Tuesday, June 22, 2010
11km Beach Run
It was apparantly 6:30 when my room mate, Edward Boyd, and I woke up. We changed into our running gear and did some stretches. Suddenly Nathan Kapitza came out of his room room and said, "guys what are you doing so early in the morning? Its only 5:30." As soon as we absorbed what Nathan had said, we went straight back to bed thinking how much of an idiot we are. At the real 6:30 we all woke up, did some stretches and went to the bus where we were driven to Hardwicke Bay. As soon as we got off the bus, we all went in a line, and started running. I was feeling pretty good for the first 2km. The first 2km I was running up front with Olly Clarke, Tom Plant, Stuart Harvey, Riley Terrell and Kurt Park. Dale was behind us. We kept running until Dale caught up and broke away from us with Olly and Stuart. I was running just behind them. We kept running until we reached the 5.5km mark. Here made the gap between me and stuart and Olly smaller. Dale was way ahead of us. Soon I got this massive stitch. It was really painfull. I toughed it out though by just shouting randomly in pain when it hurt alot. This kept me running for some reason I don't know. Riley Terrell was catching up to me so I increased my speed. At the 9km mark it was worse but I kept running. I noticed that Stuart broke away from Olly. When I was on the dirt track, I increased my pace again and found that I was only 10m away from Olly Clarke. I stayed with him until the last 100m when I sprinted past him and beat him by one second to have a time of 53. 30min. Dale was sitting down waiting for us. He scored a time of 51. 58m This was crazy. He said that this was his Personal Best by a long way and it was because we were tormenting him on the bus the whole way here. Dale, Olly, Stuart, Riley and I beat the 6th person by a few minutes. Even though I lost againts Dale, I felt great because my time was still fantastic. All of us who finished went to support other people still running for aout 25min and then we all went back to our Wardli's. I ate 10 weet-bix and then had a shower.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Welcome to my Wambana Blog
Welcome family, friends and teachers to my Wambana Blog! I will constantly be adding posts to the blog documenting my Wambana experience. From the 30th May to 24th June 2010, my tutor group from PAC yr. 9 is on a four week programme to learn things we cannot learn at school, such as being independent, recycling, practical environmental study, plus fitness courses such as riding an running.
Our Wardli Members -
Edward Boyd, Oliver Clark, Connor Perin, Nathan Kapitza, Leo Liu, Andy Lam
-Feel free to send a letter to me :) Paul Russo...C/-Wambana...P.O. Box 187...Warooka 5577
( ... means next line)
My Wardli 
Me making roast pork
Our Wardli Members -
Edward Boyd, Oliver Clark, Connor Perin, Nathan Kapitza, Leo Liu, Andy Lam
-Feel free to send a letter to me :) Paul Russo...C/-Wambana...P.O. Box 187...Warooka 5577
( ... means next line)
Myself at the Ethel shipwreck at Innes National Park
My Wardli Me making roast pork
Cycle Tour
The start of our Wambana experience begins with a demanding cycle tour of the Southern Yorke Peninsula. It was a very enjoyable yet tiring trip. At night we also had to sleep in tents. We rode on surfaces such as bitumen, gravel, dirt, swamps and grass. The scenery is also very green and amazing.
Day 1. 31st May -
Our route for the first day of the tour was divided into two rides. The first ride was an easy 19km to West Cowie and back, and our second ride was through the Peasey Swamp to Warooka and back. Everyone was eager to set off on their first day of riding. But first we had to safety check our bikes in case any parts were faulty. From what other people have said, I thought I was going to get a very sore bum from all this riding, but I didn't. My bum must be very tough. The first day of riding was very easy for me as I do quite alot of riding at home. We rode along the Point Turton esplanade and roe on dirt roads on our first ride, which was to West Cowie and back. Not long after we were riding we arrived at an old, rusty, what used to be a school. The school was very old and run down and there wasn't much of it left. Bits of car parts and bits and pieces like shower heads were on the ground around the place. Moff, an instructor who was driving the bus behind us, showed us this old Holden which he really wants and he is going to buy it. The Holden is really old and dirty, though its pretty cool. After this we ate a few snacks and headed off.
Day 1. 31st May -
Our route for the first day of the tour was divided into two rides. The first ride was an easy 19km to West Cowie and back, and our second ride was through the Peasey Swamp to Warooka and back. Everyone was eager to set off on their first day of riding. But first we had to safety check our bikes in case any parts were faulty. From what other people have said, I thought I was going to get a very sore bum from all this riding, but I didn't. My bum must be very tough. The first day of riding was very easy for me as I do quite alot of riding at home. We rode along the Point Turton esplanade and roe on dirt roads on our first ride, which was to West Cowie and back. Not long after we were riding we arrived at an old, rusty, what used to be a school. The school was very old and run down and there wasn't much of it left. Bits of car parts and bits and pieces like shower heads were on the ground around the place. Moff, an instructor who was driving the bus behind us, showed us this old Holden which he really wants and he is going to buy it. The Holden is really old and dirty, though its pretty cool. After this we ate a few snacks and headed off.
One time when we were riding on a dirt road dividing two paddocks, These sheep came running at us. The bike instuctor, Pete, told us they wanted to eat us because us humans have a chemical which is in these sheeps diet (strange). We also had to carry our bikes as a punishment when we sopped as well because Tom Plant and I were caught riding with no hands, I mean come on! Just because we are good ;). When we were back for lunch, I had a muffin bar, a little mars bar, and two chilli chicken salad raps. I was hungry! After a little lunch, we headed off again. Soon after we were riding on a dirt road, we went into this swamp. At this swamp, the mud was really slippery meaning the bus couldn't go through so we were by ourselves. The swamp was really fun because we were getting so much drift in the slippery parts. It was really funny seeing people stack it. Eventually we went onto bitumen road which lead to Warooka. At Warooka, we quickly posted some letters and road back to Wambana. After Wanbana, We had dinner, which was spaghetti Balinese and slept in our tents.
Day 2. 1st June -
Everyone was stiff this morning because we had a very uncomfortable sleep in the tents and it was freezing that early morning. We went on quite a long bus ride to Innes National Park. The bus ride was fun because we were listening to really bad and loud music, and we were all talking to each other. When we arrived at Innes National Park, we took our bikes out of the trailer, and started riding. It was a good change to be riding on the bitumen instead of dirt, wet mud and grass. The views were fantastic. Everywhere you looked you could see something cool like fantastic views, good scenery, kangaroos and emu's.
One time we rode own this massive hill which had a fantastic view of the ocean. Soon we would have to ride back up this hill. We stopped off at West Cape Light House. Today I ate a ham salad wrap. During lunch I wrote a few letters to my family. About an hour later we were ready to ride the 2 and 8 challenge. The 2 and 8 challenge is when you ride all the way back to the end point in the gears 2 and 8. I started this challenge by lifting my bike about 200 metres for doing this massive skid as I was really close to hitting a mate who was on foot. After this I went on my bike and started riding in the gears 2 and 8. I found this pretty easy as i am a strong rider. Though at the end of the day we had to ride back up that big hill. Again I found this quite easy. After I finished my ride, I helped encourage other people to ride up the hill. All of us felt fit enough to ride to Marion Bay to post our letters. So as a tight group we rode together to Marion Bay. That night we had lamb hot pot and a good night sleep was a great way to finish our day.
Day 3. 2nd June -
Today we rode the longest at a distance of 43km. It was mainly gravel with a bit of muddy plains. Today I decided to help one person he whole day. So I stayed next to him and encouraged him the whole way through. I was really proud of him at the end because he didn't give up. Lunch was fantastic again. I had another ham salad wrap.
We were in a geen paddock a Weavers Lagoon with a view of a big lake. Again I wrote some letters to my family and then we set off again. The rest off the bike ride was pretty tough but I loved it because we were riding through slippery swamps. Again we got massive drift. Tom Plant and I decided to go off road and go through bigger and more swamps. This was really fun as we had to jump over bushes and stuff. eventually we arrived at a town where we put our bikes back in the trailor and drove home on the bus.
Day 4. 3rd June -
Our last day of riding felt the easiest as we were used to riding the long distances and also the roads we took were quite flat. The ride was pretty straight fourth. We saw some pretty cool views across paddocks and saw massive windmills. Eventually we stopped for lunch at Suicide Point for lunch. Another wrap gave me the energy to finish off he day. When we set off again we eventually reached those large windmills. They were massive being about 50 metres away from them. We rode along a dirt road for another 3km until reaching Edithburgh. Here we finnished the expedition. We said thanks to Pete, the bike instructer, then went for a swim. The water was freezing. All of us were forced to dunk our heads in the water and jump in deep freezing cold water before we all sprintd out to get warm because if we didn't, we wouldv'e been forced to sleep in our tents for another 3 days. After we were dry we hopped on the bus to go back to Wambana.
