January 2018 Adventure Camp
For the 29th year in a row, an intrepid group of young Legatees – 41 from NSW Police Legacy and 10 from AFP Legacy – joined forces for the January Adventure Camp.
Based at the Narrabeen Sport and Recreation Facility for a week in the middle of January, the crew also roamed offsite – canoeing, climbing, sailing, surfing, tackling, scrambling, volleying, walking, telling stories and laughing. So much laughter!
We call it the Adventure Camp when we’re organising things at this end. The real adventure, of course, begins once our young Legatees get stuck into all there is on offer – throwing themselves into the deep end of life and coming up grinning.
On one of the days away from basecamp, our intrepid explorers took part in I Spy Sydney, an interactive search through the CBD for iconic landmarks and hidden facts. Starting at the War Memorial in Hyde Park, our kids ranged through the city and down to Circular Quay.
Undaunted by this lengthy trek, the crew then jumped on the Manly Ferry and headed off to surf school at Collaroy Beach. The afternoon was spent surfing and body boarding, and the only complaint came when it was time to go. Not enough time on the waves!
Another highlight of the week was the trip to Taronga Zoo. In between viewing the tigers and lions and bears, we had the special privilege of going backstage at the seal show. Every one of our Legatees had the chance to pat the seal they’d just watched flying through the air.
Of course, adventure wouldn’t be adventure without a voyage onto the high seas. Or at least, a journey from Rushcutters Bay, sailing beneath that most spectacular of bridges, before navigating back across the Harbour. The instructors were fantastic, explaining how to recognise when the wind would shift and what to do when it did. It was both educational and exciting, and may have sowed the seeds for some further naval adventuring in the future.
On the final night of camp we warmed ourselves around the campfire and prepared ourselves for our goodbyes the next day. (Were we preparing ourselves? Or were we in denial that the camp was drawing to an end? It’s never long enough!)
A highlight of the last night was Cain Anderson being awarded the Police Bank encouragement award, by David Walton, the Chair of Police Bank. The award recognises the leadership shown by someone at camp, and we can all agree that Cain was a very deserving recipient.
Huge thanks to the organisers of the camp for pulling together such an ambitious and entertaining schedule of activities, all of the supervisors for their energy and caring competence, and most of all to each and every Legatee who took part to the fullest and made this yet another unforgettable Police Legacy occasion.
