In Week 9 a group of 50 excited Year 7-9 students hopped on a bus to Bullsbrook for the 2025 GATE Camp. We were at Cahoots Adventure Camp which is an exciting place to live for two days, with many farm animals, wildlife and good spots to hang out, surrounded by nature. It was a fun and enjoyable experience; all GATE students were able to participate in and contribute to each event, like the Colour War and Team Building games.
This year, because I am in Year 9, I was able to take on more of a leadership role in the camp, and my group decided to do a new activity: a treasure hunt. By having it earlier in the year, it allowed us to prepare better and not have other activities interfere with preparations. It also allowed for the new Year 7 GATE students to form important bonds with each other and for us older students to help them feel more at home in GATE and begin mentoring them.
The three activities organised and led by us Year 9 students also included Capture the Flag spotlight. Usually this is just done by the students, however, this time, it was properly coordinated and ended up much better than previous years. Teamwork was essential! The final group of Year 9 held a jeopardy-style quiz, which has become a sort of tradition for camp. All the activities were planned and organised well and so they all went smoothly.
In our free time, we were playing cricket, basketball, board games, chess and cards, or going for nature walks and playing with one of the friendly local dogs. We finished the night with an outdoor movie, bonfire, marshmallows and ghost stories. The food was delicious, the environment was great and the company was even better. I’m a bit sad I can’t do it next year!
Here is what another GATE student had to say about the experience:
“I loved GATE camp! I really liked meeting and talking to new people, and the activities were an awesome way to bond with each other and share our creativity and problem solving skills.” Morgan, Year 8