Day 2. 1st June -
Everyone was stiff this morning because we had a very uncomfortable sleep in the tents and it was freezing that early morning. We went on quite a long bus ride to Innes National Park. The bus ride was fun because we were listening to really bad and loud music, and we were all talking to each other. When we arrived at Innes National Park, we took our bikes out of the trailer, and started riding. It was a good change to be riding on the bitumen instead of dirt, wet mud and grass. The views were fantastic. Everywhere you looked you could see something cool like fantastic views, good scenery, kangaroos and emu's.
One time we rode own this massive hill which had a fantastic view of the ocean. Soon we would have to ride back up this hill. We stopped off at West Cape Light House. Today I ate a ham salad wrap. During lunch I wrote a few letters to my family. About an hour later we were ready to ride the 2 and 8 challenge. The 2 and 8 challenge is when you ride all the way back to the end point in the gears 2 and 8. I started this challenge by lifting my bike about 200 metres for doing this massive skid as I was really close to hitting a mate who was on foot. After this I went on my bike and started riding in the gears 2 and 8. I found this pretty easy as i am a strong rider. Though at the end of the day we had to ride back up that big hill. Again I found this quite easy. After I finished my ride, I helped encourage other people to ride up the hill. All of us felt fit enough to ride to Marion Bay to post our letters. So as a tight group we rode together to Marion Bay. That night we had lamb hot pot and a good night sleep was a great way to finish our day.Day 3. 2nd June -
Today we rode the longest at a distance of 43km. It was mainly gravel with a bit of muddy plains. Today I decided to help one person he whole day. So I stayed next to him and encouraged him the whole way through. I was really proud of him at the end because he didn't give up. Lunch was fantastic again. I had another ham salad wrap.
We were in a geen paddock a Weavers Lagoon with a view of a big lake. Again I wrote some letters to my family and then we set off again. The rest off the bike ride was pretty tough but I loved it because we were riding through slippery swamps. Again we got massive drift. Tom Plant and I decided to go off road and go through bigger and more swamps. This was really fun as we had to jump over bushes and stuff. eventually we arrived at a town where we put our bikes back in the trailor and drove home on the bus.Day 4. 3rd June -
Our last day of riding felt the easiest as we were used to riding the long distances and also the roads we took were quite flat. The ride was pretty straight fourth. We saw some pretty cool views across paddocks and saw massive windmills. Eventually we stopped for lunch at Suicide Point for lunch. Another wrap gave me the energy to finish off he day. When we set off again we eventually reached those large windmills. They were massive being about 50 metres away from them. We rode along a dirt road for another 3km until reaching Edithburgh. Here we finnished the expedition. We said thanks to Pete, the bike instructer, then went for a swim. The water was freezing. All of us were forced to dunk our heads in the water and jump in deep freezing cold water before we all sprintd out to get warm because if we didn't, we wouldv'e been forced to sleep in our tents for another 3 days. After we were dry we hopped on the bus to go back to Wambana.
Introduction to Statistics
Our introduction to statistics has taken place over the past few mornings. Moff has ben our maths teacher at Wambana and he has been doing a geat job. He has taught us about the mean, medium, mode, range, Q1, Q3 and IQR. These are all statistical terms that help sort out sets of raw data.
This morning we focused on the 5.5km run. The 5.5km run is from Wambana to the end of the jetty and back. Thes are our best results in minutes:
Wardli 3: 23, 25, 24, 35, 36, 41 Sorted: 23, 24, 25, 35, 36, 41
Wardli 4: 23, 24, 24, 25, 40, 43 Sorted: 23, 24, 24, 25, 40, 43
Wardli 5: 33, 24, 32, 27, 34, 24 Sorted: 24, 24, 27, 32, 33, 34
We can organise this raw data into a dot plot:
23 x x
24 x x x x x
25 x x
26
27 x
28
29
30
31
32 x
33 x
34 x
35 x Lowest= 23min
36 x Highest= 43min
37 Range= 20min
38 Medium= 26min
39 Mode=24min
40 x Mean= -
41 x Q1= 24min
42 Q3= 35min
43 x IQR= 11min
This shows we have two distinct groups. One between 23 and 27 and another between 32 and 43. This is called a Binomial dot plot.
Fitness Program
during our Wambana experience, we have a strict course of running long distance everyday or doing fitness games and power training. All the fitness is done with Dale. Everyone is to wake up early so we can start running at 7:00. The distances are either 3.4km, 5.5km, 9.2km and a challenging 11km run.
Friday 4th June
We woke up early in the morning to the sound of Paul, an instructor, playing the bongo's. Other than the stiffness in my legs from riding for 5 days and sleeping in a tent, I felt pretty good. I knew I wasn't going to run my best at all this programme because of the after effects I've had from a cold which has given me some serious asthma. Today we are to run 3.4km. The run starts at the Wambana shed, continues down the esplanade to "The Sacred Stone". We then run back the same route back to the shed. Today I was leading the pack until my asthma kicked in and forced me to slow down. Olly Clark then overtook me on the half way mark and I finished with a time of 14. 35. I was happy with this score because I knew I had asthma. After this we had to do the 100 100. This consists of 100 push ups and 100 sit ups.
Saturday 5th June
I didn't feel as stiff this time because we slept in our wardli's in beds. Though we still woke at about 6:35 to be at the tent before 7:00 to run at 7:00. This run we do the same run but pass the Sacred Stone and continue on to a jetty and back. This is the 5.5km. I pulled in a solid score of 23.10. Considering another unpleasant run of asthma I thought it was an alright score. After that we had to do 100 100.
Sunday 6th June
3.4km
A Disaster! I forgot to take ventolin to control my asthma therefore I could hardly breathe the whole way. Alot of people that I easily won againts over took me and some supported me. When I stopped at the finnish line, I had a bit of a coughing fit then went to get my ventolin to open me up a bit. My time was 16. 25. I had to do my 100 100 afterwards as well.
Monday 7th June
Today we didn't do a long distance run but played a fitness game. after doing a few laps around a small oval, we did some agility drills. Alot of this was sprinting ten metres, picking up a cone, and sprinting back that ten metes and dropping the cone. We did this 9 times so we sprinted about 90 metres. After about 20min of this, we moved on to another "fun" game where two teams were in two parallel lines about 20cm apart. If the teacher, Bairdy, called crumbs, we would have to sprint 5 metres towards our side without being caught by the other team. If crusts were called, We would have to chase the other team ad catch them before they reach the other side.
Tuesday 8th June
Today we were to run a 5.5km. I made sure I was in good shape today by taking my Ventolin. My muscles felt ok today and I was breathing well. I improved my time by 5 seconds at 23.10. I hope to get my next 5.5km time under 23 minutes next time. We then did 100 sit ups and 100 push ups then went in for breaky.
Thursday 10th June
Today we ran 9.2km. I woke up feeling sick therefore i thought i had a cold. I didn't have enough time to have some lemsip so I got dressed and went out to the shed. There were two groups. The first group was to run 7km, and the second group was to run 9.2km. We all had a choice and i chose the 9.2km. The first 5.5km was on a road therefore we had to run in a group. It was only until we reached the sand when we were allowed to split up and un at our own pace. The last 2km was extremely hard. Everyone was starting to cramp up a little bit and the sand was soft. Near the end I over took Olly Clarke and took the lead in 1st place. Though a kilometre later He caught up with me an we finished the run together with a time of 50.30. After this I felt dead. Though I was very proud of myself. Within ten minutes after my shower I felt good again and felt even happier that the run was over.
Friday 11th June
We are to do a fitness game today. But first we ran around the oval a few times and do a drill. The drill was for a whole wardli to carry one person in their group to the other side. They would then run back and carry another person to the other side. The person that was carried would just stay on the side he was carried to, so everytime there were fewer people to carry. After this we played team poison ball.
Saturday 12th June
We ran a 3.4km today. I felt really sick running because I had a cold. This virus really slowed me down. because i couldn't breathe through my nose and my asthma was worse. I felt pretty depressed running today because I was only sick a fortnight ago and I was sick again. My time was 18min. After the run I could hardly breathe. and didn't really do the 100 100 bcause I physically couldn't.
