It was amazing to be able to get back to Sydney for the annual Year 12 excursion which has had to be cancelled due to the pandemic over the last two years. This year 48 intrepid travellers and 5 teachers (later 6) made the early morning start to board the bus on the long awaited adventure. 

First stop was the University of Wollongong where students had a tour of the various facilities on campus before lunch and then departed for YHA Central. That evening some students attended an Academic Dinner at St Paul’s College (boys) and the Women’s College (girls) where students were warmly welcomed and introduced to life in a College by university undergraduates. The three course meal and the concept of a High Table was eye opening but overall it was wonderful and thanks goes to Mrs Parkman and the University of Sydney for organising this. Other students attended Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral before heading back for a yummy dinner and then some rest. 

Day 2 was a big day with all students visiting the mosque at Lakemba to enhance their learning in Studies of Religion. Then it was back for a quick lunch and the Urban Challenge commenced. Teams were split across a rainy Sydney looking for clues, dancing their hearts out before ending up many hours later at Spice Alley for dinner. Two teams were able to then get to the Harbour for a ferry ride and were able to see the beautiful lights of the VIVID festival on the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and various buildings - it didn’t start until the day we left but it was great to see the warm up show. Day 3 was Urban Challenge all the way and the Teams alternated between the Eastern Challenge at Bondi Beach where various challenges and a scavenger hunt took place (including some beautiful accessories for teachers purchased at Vinnies) and then all groups also participated in the Kids Giving Back initiative which cooks for the homeless. Students were also lucky enough to be able to hear from Jasmine, a woman who had faced considerable hardship but she was very open about her experiences and how the charity had helped her. The day ended with a 10 Pin Bowling Challenge at Darling Harbour. The Urban Challenge is a great opportunity to build skills while exploring the city and the story, while tired, thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Our last 2 days involved student lectures and experiences that catered for different subjects so these included student lectures, visits to universities, hands-on workshops, walking tours and even a bit of Luna Park fun. We even ran into a few familiar faces along the way. Many thanks goes to the KLA leaders and teachers who have helped to organise venues and presenters for this part of the excursion. It takes a lot of hard work and preparation but it all ran smoothly. There was also some more fun with an Escape room challenge on the last evening - a great way to end our final night.

The Year 12 students were incredible - they were a pleasure to take away and the positive feedback they provided gave us all many things to consider for next year. A huge thank you to Mrs McInerney who has probably spent 1000+ hours preparing this venture and her skills in organising such a complex excursion were certainly appreciated by not only the students, but also the accompanying teachers who also deserve thanks for being willing to be pretty much on duty 18 hours a day. Thank you Mr S Quinn, Mr Kershaw, Mrs McCann, Mr Mergard (for making a quick dash up for the last 2 days) and Mrs Hibbert. 

Bravo Year 12!