This year the Rotary Club of Port Pirie instigated a youth camp which was held from the 12 ^th to the 14 ^th of March at “Errappa”, Iron Knob. After a significant amount of planning and fundraising, 18 children aged between 9 and 13 were selected for the trip along with 6 volunteers and 2 Rotary exchange students. The children came from various schools in Port Pirie and the surrounding district.

On arrival at the camp we were introduced to the two police coordinators, Paul and Dave. Activities commenced after lunch with various games, in the old town hall, that emphasised listening and teamwork skills. This helped to use up some of the children’s energy reserves and assisted in bonding them as a group. After some free time and tea, we all went on a night walk, with the aim of burning up some more energy before hot drinks, showers and bed.

Saturday morning began bright and early with bedroom inspections conducted by Dave, followed by an orienteering activity. This involved various teams roaming around Iron Knob, using maps and GPS equipment, in order to locate certain landmarks. The theme of listening to instruction, and teamwork, were again evident in this activity.

After lunch, the adventure continued with highwire activities, tree climbing and the flying fox followed by a session attempting to design a capsule to protect an egg being dropped from one metre (without success). The children were then taken on another long walk before we were joined by President John Brazel and his wife Marilyn for tea. A disco was then held followed by some quiet time before bed.

Sunday commenced with cleaning and packing up of rooms followed by attempts at the climbing wall and the “leap of faith”, and one final run on the flying fox. After farewelling Paul and Dave, and thanking them for their efforts, we hopped on the bus and headed to Port Augusta for lunch at Hungry Jacks. Then it was back to Port Pirie for our final farewells.

The camp was a great success, and to witness the transformation in the confidence and self esteem of the participants was truly amazing and rewarding for all concerned. A special thank you must go to our non-Rotarian volunteers – Ray Lee, Rosie Weldon and Annette Rimmer, as well as to our two exchange students Camilla and Julia. We would also like to again thank our many sponsors and the participating schools for their enthusiasm and support for this inaugural camp.