Sunday 13th June
I was sleeping out in a tent tonight and no one woke me up. So when I eventually did, the sun was right up and it was really bright. I thought to myself, "This can't be 6:30am". So I ran to my Wardli to find out that the time was 7:35. I freaked. I was shocked, and I felt totally lost and betrayed that out of all 20 people on campus, no one woke me up because how was I to know what the time was? I was in a tent! The other morning I was woken up by people but this time everyone left me. So I walked all depressed with my head down to the shed to get killed be Dale. Though all Dale said was, "Go run a 3.4km". So i ran the 3.4km with dunlop volleys on, no stretches and no Ventolin. I was really angry so I ran the whole thing but with no effort at all. When I arrived back, My muscles were aching and there was a note on the white board saying I would have to run another 3.4km at free time. This was all I needed. So in the end I ran a total of 6.8km that day and it wasn't healthy for me as I was sick. So at free time I slowly walked to the shed to run my second 3.4km that day. As my muscles were aching I put on some deep heat to make it feel better. I set off. Within the first kilometre it was hard for me to breathe. I couldn't believe I was doing this. I didn't really do anything wrong. I eventually finished the race with a lot of hatred and negativity in my mind.
Monday 14th June
Instead of power training we decided to use the new chin-up bars. We did this for half an hour then did the 100 100. Today's fitness session was pretty easy for me.
Tuesday 15th June
Today we ran the 3.4km. This was the first day when I was actually well and not sick. My legs felt good today and I ran quite solidly. I ended up with a time of 14.10min. For the next 3.4km I am hoping to get under 14min.
Wednesday 16th June
I felt like there was no fuel in my legs today when I ran the 5.5km. Therefore I was much slower than all my previous times. today's time was 25min. I was not happy because I have not improven my 5.5km time a lot since my very first run.
Friday 17th June
Today we played a fitness today. After running a few laps around the oval, we did a few agility drills and then played a sort of netball game. There were two teams and it was keepings off. If one team passed the ball to each other ten times in a row without dropping it they would get 1 point. After this we played brandy. This is when you would throw a ball and try to hit someone. When a person is hit, they have to help the person that hit them tag everyone else. Its a bit like 'Gang up'
Saturday 18th June
Today we ran the last 5.5km. I really wanted to get a good time today because I know I haven't been running too well lately. My aim was to run at a pace which was slightly faster than my natural running pace, and run even fastr the last kilometre. This was really hard for me and I struggled. I was running with 3 people - Olly Clarke and Stuart Harvey. The last 800m I coughed up a lot of flem and I weased a bit, but I toughed it out and finnished with a time of 21.10min. I was stoked! A time like that felt alien to me. I felt lke I achieved the impossible and the smile on my face that day was unbelievable.
Sunday 19th June
I really wanted to run well today. For the first 100m I was sprinting when suddenly Tom Plant started sprinting next to me. He said "I want to keep up with you Paul". About 2 seconds later I heard this massive BANG and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tom hit into something really hard and fall to the ground. He didn't look in any good shape. I checked if he was ok, he didn't answer because he was in so much pain, so I sprinted back to the shed where Bairdy, an instructor, was getting on his bike for a ride. I shouted while sprinting towards the shed, "Biardy! Toms just totally ran into a pole and he's in bad shape. He's on the ground in pain as we speak". So I sprinted back with Bairdy to where tom was.
There was no point in me running the 3.4km fast today because I was too tired from all that sprinting. So I jogged it slowly.
Monday 20th June
Today my room mate, Edward Boyd, and I woke up late and therefore were late to the 5.5km. Well we were on time but we couldn't stretch because we had to run in 30 seconds. So I ran a very sore 5.5km and had to stop and stretch a few times. Its probably good that I haven't ran well the last few days because it will make me hungry to run the 11km as well as I can tomorrow.
Friday 4th June
We woke up early in the morning to the sound of Paul, an instructor, playing the bongo's. Other than the stiffness in my legs from riding for 5 days and sleeping in a tent, I felt pretty good. I knew I wasn't going to run my best at all this programme because of the after effects I've had from a cold which has given me some serious asthma. Today we are to run 3.4km. The run starts at the Wambana shed, continues down the esplanade to "The Sacred Stone". We then run back the same route back to the shed. Today I was leading the pack until my asthma kicked in and forced me to slow down. Olly Clark then overtook me on the half way mark and I finished with a time of 14. 35. I was happy with this score because I knew I had asthma. After this we had to do the 100 100. This consists of 100 push ups and 100 sit ups.
Saturday 5th June
I didn't feel as stiff this time because we slept in our wardli's in beds. Though we still woke at about 6:35 to be at the tent before 7:00 to run at 7:00. This run we do the same run but pass the Sacred Stone and continue on to a jetty and back. This is the 5.5km. I pulled in a solid score of 23.10. Considering another unpleasant run of asthma I thought it was an alright score. After that we had to do 100 100.
Sunday 6th June
3.4km
A Disaster! I forgot to take ventolin to control my asthma therefore I could hardly breathe the whole way. Alot of people that I easily won againts over took me and some supported me. When I stopped at the finnish line, I had a bit of a coughing fit then went to get my ventolin to open me up a bit. My time was 16. 25. I had to do my 100 100 afterwards as well.
Monday 7th June
Today we didn't do a long distance run but played a fitness game. after doing a few laps around a small oval, we did some agility drills. Alot of this was sprinting ten metres, picking up a cone, and sprinting back that ten metes and dropping the cone. We did this 9 times so we sprinted about 90 metres. After about 20min of this, we moved on to another "fun" game where two teams were in two parallel lines about 20cm apart. If the teacher, Bairdy, called crumbs, we would have to sprint 5 metres towards our side without being caught by the other team. If crusts were called, We would have to chase the other team ad catch them before they reach the other side.
Tuesday 8th June
Today we were to run a 5.5km. I made sure I was in good shape today by taking my Ventolin. My muscles felt ok today and I was breathing well. I improved my time by 5 seconds at 23.10. I hope to get my next 5.5km time under 23 minutes next time. We then did 100 sit ups and 100 push ups then went in for breaky.
Thursday 10th June
Today we ran 9.2km. I woke up feeling sick therefore i thought i had a cold. I didn't have enough time to have some lemsip so I got dressed and went out to the shed. There were two groups. The first group was to run 7km, and the second group was to run 9.2km. We all had a choice and i chose the 9.2km. The first 5.5km was on a road therefore we had to run in a group. It was only until we reached the sand when we were allowed to split up and un at our own pace. The last 2km was extremely hard. Everyone was starting to cramp up a little bit and the sand was soft. Near the end I over took Olly Clarke and took the lead in 1st place. Though a kilometre later He caught up with me an we finished the run together with a time of 50.30. After this I felt dead. Though I was very proud of myself. Within ten minutes after my shower I felt good again and felt even happier that the run was over.
Friday 11th June
We are to do a fitness game today. But first we ran around the oval a few times and do a drill. The drill was for a whole wardli to carry one person in their group to the other side. They would then run back and carry another person to the other side. The person that was carried would just stay on the side he was carried to, so everytime there were fewer people to carry. After this we played team poison ball.
Saturday 12th June
We ran a 3.4km today. I felt really sick running because I had a cold. This virus really slowed me down. because i couldn't breathe through my nose and my asthma was worse. I felt pretty depressed running today because I was only sick a fortnight ago and I was sick again. My time was 18min. After the run I could hardly breathe. and didn't really do the 100 100 bcause I physically couldn't.
Sunday 13th June
I was sleeping out in a tent tonight and no one woke me up. So when I eventually did, the sun was right up and it was really bright. I thought to myself, "This can't be 6:30am". So I ran to my Wardli to find out that the time was 7:35. I freaked. I was shocked, and I felt totally lost and betrayed that out of all 20 people on campus, no one woke me up because how was I to know what the time was? I was in a tent! The other morning I was woken up by people but this time everyone left me. So I walked all depressed with my head down to the shed to get killed be Dale. Though all Dale said was, "Go run a 3.4km". So i ran the 3.4km with dunlop volleys on, no stretches and no Ventolin. I was really angry so I ran the whole thing but with no effort at all. When I arrived back, My muscles were aching and there was a note on the white board saying I would have to run another 3.4km at free time. This was all I needed. So in the end I ran a total of 6.8km that day and it wasn't healthy for me as I was sick. So at free time I slowly walked to the shed to run my second 3.4km that day. As my muscles were aching I put on some deep heat to make it feel better. I set off. Within the first kilometre it was hard for me to breathe. I couldn't believe I was doing this. I didn't really do anything wrong. I eventually finished the race with a lot of hatred and negativity in my mind.
