Our first camp: Adventure and teamwork by the sea

Boys from Blessed Gérard’s Children’s Home pitch a blue tent during the 2014 camp.
The boys pitch their tents together on their first camping trip in July 2014. Original photograph from Newsletter no. 34, p. 4.
Children and caregivers jump for joy at the beach during the 2014 camping trip.
The group at the beach on the Children’s Home’s first camping trip. Original photograph from Newsletter no. 34, p. 5.

In July 2014 the boys from the Children’s Home camped together on the coast for the first time. They pitched tents, cooked their own meals and enjoyed the beach.

On 15 July 2014, the boys from Blessed Gérard’s Children’s Home set off on their first camping trip together. At Nkwazi Camp on the KwaZulu-Natal coast they worked in small groups to pitch their tents. They collected firewood, prepared meals and shared the cooking and cleaning. Caregiver Hayne Clark saw them cooperate and take responsibility.

The next day they walked along the Amatikulu River to the sea. Swimming and playing on the beach were particular highlights. Their fishing did not produce the hoped-for catch, but the boys soon found other games. In the evening everyone gathered around the fire, told stories and roasted marshmallows.

On the journey home, one boy asked when they could go camping again. For Clark, the trip was an enjoyable end to the winter holidays and a chance for the children to practise independence and teamwork.

The original newsletter photographs show the boys pitching a tent and the group at the beach.

Source: Newsletter no. 34 (2015), pp. 4–5: “Our First Camp”.

Back