest tower in the crate climb even though we didn’t make the goal that we wanted it was still great fun. It was the second day, and I was feeling good, it was rafting day!!! We got five pipes, a bunch of rope and four tires, my group and I made an epic raft and had lots of fun. We played beach games after lunch, we had to fill a bucket of water, but the bucket had holes in it, and we had to dig a hole for the bucket to go in, in the end we had won. The last day made me the happiest of them all. We got our snorkeling gear and our life jackets on. We were ready, we waddled down to the beach and were playfully diving down to the bottom of the sea floor, we saw red and spotted fish. My friend and I saw beautiful blue, yellow and black sea slugs. There were so many different types of pretty seashells, too bad I had to put it back though but it was the most fun experience I had ever had on a camp.” 

“When we got off the bus we walked under some shade and ate recess. We were given strips of cloth to wrap around our arms, so that we knew what group we were in. My first activity was team building games. The first game we played was on a log on one side of the oval. We split into two groups and my group got on the log first. We had to get into alphabetical order without getting off the log. You had three lives and if you fell off you lose one. I got into my spot quickly and everyone else took a bit longer than me. Once we were done the instructors checked our names and we got off the log. The second group took longer than us and they did not finish, because we had to go to the next game. 

The second game was a piranha pit game. There were 2 wires connected to two logs. On the two wires were 4 planks and we had to get everybody over to the other side of the logs. My team came up with a strategy to get everyone over to the other side and we were doing very well. The other team was transporting one person at a time but was a bit quicker than us. We were transporting 2 people but were a bit slower. When we only had to people left the other team had 3 people and I thought we were going to win but my friend Cooper fell off and hit his head. We tried to get back into the game, but we were so far behind, and the other team won. 

After that we had lunch and we played a game of octopus. The third game we played was crate climbing. Two people are strapped into some ropes and things, while all the others stack up crates so the people with ropes tied around them can touch the penguin that was about 5 metres off the ground. Me and one girl from the other team had to climb the crates and touch the penguin. The first, second and third game we lost but then we made a huge comeback and won 5 rounds. At the end of it we all worked together and made the biggest tower we could. We did three rounds of this. The first round we got 12, the second round we got 12 again and then me and my friend Ethan went up and we got 14. The highest anybody has ever gotten was 18 though and we were close but not high enough. 

The second day when we got off the bus, we had recess again and we started very quickly. The activity I did was this day was rafting and beach games. In rafting we split up into lots of teams. My group consisted of Ethan, Cooper, Tyson, Lachlan and me. We learnt how to tie knots and started making rafts. We were told that it was a race to see who could get to the lady on the kayak, get out of the water, run back to the shade, destroy our raft and put it back neatly. My team won this game and we carried on to the next one. The next game we played was like a shuttle relay in school carnivals. We had to go through a ring in the water swim back to shore and hi-five the next person and then they start swimming to the ring. My team lost that game, and I was sad, but then we played a fun game. 

One person is the shark, and they are told a number. Everyone else gets a number and they must get in random order and if the shark gets the same number, you get a bucket of water splashed on you. I didn’t get splashed but someone next to me did. 

The last game we played was a ball rolling game. We had 6 half pipes and we had to use them to get a tennis ball as far as possible. We were allowed to dig in the sand and use that a road for the ball as well, so it wasn’t too hard. My team won that game very easily. The other teams ball got stuck in a part they didn’t test or make big enough for the ball to get through and ours went down very far but not to the water. 

The third day we did snorkelling, and it was great. First, we went to the beach and did some snorkelling around the reef. I saw lots of fish and they were all so small. Next, we went to a beach further away from camp and it was rocky. I went out into the ocean with a group of boys which consisted of Javen, Lachlan (who left after 10 seconds), Ethan, Tyson and me. Javen and Tyson were partners and me and Ethan were partners. Javen was a bit scared of the water after our instructor told us that the only sharks that would be in the water would be hammerhead sharks. After Javen heard that he was horrified and wanted to leave. I convinced him to stay and look at more fish and seaweed. I heard Javen scream, so I swam over to him, and he said that it was just seaweed and thought it was something else. After that our group decided to get out of the water and play a survival game on the beach. Everyone was saying ooga booga and then we had to go back to the camp. We got dressed got onto our busses and went back to school.”

Overall the excusion was a huge success jam packed with adventure, fun and fellowship for all who were involved. 

Shade Sail Project

Earlier this year we completed our shade sail project.  The final two shade sails were installed.  These shade sails provide some much-needed shade for the college students.  The funds for the shade sails installed this year were generously given to the school by the Department of Education. The students will no doubt enjoy the respite from the sun when the summer months return.

Year 12 Celebration Evening

Excitement was evident with the 2021 graduating class as they prepared for a big night out at Optus Stadium.  Celebration Evening is an opportunity for Year 12 students to reflect over their school years  and celebrate their achievements with parents and teachers while also considering all that is ahead of them.

Our Keynote Speaker for the evening was Dr Jill Wyatt. Dr Wyatt who attended schools in Busselton and Albany before training in medicine at UWA, gaining the highest mark in her practical course and practicing as a General Practitioner before undertaking missionary training at Sydney Mission Bible College. She now works in the country of Jordan as a field doctor, primarily with refugees and displaced people groups.  Dr Wyatt spoke about finding a purpose and a passion for our lives after leaving school. It was amazing to have someone who is such a gifted and intelligent spokesperson for Christianity present to inspire our graduating class about life and the potential for the years to come.

The traditional “Then and Now” photos, including hilarious predictions on what each student would achieve in the future, was a lot of fun for all. Head boy, Jordyn Heylen and Head girl, Claire Percy broke from the tradition of giving a speech, instead organising a class video presentation with highlights of their final year of schooling. Given the time and equipment constraints they presented a professional clip that resonated with all present.

Congratulations to all those who recieved subject awards on the night. A special mention goes to both Jordyn Heylen and Rebekah Tolossa who won 5 Academic awards respectively and James Wheeler and Claire Percy who each achieved a number of both Endeavor and Adacemic awards. 

Finally, thanks go to our amazing Year 12 teachers and Year 11/12 Coordinator Mr Morris Prinsloo who organised the evening. 

Thanks also to the fantastic team at Optus. The Black Swan Room made a great venue, and the food was fantastic….and yes, that’s our logo up on the big screen!