Monday 14th June
Instead of power training we decided to use the new chin-up bars. We did this for half an hour then did the 100 100. Today's fitness session was pretty easy for me.
Tuesday 15th June
Today we ran the 3.4km. This was the first day when I was actually well and not sick. My legs felt good today and I ran quite solidly. I ended up with a time of 14.10min. For the next 3.4km I am hoping to get under 14min.
Wednesday 16th June
I felt like there was no fuel in my legs today when I ran the 5.5km. Therefore I was much slower than all my previous times. today's time was 25min. I was not happy because I have not improven my 5.5km time a lot since my very first run.
Friday 17th June
Today we played a fitness today. After running a few laps around the oval, we did a few agility drills and then played a sort of netball game. There were two teams and it was keepings off. If one team passed the ball to each other ten times in a row without dropping it they would get 1 point. After this we played brandy. This is when you would throw a ball and try to hit someone. When a person is hit, they have to help the person that hit them tag everyone else. Its a bit like 'Gang up'
Saturday 18th June
Today we ran the last 5.5km. I really wanted to get a good time today because I know I haven't been running too well lately. My aim was to run at a pace which was slightly faster than my natural running pace, and run even fastr the last kilometre. This was really hard for me and I struggled. I was running with 3 people - Olly Clarke and Stuart Harvey. The last 800m I coughed up a lot of flem and I weased a bit, but I toughed it out and finnished with a time of 21.10min. I was stoked! A time like that felt alien to me. I felt lke I achieved the impossible and the smile on my face that day was unbelievable.
Sunday 19th June
I really wanted to run well today. For the first 100m I was sprinting when suddenly Tom Plant started sprinting next to me. He said "I want to keep up with you Paul". About 2 seconds later I heard this massive BANG and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tom hit into something really hard and fall to the ground. He didn't look in any good shape. I checked if he was ok, he didn't answer because he was in so much pain, so I sprinted back to the shed where Bairdy, an instructor, was getting on his bike for a ride. I shouted while sprinting towards the shed, "Biardy! Toms just totally ran into a pole and he's in bad shape. He's on the ground in pain as we speak". So I sprinted back with Bairdy to where tom was.
There was no point in me running the 3.4km fast today because I was too tired from all that sprinting. So I jogged it slowly.
Monday 20th June
Today my room mate, Edward Boyd, and I woke up late and therefore were late to the 5.5km. Well we were on time but we couldn't stretch because we had to run in 30 seconds. So I ran a very sore 5.5km and had to stop and stretch a few times. Its probably good that I haven't ran well the last few days because it will make me hungry to run the 11km as well as I can tomorrow.
Hardwicke Bay Revegetation Project
At Hardwicke Bay Community Centre, we helped plant and re vegetate plain areas of the bay. We did this by planting native South Australian plants and mulching the ground. My group, Wardli 3, were given pitch forks and we had to shovel large amounts of mulch into wheel barrows and take it to gardens nearby. This was very hard work. We were pretty stuffed by the time we finished two giant piles of mulch so we went in for lunch. At the Community centre, we had soup and bread an butter pudding waiting for us. It was very nice. After lunch, my group set off again to plant plants this time. The planting was pretty straight fourth
Q1. Why are weeds so bad for the environment? Name 3 weeds you have learnt about today
Weeds are not native therefore they interrupt with the ecosystem. They steel water, dirt, and the sun from other plants. Foreign weeds also send unnatural chemicals into the ground which affect other native plants. 3 weeds I have learnt are : 1: Box thorns
2: Kikuyu
3: Sour sob
Q2. What role do humans play in the distribution of weeds?
Humans can spread weeds by seeds accidentally being on the bottom of someones boot and bulldozers and big trucks disturb the ground which makes i harder for plants to grow there.
Q3. What are some of the common ways that weeds spread.
Some of the common ways are that the weeds may spread are that the wind can blow seeds to many different locations and birds and ants may also spread seeds by transporting them into other places.
Q4. Are weeds the same all over Australia?
No, this is because the weather, the soil and climate is different all over Australia.
Q5. Is climate change likely to add to the weed problem? if so, how?
Yes, because these foreign weeds can adapt to the climate better than our native plants making them thrive so they could even spread to other places inm South Australia.
Q6. Why do people volunteer to weed and plant local plants in public reserves and areas?
Because they want to make a difference and change a growing problem.
Q7. What can you do?
You could join these groups that do something about this problem or you and deel with the problem yourself by weeding the unwanted plants and planting native plants.
Q1. Why are weeds so bad for the environment? Name 3 weeds you have learnt about today
Weeds are not native therefore they interrupt with the ecosystem. They steel water, dirt, and the sun from other plants. Foreign weeds also send unnatural chemicals into the ground which affect other native plants. 3 weeds I have learnt are : 1: Box thorns
2: Kikuyu
3: Sour sob
Q2. What role do humans play in the distribution of weeds?
Humans can spread weeds by seeds accidentally being on the bottom of someones boot and bulldozers and big trucks disturb the ground which makes i harder for plants to grow there.
Q3. What are some of the common ways that weeds spread.
Some of the common ways are that the weeds may spread are that the wind can blow seeds to many different locations and birds and ants may also spread seeds by transporting them into other places.
Q4. Are weeds the same all over Australia?
No, this is because the weather, the soil and climate is different all over Australia.
Q5. Is climate change likely to add to the weed problem? if so, how?
Yes, because these foreign weeds can adapt to the climate better than our native plants making them thrive so they could even spread to other places inm South Australia.
Q6. Why do people volunteer to weed and plant local plants in public reserves and areas?
Because they want to make a difference and change a growing problem.
Q7. What can you do?
You could join these groups that do something about this problem or you and deel with the problem yourself by weeding the unwanted plants and planting native plants.
Moff's History Tour 1
Today we started our first history tour with Moff. The tour started just outside Wambana. We were in the bus and Moff pointed out a tree. This tree looked just like a pine tree. Though it had big branches and smaller as the branches went higher. The tree was perfectly balanced and shaped so the sun could hit every branch from any angle. The tree was called a Nothfolk Pine. The Northfolk Pine has been around since before the dinosaurs. After an explanation we continued off and took a quick detour to the Point Turton caravan park. Here we found out that The caravan park used to be a lime stone mine. that's why the Northfolk Pine's were here, because they have ships that comes here and if the masks break, the trunk of the northfolk pine is perfect to repair them. On the way to Innes National Park, we stopped at a small house. Here we were told that South Australian emigrants though they were kings when they immigrated here because they could have one home to themselves. They thought they were kings because in that time in Europe, 3 families used to take turns sleeping in one dirty bed. This was a 24 hour cycle. The materials people used to build their houses were limestone. This is because it was being mined from Point Turton at that time.
A big problem about South Australian settlers were that there were problems with the aboriginals. When Settlers had sheep in their paddocks, they blamed the aboriginals for their shep dying and therefore, wiped them out within 3 years. The problem wasn't the aboriginals though, it was the grass. The grass had a chemical in it which killed sheep. Know adays, another chemical is sprayed into the grass to allow sheep to eat the grass without dying. All this was told to us by Moff
Water holes were used by the aboriginals so they could have a water source.
When the white settlers arrived, they claimed land which had these water holes. So to get the water the aboriginals would have to tresspass into the land and therefore, if get caught, get shot. One time on a cycle tour, Moff accidentally found some of the holes. He showed them to us. They were about 3m deep. Most of them were very skinny but some of them little kids can fit through. Snakes go to these waterholes because small animals like mice will want to drink out of them. On the way to the water holes we saw a human bone from an aboriginal. Mof alo said thee are a few aboriginal skeletons around the place. 
There used to be a busy town at Innes National Park. There a bits of what used to be a railway everywhere around the National Park and there are still old abanded homes everywhere. When we stopped at Innes National Park, we looked at lots of homes. They were really old and were made out of rock. Some of them didn't even have gutters on the roof. A lot of these homes were made for really small people because the roof and windows were really low. The homes were really interesting. Some were run down. We saw an old chalk factory and some gears used to make it. There was also a really old and run down school. Dale used to go to this school because there is a picture of him with some other students on this informa
tion sign.
