1972 School Magazine

Cfnn;'tp^as er"*fi Jn;p Unfortunately the annual trip to Fraser Island for Zoolosy. Biology and Geography siudents had to be .*..lT6a this y?ar, but instead, thanks to the elforts nf nn.r. Chowdhury and Mrs' Quinnell, we were able to eain the valuable experience of a few days camping on ih. banks of Chrislmas Creek, at the base of the lamington Plateau. We all gradually arrived on the Wednesday morning in private cars, just managing to- unload all our eqiipment and provisions and get them under cover before the first shower broke over our camp. Despite the rain, we were led by our gallant staff mei-rbets on a short walk along the winding track and managed, without injury, tc leap from boulder to bouldir back to camp via the creek. Our evening meal (cooked in complete darkness because we had spent ALl, uft.tnoon trying to find some good, dry wood to bum), all sixteen campers congregated in-one tent, drinkin! lumpy coffee, and talking - freely - of everythlng from school matters to the spider crawling up the tent flap. The next day was spent relatively quietfy swimming in the morning in the bitterly cold mountaii stream and walking downstream in the afternoon, examining the numerous plant and animal life about which Mrs. Quinnell was able to give us an inexhaustible supply of information. After dinner that night (which-for some was tinned sp-aghetti and burnt t-oast, and for others was Meatloaf and Apple Fritters), we embarked on a rather uneventful expedition mammal spotlighting, seeing only five ovils, one possum, and two dogs. It seems that even the birds hid enough sense to stay out of the rain!

As our one and only specific physical education session, we decided to climb the ridge which lay- to the baik of our camp. Once again our valiant leaders strode to the fore, tiounding up the mountain with such vigour and energy that all we poor campers were left to- straggle up the first slope unaided! After climbing aUout t,0;00 feet, we enjoyed,our-first long break, Ihen proceeded, with a greatly diminished partv. to climb the remaining section of the ridge in tn. iruin hope that we might iiave been able to see the coast from the top. We left Mrs. Chowdhury at this point to guard the poor defencless girls who had already exhausted themselves, from all the evils of the wild bush countrY!!?!

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