Personal Search for Meaning Retreat - Sunnystones

On Monday morning I got to go on the ‘Personal Search for Meaning’ retreat, at camp Sunny Stone in Bacchus Marsh. I chose this camp because I wanted to immerse myself in a retreat that focused on having a break from the busy school year and time to reflect on my own challenges and thoughts. I was amazed by the beautiful campgrounds that were surrounded by trees and nature, creating a calming atmosphere for the reflective nature of the retreat. We did many ‘get to know you’ activities through ‘speed dating’, that allowed everyone to strengthen friendships and meet new people that we may not have spoken to before. To further our knowledge of each other, we each wrote down an interesting story and our peers would have to guess which story belonged to who. Surrounding the theme of reflection, our camp leaders Miss Murphy, Jazz and Mr Newman all shared challenges that they have faced I their life, and how they have grown and learn from those experiences. From this discussion, we were able to reflect on our own challenges and learn how to look for the positives and learning moments through the life stresses we all go through. We all participated in a mediative ritual, where we throw our challenges, we had written down into a fire, relieving the weight that these challenges had on each of us. As a group we were able to reflect in a quiet mediation, on what we have learnt from the retreat and what we were thankful for. This gave us time to discover why we chose to go on this retreat specifically, and what our purposeful goals were; whether it was a break from the busy school year or to search for what our morals and purpose was in life, and through God. Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, we went on a calming bush walk to reflect on our gratefulness for the wonderful world we live in and clear our heads for a positive start to the day. Gathering for the last time together in a liturgy, we listened to the word of God and discussed what we were thankful for, and how we can show more gratitude in our daily lives. At the end of the retreat, I gained skills of how to be more thankful for even the little things in life, how challenges can make us grow as people, and how I can express more gratitude in daily life, as well as being able to have a break from the busy school life. Overall, I really enjoyed myself and was very grateful for the experience, making Year 11 Retreat a retreat to remember.

By Sophie Busuttil

Exploring Relationships Retreat – Pax Hill

Throughout our Year 11 Retreat at Pax Hill, we learnt to grow as people, as friends and as loved ones. This camp was to learn about relationships. We got to know our peers through sharing our fears, embracing their confidence, and talking honestly. We bonded with others, by relating to their embarrassment about solo singing, which would shortly turn to confidence when people would join in. We all danced as if nobody were watching and had a very intense dance off, the girls won! We came to be more aware of others, and ourselves. All of us felt a sense of pride as we bonded with people we may have never spoken to otherwise. We celebrated life, and the beauty that earth provides us, and comforted each other with a simple embrace. We ate food together as a family would. We shared stories about ourselves and laughed a lot. Even if some of the things were embarrassing, we still loved the presence of our peers, and striving to become more like a big family. It was a new and very fulfilling experience for all of us. We are very grateful and thank all the staff for helping us have this opportunity and especially Chris who lead the sessions. He opened a new way of viewing spirituality and the way we interpret Christianity and can relate it back to our experiences. As well as in the way we care for our Earth and of course our peers, staff, and families.

Bella Attard and Eden Blazko Yr11

Faith and the Physical Challenge Retreat - Daylesford

We were given the opportunity to push our bodies and minds to their limits during the faith and physical challenges retreat. During this experience we went through a variety of activities including yoga with a Buddhist teaching us the skills of respect and peace within each human being. We then ventured to the Boomerang ranch where we set up camp, and headed straight off to Victoria Park, where we participated in different ball sports. We split up into three groups: one group was elected to go horse riding; the other two groups walked back to camp and did a run around Lake Daylesford. The horse ride consisted ofa trail through the bush for an hour. The challenge of completing the entire beep test was next on the agenda followed by a return walk to the bottom of the valley. After dinner it was various ball sports at a local primary school and a night walk. Prayers of gratitude and reflection, while drinking hot Milos, led into bedtime. Morning boot camp at the Daylesford High School preceded breakfast and horse-riding. The retreat concluded with a reflection of the retreat overall. A huge thanks to Mr Lane, Mr O’Loughlin, Ms Phyland, Ms Perkins and Mrs Hexter for looking after us for the overnight experience.