At Innes Naional park we also saw two ship wrecks. One of them was a big ship and the other one was a tug boat. The ship was called the Ethel and the tug boat was called the Ferret. It was pretty amazing. You could see why these ships sunk because the water was extremely rough. It was very windy on the sand when we were looking at the Ethel. There were only bits of it sticking out of the water. Though there was enough of it to see the layout of the ship. The only bit of the Ferret we could see was a big boiler. The rest of the Ferret was under water. The boiler was big, round and rusty. We could stand on it. Moff said the Ferret was pirated and went to places around Indonesia and China. Though one time an Englishman saw this ship, reported it to the police, and the pirates were arrested and was brought back to the area of Innes National Park where it sunk in a shipwreck not long after the Ethel.
A big problem about South Australian settlers were that there were problems with the aboriginals. When Settlers had sheep in their paddocks, they blamed the aboriginals for their shep dying and therefore, wiped them out within 3 years. The problem wasn't the aboriginals though, it was the grass. The grass had a chemical in it which killed sheep. Know adays, another chemical is sprayed into the grass to allow sheep to eat the grass without dying. All this was told to us by Moff
Water holes were used by the aboriginals so they could have a water source.
When the white settlers arrived, they claimed land which had these water holes. So to get the water the aboriginals would have to tresspass into the land and therefore, if get caught, get shot. One time on a cycle tour, Moff accidentally found some of the holes. He showed them to us. They were about 3m deep. Most of them were very skinny but some of them little kids can fit through. Snakes go to these waterholes because small animals like mice will want to drink out of them. On the way to the water holes we saw a human bone from an aboriginal. Mof alo said thee are a few aboriginal skeletons around the place. 
There used to be a busy town at Innes National Park. There a bits of what used to be a railway everywhere around the National Park and there are still old abanded homes everywhere. When we stopped at Innes National Park, we looked at lots of homes. They were really old and were made out of rock. Some of them didn't even have gutters on the roof. A lot of these homes were made for really small people because the roof and windows were really low. The homes were really interesting. Some were run down. We saw an old chalk factory and some gears used to make it. There was also a really old and run down school. Dale used to go to this school because there is a picture of him with some other students on this informa
tion sign.At Innes Naional park we also saw two ship wrecks. One of them was a big ship and the other one was a tug boat. The ship was called the Ethel and the tug boat was called the Ferret. It was pretty amazing. You could see why these ships sunk because the water was extremely rough. It was very windy on the sand when we were looking at the Ethel. There were only bits of it sticking out of the water. Though there was enough of it to see the layout of the ship. The only bit of the Ferret we could see was a big boiler. The rest of the Ferret was under water. The boiler was big, round and rusty. We could stand on it. Moff said the Ferret was pirated and went to places around Indonesia and China. Though one time an Englishman saw this ship, reported it to the police, and the pirates were arrested and was brought back to the area of Innes National Park where it sunk in a shipwreck not long after the Ethel.
Instructional Entry
How to make ANZAC Biscuits -
Ingredients:
-1 cup plain flour
-1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut
125g butter
2 tb spoon gold syrup
1 cup brown sugar
Moff's short method:
- Melt butter and sugar
- When melted, add 2 tb spoon of water, 1/2 teaspoon of bicarb. Stir, add to flour mix then stir again
- Cook in oven at 175 degrees Celsius for 15m or until brown.
Evaluation:
The ANZAC Cookies tasted really nice and sweet. The only problem was that they went too quickly. The recipe was really nice and quick meaning its a nice easy snack.
Novel
The Akhenaten Adventure
By P.B. Kerr
Copyright 2004
John and Phillipa were perfectly normal 12 year old twins living in New Yorke City when suddenly they grew wisdom teeth. The reason for this is because they don't age like other people. In fact, they aren't people at all. They are Djinn, or most commonly known as genies. John and Phillipa only knew about this when another djinn, their uncle Nimrod went into their dreams and told them that he desperately needed their help in unraveling a centuries old djinn mystery. He must solve this mystery before the other evil Djinn tribes do because its outcome could permanently affect the balance of bad luck in the whole world.
Being a Djinn means John and Phillipa have magical powers and have to be careful not to use them when someone says "I wish" because remember they are genies. John and Phillipa can also go inside bottles and lamps and if someone frees them, they must grant that person 3 wishes.
Humans are made of earth.
Djinn are made of fire.
The story starts in New Yorke City when John and Phillipa think they are normal people. Then Uncle Nimrod, in their dreams, asks them to fly to England where he lives. Though the main story takes place in Cairo where Uncle Nimrod is training these young Djinn how to control their magical powers. They are also there to find the tomb of Akhenaten.
The main characters in this book are: John, Phillipa and their Uncle Nimrod. John and Phillipa are twins. Uncle Nimrod is the brother of the twins mother, Layla. Layla is also a Djinn but doesn't tell her children until the end of the story. John, Phillipa and Uncle Nimrod basically work together the whole way through the story to solve the mystery of the the location of the tomb of Akhenaten.
- In one paragraph, explain what influences the behavior of two characters.
John and Phillipa's behavior was influenced when they find out that they are djinn. This is because they wanted to know more about djinn, therefore started reading alot, and their manners changed to their Uncle Nimrod because he was their teacher and taught them everything. They basically became better listeners.
I definitely recommend this novel to be made into a film. If one scene in the novel had to be cut out, I would probably choose the scene at the very beginning when John and Phillipa were living in New York City with their family and they wanted to change the names of their dogs. The reason why I would cut this scene out is because it doesn't mean anything and wouldn't contribute to any parts in the film at all.
The author of this novel, P. B. Kerr has made this novel interesting to read for teenage readers because it is very simple and easy to understand. The English in it isn't very hard and it is about something which would take a teenage readers interest (even though I personally think this book is random). Unlike other stories, this novel always has something interesting in almost each paragraph. This makes you want to read the novel more.
Living in a Wardli
Highs-
- Sharing the house with friends
- Having a choice what you want for dinner
- Fantastic conversations
- Talking to people you would never usually talk to
- Sitting on the veranda just chilling out
- fun nights without homework
- Eating when you want to during the day
Challengers -
- Getting up really early
- cleaning up the whole house in a short amount of time
- No dishwasher
- Having no idea what is happening in the outside world
- Lazy Wardli members
- Cooperation with other members
Self Expectations -
- Cooperate with others
- Never become lazy
- Thinking about others before yourself
- Clean up after myself
- Using initiative
I think my biggest strength in the Wardli is encouraging everyone and never making the Wardli fall apart. I try to work my hardest cleaning everything up in the whole house and if something needs to be done, I will remind someone to do it. I also do the dishes most nights. A problem with me is that I don't know when to shut up. This can become bad because I might annoy the other 6 people in y Wardli. I respect all the members in my Wardli. Our Wardli ( Wardli 3) Is very organised. We always work as a team to clean everything up. We also always clean everything up in the morning and after dinner before we go to the classroom.
SHARING A WARDLI
SESSION 1
1. What do you see as your strength in your wardli and what would you like to improve on?
As I said before, my biggest strength in the wardli is encouraging everyone and not letting the wardli fall apart. I do this by advising the confused people in our wardli what they should be doing. I also tell everyone what needs to be done. I probably use the most voice in the wardli by saying "This needs to be done", or "c'mon everyone we can do this". I find this helps the whole wardli to clean everything within the short amount of time we have.
2. Without identifying them, describe the most functional person in your wardli and what makes him so successful?
The most successful person in our wardli just does the jobs. He doesn't wait a few minutes and makes an excuse not to do it or tells other people to do it. He also encourages people and makes everyone get along. This person is a role model and is a person that other members can go o that person to talk to. He always makes the best choice and follows his heart. He isn't afraid to speak out.
3. Describe your own approach to maintaining a succesful wardli for the remainder of the programme.
I just try to do my fair share, if not, more of the jobs which need to be done. To have a successful wardli i try to keep everyone friends. This is a very hard job because everyone is just so different. Encouraging people always helps.
SESSION 2
1. Identify and describe 5 skills of a functional housemate in points form.
1. This person is really easy to talk to. He gets along with everyone in the Wardli and knows what needs to be done. He never fights with anyone and he is a role model.
2. This person knows how to keep everyone in the Wardli together either by sorting our problems or bringing up a good conversation for everyone to be included in at the dinner table.
3. This person is very punctual and therefore his Wardli is very organised and knows when they have to leave for a place at a certain time.
4. This person treats everyone equally and won't favor his friends.
5.This person is not stuck up an will therefore will admit if he has made a mistake and therefore apologize.
2. Without identifying him, describe the most functional person in your Wardli and what makes him so successful
The most functional person in our wardli has a perfect balance of what he needs to commit. He does enough jobs but not too much so other important things must be done.. He treats everyone fairly and will always ask if anything needs to be done. While doing this he will be encouraging everyone and making sure each person is getting along. He thinks about others before himself. Another few aspects this person commits to this wardli is loyalty, wisdom, and respect. These are probably the most important things to sharing a wardli and is what this person has.
3. Describe your own approach to maintaining a successful Wardli for the remainder of the program.
My own approach to the Wardli has been not to muck around and just do the jobs. This is good because it means the jobs actually get done instead of them waiting to be done in ten minutes time or so. I also encourage the wardli as much as I can to have the meals cooked in time and to have everything clean by a certain time. For the nights, I talked to my room nights for a bit but ever since, I have been going to bed as soon as possible. I am happy that I'm doing this because talking disturbs the whole Wardli. Another thing I do is bring up good conversations at the dinner table. This is good because it brings the whole Wardli together.
- Sharing the house with friends
- Having a choice what you want for dinner
- Fantastic conversations
- Talking to people you would never usually talk to
- Sitting on the veranda just chilling out
- fun nights without homework
- Eating when you want to during the day
Challengers -
- Getting up really early
- cleaning up the whole house in a short amount of time
- No dishwasher
- Having no idea what is happening in the outside world
- Lazy Wardli members
- Cooperation with other members
Self Expectations -
- Cooperate with others
- Never become lazy
- Thinking about others before yourself
- Clean up after myself
- Using initiative
I think my biggest strength in the Wardli is encouraging everyone and never making the Wardli fall apart. I try to work my hardest cleaning everything up in the whole house and if something needs to be done, I will remind someone to do it. I also do the dishes most nights. A problem with me is that I don't know when to shut up. This can become bad because I might annoy the other 6 people in y Wardli. I respect all the members in my Wardli. Our Wardli ( Wardli 3) Is very organised. We always work as a team to clean everything up. We also always clean everything up in the morning and after dinner before we go to the classroom.
SHARING A WARDLI
SESSION 1
1. What do you see as your strength in your wardli and what would you like to improve on?
As I said before, my biggest strength in the wardli is encouraging everyone and not letting the wardli fall apart. I do this by advising the confused people in our wardli what they should be doing. I also tell everyone what needs to be done. I probably use the most voice in the wardli by saying "This needs to be done", or "c'mon everyone we can do this". I find this helps the whole wardli to clean everything within the short amount of time we have.
2. Without identifying them, describe the most functional person in your wardli and what makes him so successful?
The most successful person in our wardli just does the jobs. He doesn't wait a few minutes and makes an excuse not to do it or tells other people to do it. He also encourages people and makes everyone get along. This person is a role model and is a person that other members can go o that person to talk to. He always makes the best choice and follows his heart. He isn't afraid to speak out.
3. Describe your own approach to maintaining a succesful wardli for the remainder of the programme.
I just try to do my fair share, if not, more of the jobs which need to be done. To have a successful wardli i try to keep everyone friends. This is a very hard job because everyone is just so different. Encouraging people always helps.
SESSION 2
1. Identify and describe 5 skills of a functional housemate in points form.
1. This person is really easy to talk to. He gets along with everyone in the Wardli and knows what needs to be done. He never fights with anyone and he is a role model.
2. This person knows how to keep everyone in the Wardli together either by sorting our problems or bringing up a good conversation for everyone to be included in at the dinner table.
3. This person is very punctual and therefore his Wardli is very organised and knows when they have to leave for a place at a certain time.
4. This person treats everyone equally and won't favor his friends.
5.This person is not stuck up an will therefore will admit if he has made a mistake and therefore apologize.
2. Without identifying him, describe the most functional person in your Wardli and what makes him so successful
The most functional person in our wardli has a perfect balance of what he needs to commit. He does enough jobs but not too much so other important things must be done.. He treats everyone fairly and will always ask if anything needs to be done. While doing this he will be encouraging everyone and making sure each person is getting along. He thinks about others before himself. Another few aspects this person commits to this wardli is loyalty, wisdom, and respect. These are probably the most important things to sharing a wardli and is what this person has.
3. Describe your own approach to maintaining a successful Wardli for the remainder of the program.
My own approach to the Wardli has been not to muck around and just do the jobs. This is good because it means the jobs actually get done instead of them waiting to be done in ten minutes time or so. I also encourage the wardli as much as I can to have the meals cooked in time and to have everything clean by a certain time. For the nights, I talked to my room nights for a bit but ever since, I have been going to bed as soon as possible. I am happy that I'm doing this because talking disturbs the whole Wardli. Another thing I do is bring up good conversations at the dinner table. This is good because it brings the whole Wardli together.
Poetry
Doors
Some people go in, some people go out
Some people open it, some people close it
Some people push it, Some people pull it
Some are made out of wood, some are made out of metal
But all doors only have one purpose
Community Service - Leisure Options
The idea of leisure options is to provide a volunteer based friendship with people with disabilities by spending time with them and being responsive and to listen to them while we are doing a lesure activity. A volunteer is someone who offers himself to someone elses service.
When we were on the bus on the way there, I was really scared because being around people with disabilities was right out of my comfort zone. I could remember seeing goose bumps on my skin. I couldn't help feeling guilty that I was feeling this way though. When the bus stopped. I couldv'e stayed in the bus my whole life, but no. We had to get out. A few people were waiting for us. I walked right past this big (about) 6 foot 4 big guy called Roger. I said, "How you doin'?" To him. He just glared right down at me straight into the barrel of my eyeball. Thinking of this as a bad dream, I was totally freaked and this was going to be a long day. We went into this small room where we had to sign in. All the people with disabilities came in and we were seriously outnumbered. I wasnt feeling good. When we all introduced ourselves we went to work. This was good because I needed the fresh air to settle down my heart rate. I was given a job with a person with a disability called Anthony. Our job was to lay gravel on the ground. The more time I worked with Anthony, the more I became confortable with hanging around people with disabilities.
Eventually we had lunch. When we were having lunch I went into this good conversation with about 6 people with disabilities. I have to admit, they loved listening to me talking about the fact that I have been the only person in my tutor group to have slept in a tent for being punnished. We were joking around and having a good laugh. It was only until now when I became comfortable with hanging around these people. After lunch we did some gardening. Gardening was more boring than doing the gravel but it was alright. Soon we had to leave. We were all in a group and said goodbye to each other and went back to Wambana.
Today I learnt that people with disabilities are not that different to people without disabilities. There is nothing wrong with them and they aren't scary at all. The most important thing is that people with disabilities still have feelings like us.
A week later Wambana hosted the people to come and do activities with us. Today I mostly cooked all the meat on the BBQ with Edward Boyd, Jack Luke, Tom Plant, Angus Lawrence and Riley Terrell. This was good fun. We were having a good laugh. eventually we served all the meat and had lunch. After that, Tom Plant and I worked with Wayne and Anthony to make the mosaic. We did this until Bairdy called everyone in so we can play some ball games. These ball games were a lot like tunnel ball and over and under. After this I played cards with a whole group of people until they eventually had to leave. Today I had good fun and I am really happy that Wambana do this leisure options because without it, I would've been uncomfortable with people with disabilities for my whole life, but now I am really comfortable with them.
When we were on the bus on the way there, I was really scared because being around people with disabilities was right out of my comfort zone. I could remember seeing goose bumps on my skin. I couldn't help feeling guilty that I was feeling this way though. When the bus stopped. I couldv'e stayed in the bus my whole life, but no. We had to get out. A few people were waiting for us. I walked right past this big (about) 6 foot 4 big guy called Roger. I said, "How you doin'?" To him. He just glared right down at me straight into the barrel of my eyeball. Thinking of this as a bad dream, I was totally freaked and this was going to be a long day. We went into this small room where we had to sign in. All the people with disabilities came in and we were seriously outnumbered. I wasnt feeling good. When we all introduced ourselves we went to work. This was good because I needed the fresh air to settle down my heart rate. I was given a job with a person with a disability called Anthony. Our job was to lay gravel on the ground. The more time I worked with Anthony, the more I became confortable with hanging around people with disabilities.
Eventually we had lunch. When we were having lunch I went into this good conversation with about 6 people with disabilities. I have to admit, they loved listening to me talking about the fact that I have been the only person in my tutor group to have slept in a tent for being punnished. We were joking around and having a good laugh. It was only until now when I became comfortable with hanging around these people. After lunch we did some gardening. Gardening was more boring than doing the gravel but it was alright. Soon we had to leave. We were all in a group and said goodbye to each other and went back to Wambana.
Today I learnt that people with disabilities are not that different to people without disabilities. There is nothing wrong with them and they aren't scary at all. The most important thing is that people with disabilities still have feelings like us.
A week later Wambana hosted the people to come and do activities with us. Today I mostly cooked all the meat on the BBQ with Edward Boyd, Jack Luke, Tom Plant, Angus Lawrence and Riley Terrell. This was good fun. We were having a good laugh. eventually we served all the meat and had lunch. After that, Tom Plant and I worked with Wayne and Anthony to make the mosaic. We did this until Bairdy called everyone in so we can play some ball games. These ball games were a lot like tunnel ball and over and under. After this I played cards with a whole group of people until they eventually had to leave. Today I had good fun and I am really happy that Wambana do this leisure options because without it, I would've been uncomfortable with people with disabilities for my whole life, but now I am really comfortable with them.
Scientific Research - Hooded Plover
Assesment of the Hooded Plover ( Thinornis rubricollis) Populations and threats on the Yorke Peninsula
Synopsis: The Hooded Plover (Thinornis rubricollis) is a small coastal bird which is endemic to Southern Australia. Its legal stats under the South Australian National Parks and Wildlife Act of 1972, is vulnerable. Hooded Plovers live and nest on sandy beaches, coastal and inland saline lakes. The estimated total population of Hooded Plovers in South Australia is 540 birds. This is because humans have tampered with their living. We have done this by:
· Taking over the beach, which is when Hooded Plovers mate, during the summer season. The beach is also their home
· Destroying their eggs
· Children chasing them, kicking balls on the beach
Possible solutions could be:
· Cars not allowed to drive on beaches
· Cut of certain parts of beaches
· Put signs up to aware people of the Hooded Plovers existence
Aim: The aim of this project is to establish a systematic long-term monitoring programme which will regularly assess the characteristics of the Hooded Plover. We also look at what is happening to the habitat of the Hooded Plover to endanger it. It is important to discover this so the Hooded Plover will not become an endangered species. This will allow for a better chance of saving this species.
Method: 1. Choose an allocated beach along the Yorke Peninsula ie. Emu Beach. The beach you choose must be a surfing beach.
2. Record your GPS location coordinates before you start your search. Make sure you have a scribe to record any information found.
3. Walk slowly on the soft sand just above the firm sand of the High Tide Mark.
4. Look carefully for the Hooded Plover. Remember they are very small and camouflage with the beach. Walk very slowly and look both ways.
5. Observe the Hooded Plover and recorded what it does. Slowly follow it along the beach and look for evidence of footprints, nests and bird partners.
6. Record the end of your destination on the GPS.
Results: During our short quick study at Emu Beach and Dolphin Beach, we found a sparse amount of human footprints, dog prints, kelp or pacific gulls, and a dense amount of litter. All of this was found in the Hooded Plovers habitat and is a potential threat. We have no evidence that dogs have had something to do with the Hooded Plover but we have evidence of the existence of them on the beaches where Hooded Plovers live. It isn’t good that we saw lots of litter on the beaches because it could affect other animals as well. A real concern is that we only saw two Hooded Plovers at two different beaches. This shows that there is a really low quantity of Hooded Plovers at Innes National Park. Maybe we only saw two Hooded Plovers because there were dog prints, human footprints, etc. at the two beaches. A good observation is that we saw more signs of predators of the Hooded Plover, than the Hooded Plover itself. Maybe that is why there were only two sightings.
Discussion: As we only saw two Hooded Plovers, I don’t think there is much chance of the Hooded Plover surviving at Innes National Park. There is lots of evidence that there are more Hooded Plover predators than the Hooded Plover itself. Maybe this is the reason why the Hooded Plover has been driven out of these areas. If the Hooded Plover is to survive (especially at Emu Beach and Dolphin Beach), us humans need to act on protecting the Hooded Plovers habitat so these birds can regain in numbers. If we don’t, the Hooded Plover will most probably become endangered, and eventually extinct.
Community Service - Aleppo Pine Removal
Today we are to help assist the Southern Yorke Peninsula Landcare Environmental Group to remove the Aleppo Pine ( Pinus Halepenis).
The Aleppo Pine is native to the Mediterranean area. It was planted in the Yorke Peninsula to be used as a wind break and it was also good firewood. The reason why the Southern Yorke Peninsula Landcare want to remove it is because it invaded a lot of bushland where native plants should be growing.
We were given saws to chop these plants down. You had to cut the trunk off at the bottom otherwise they would just start growing again. This was a very iring job. The leaves were very itchy and it really burnt the calories. I was exhausted by lunch time. After lunch we moved to another location where we were to pile all these dead trees in an area to be burnt later on. Again this was very hard work. The pile was massive. If you wee to light it you would have to stand at least 10m away from it because it would be so big and hot. The pile was made up of about 50-60 dead trees. After this we went back to Wambana. The time was 4:30pm and we ere very tired from the hard work.
All the people that work for this organisation are volunteers because the want to make a difference to help the environment of their home land. I felt very happy that we helped the Southern Yorke Peninsula Landcare organisation because I know that all the man power we we gave them in one day would've taken them days to do. I also felt happy because we made a difference to helping the environment that these volunteers love.
The Aleppo Pine is native to the Mediterranean area. It was planted in the Yorke Peninsula to be used as a wind break and it was also good firewood. The reason why the Southern Yorke Peninsula Landcare want to remove it is because it invaded a lot of bushland where native plants should be growing.
We were given saws to chop these plants down. You had to cut the trunk off at the bottom otherwise they would just start growing again. This was a very iring job. The leaves were very itchy and it really burnt the calories. I was exhausted by lunch time. After lunch we moved to another location where we were to pile all these dead trees in an area to be burnt later on. Again this was very hard work. The pile was massive. If you wee to light it you would have to stand at least 10m away from it because it would be so big and hot. The pile was made up of about 50-60 dead trees. After this we went back to Wambana. The time was 4:30pm and we ere very tired from the hard work.
All the people that work for this organisation are volunteers because the want to make a difference to help the environment of their home land. I felt very happy that we helped the Southern Yorke Peninsula Landcare organisation because I know that all the man power we we gave them in one day would've taken them days to do. I also felt happy because we made a difference to helping the environment that these volunteers love.
History Tour 2
Our second history tour started at the Warooka Museum. This used to be a police station. It was obvious that the owners of this building tried to make it look European because there were very thin painted lines on the stone wall making it look like it was made of bricks. We went in to look in the first room. The first room was the police station. It had old police batons, old phones, a wanted poster of Ned Kelly, a gun and a saber. The saber looked very deadly. When Moff unsheathed it, there was a high pitch vibration. You can just imagine what it would sound like if 200 sabers were unsheathed at the same time and being on the receiving end. The next room had a lot of World War 1 and World War 11 stuff like a bayonet knife, achievement badges, gas masks, dented water flasks used during the war, and a l lot of other interesting things. Moff told us a story about a relative of his how he was in the war and was shot so he went to the medics. The medics forgot to take a bandage out of his insides and sew him up with it inside him. in many years to come he eventually got diseases and things which resulted in an x- ray and surgery to take the bandage out. The next room we went in had a lot of old spices, lots of tobacco boxes, glass bottles used back a long time ago, and old medicines. Moff told us that when people got sick, they would have to sleep it off otherwise they will die. So the medicines were actually sleeping drugs. He also told us that if someone had an infected limb, it would get cut off because in those days they would die if they tried to treat the infections because they didn't know how to. Another room was an old style kitchen. This kitchen had old plates and lots of what would've been tinned food. One tin was a Milo tin. Two really interesting things were the old style fridge and a meat pantry. The old style fridge was wooden and had a part where you put in a giant cube of ice in to keep it cool. The meat pantry is made so no flies go in. It is put under a tree where it's cool. The meat should last for a few days. Outside there were old style tractors and equipment used on farms.
The next part of our history tour was to go see a cemetry. This cemetry was in the middle the bush and there wasn't any signs of towns or churches anywhere. The reason why it's in the middle of nowhere is graveyard was in the middle of nowhere was because these people wanted to be free when they die. It was very interesting just to sit there and look at the ages of the people in the graves, and guessing how they died and what they did in their lives.
The next part of our history tour was to go see a cemetry. This cemetry was in the middle the bush and there wasn't any signs of towns or churches anywhere. The reason why it's in the middle of nowhere is graveyard was in the middle of nowhere was because these people wanted to be free when they die. It was very interesting just to sit there and look at the ages of the people in the graves, and guessing how they died and what they did in their lives.
- Earliest grave: 1878
- Percentage of young people (25yrs and under): about 70%
Epitahs:
In sadness we watched her lingering breath until she lay like a lily so lovely in death.
There is a Reaper, who's name is death, and with his sickie keen, he reaps the bearded grain at a breath and the flowers that grow between.
The night before the history tour, Moff told us a very interesting story which was set in Warooka a long time ago. This story was about a 15 year old girl called Amy. One time her parents went out to a dance and she was left in the house by her own with her little brothers. In the night. She was combing her hair when in the mirror she saw a very white person in the window behind her. This person had very white skin, blonde hair, and pale pink eyes. He used his fist to punch through this window to grab Amy. Amy screamed and ran out of the room and locked the door. She then gathered her little brothers and brought them into the middle room and locked every single door around it. This person got a wood chopping axe and started running around the house and slashed at all the doors. Luckily Amy's parents were on their way home on their horse carriage, and when they were in sight of the house, they heard Amy and the children screaming and a very white figure run into the woods. The person was never found... until a policeman went to this house and the people told him that they recently moved to Warooka, South Australia because there son was an albino. Because he was an albino they locked him up in the basement and let him out at night to do work around the house. After lots of talking the people and the policeman made a deal that the albino had to be taken care by the parents at all times. Many years later, Amy was a teacher and she was riding home on her horse until she was kidnapped by this albino. The albino kept her as a slave until she died. Amy's home was at Sandalwood Park and we went there with Moff. Eventually Amy's body was found and returned. Her grave is in the middle of what used to be a garden in her homes back yard. Her grave is a big rectangular prism pile of rocks. The house had a big stone fence surrounding the perimeter of the house to prevent aboriginals attacking but it didn't stop this albino. On the way back to Point Turton, we drove past what were the remains of the albino's house. And if you were to remove the ruble of stones, you would find the basement where the albino's parents would put him every single night.
This is the horse carriage that Amy's parents used
Wood Oven Cooking day
Today we had a more relaxing day as Wardli's 3 and 4 were cooking 
pizza's. We were going to use Wambana's special wood oven to do so. Paul was our instructor today and he gave us all the instructions into how to make the home made pizza's.
The wood oven cooking day was very familiar to me because we do this at my grandparents. Today we made dough as a pizza base and cooked home made pizza's in the pizza oven. The cheat to cooking with the wood oven is not to put too much topping on the pizza's. You can just have a cheese pizza and it will taste fantastic in the wood oven.
To heat up a wood oven you have to light a fire in the oven. You leave the fire in that oven for a few hours until it is hot enough to cook pizza's. The fire is then moved to the side so pizza's can slide in. You leave the pizza's in only for a few minutes and when it looks nice and brown, you take them out.
I don't know why but people had an obsession in making small pizza's. So instead of making a few pizza's we made many small pizza's. Though they still tasted fantastic. We could put anything we like on the pizza's and Paul would just chuck them in the wood oven. After we had the pizza, wardli 3 (my wardli) prepared the pork and vegetables for tonight's dinner. We were going to cook them in the pizza oven. I wasn't responsible for what times they were put in but when they were taken out for us to have dinner, they were very nice and crispy. The pork's crackling was delicious.
pizza's. We were going to use Wambana's special wood oven to do so. Paul was our instructor today and he gave us all the instructions into how to make the home made pizza's.The wood oven cooking day was very familiar to me because we do this at my grandparents. Today we made dough as a pizza base and cooked home made pizza's in the pizza oven. The cheat to cooking with the wood oven is not to put too much topping on the pizza's. You can just have a cheese pizza and it will taste fantastic in the wood oven.
To heat up a wood oven you have to light a fire in the oven. You leave the fire in that oven for a few hours until it is hot enough to cook pizza's. The fire is then moved to the side so pizza's can slide in. You leave the pizza's in only for a few minutes and when it looks nice and brown, you take them out.I don't know why but people had an obsession in making small pizza's. So instead of making a few pizza's we made many small pizza's. Though they still tasted fantastic. We could put anything we like on the pizza's and Paul would just chuck them in the wood oven. After we had the pizza, wardli 3 (my wardli) prepared the pork and vegetables for tonight's dinner. We were going to cook them in the pizza oven. I wasn't responsible for what times they were put in but when they were taken out for us to have dinner, they were very nice and crispy. The pork's crackling was delicious.
Surfing
The surfing expedition is a chance to have fun and learn a new skill while doing lots of exercises. On the first day, we were all looking forward to getting into the water and surf. The instructors Mark, Longy and Kate introduced themselves and gave us a debriefing on surfing and made us do some stretches. They also made us do some drills where we had to lie on the sand, pretend to paddle and stand up. When they said we could jump into the water for a surf, everyone ran into the water all excited.
Our first surf was at Corny Point. The conditions were great today. The sun was out, no wind, no rain and good surf. On the first day, everyone was a bit rusty. I got up quite a bit today but it looked very uncoordinated. Surprisingly it was very warm in the water and it was hard to believe that it was winter. We were very tired when we got out that day.
Our second day of surfing was at the Dust Bowl. It was another perfect day. Though the waves were bigger. Today I hung around Longy for a good amount of time and he taught me how to ride on the actual wave instead of the foam. He said you had to stand up as soon as you were moving and cut sidways on the wave instead of pointing the tip of your boad back to shore. As soon as I mastered this I had the time of my life. That was easily the best surfing day out of this whole expedition.
The conditions on our last day of surfing was horrible. It was very windy, cold and cloudy. We had to surf at Corny Point again because of the shocking weather. The day was cut short. as it became to windy and the rips were strong. I couldn't really improve my skill today because I couldn't get up enough. It was still fun though.
A few days later we surfed again at Berry Bay South. Today I found that I couldn't surf too well and I could only stand up a few times. The conditions today were perfect so I was disappointed that I didn't show any form. It was still really fun though and I still enjoyed it.
Our first surf was at Corny Point. The conditions were great today. The sun was out, no wind, no rain and good surf. On the first day, everyone was a bit rusty. I got up quite a bit today but it looked very uncoordinated. Surprisingly it was very warm in the water and it was hard to believe that it was winter. We were very tired when we got out that day.
Our second day of surfing was at the Dust Bowl. It was another perfect day. Though the waves were bigger. Today I hung around Longy for a good amount of time and he taught me how to ride on the actual wave instead of the foam. He said you had to stand up as soon as you were moving and cut sidways on the wave instead of pointing the tip of your boad back to shore. As soon as I mastered this I had the time of my life. That was easily the best surfing day out of this whole expedition.
The conditions on our last day of surfing was horrible. It was very windy, cold and cloudy. We had to surf at Corny Point again because of the shocking weather. The day was cut short. as it became to windy and the rips were strong. I couldn't really improve my skill today because I couldn't get up enough. It was still fun though.
A few days later we surfed again at Berry Bay South. Today I found that I couldn't surf too well and I could only stand up a few times. The conditions today were perfect so I was disappointed that I didn't show any form. It was still really fun though and I still enjoyed it.
Qualities of Good Men
- Russo is a good mate
- Great leadership
- A good guy and a funny person
- Great sense of humor, even in awkward situations, good at fishing
- Good sense of humor, tells funny stories
- A very good mate and has a talent for footy
- Funny and has heaps of stories about Black Point
- Funny, talented and good at sports
- Funny and great at sports and fitness
- Tells classic funny stories out of his arse
- Very respectful!
- Not immature at all! Not a bit
- Really positive and a great friend, always respectful
- Respectful and not imature "good on ya mate!"
- Rusty the "Ladies man", keep it up ya legend
- What a nugget, look at this "tigeneer"! Nice hole digging bro!
- Snappy dreamer
- Well done Paul, I think you learnt alot and gave alot as well
- Rusty well done! Thanks for the 11km challenge, you pushed me to achieve my best.
- Always positive about achieving - good spirit and sense of fun
- Lots of potential Paul - Lots of skills - make the most of your great talent
- Funny and can have a laugh with him :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)