1995 School Magazine

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@irIB' Grammnr Sdloo[ t8ridbene 1995

GAP SCHEME ,Th. GAP scheme, in which I have participated for the past I eight months, is an international organisation for young people wishing to take a year out between finishing school and commencing university. GAP undertakes to find placements overseas, stretching lrom eight to tlvelve months in ordel to provide the experience of travelling and working abroad. As my time as a GAP student draws to an end, I can offer a personal perspective on the programme. My arrival and first days in Brisbane were spent in a daze of confusion and jet lag, though thanks to the friendly welcome I received both at the school and the Outdoor Education Centre at Imbil, I settied in with ease. Homesickness was kept to a minimum as I explored my new surroundings and confronted some of the many specimens of Imbil wildlife such as immense Huntsman spiders, biting and stinging insects of every variety - and of course, the bus loads of Grade Eights, Nines or Tens arriving at camp every Monday morning.

To write a comprehensive account of all I've seen and done would become an epic and I haven't yet hacl time to reflect on the year satisfactoriiy, but I would strongly recommend the GAP scheme to anyone who is attracted to the idea of a year off. Living and working overseas has taught me responsibility and independence, and done much fbr my self-confidence. I now feel ready to stafi university in England, knowing that I have been prepared by my experiences to cope with the challenges of my future, personally as well as academicaliy. I would like to thank Mrs Hancock for providing me with the opportr"rnity to work at Girls' Grammat, the Boarding House staff and gids for their hospitality, and Mr and Mrs Lanham, Miss Hazell and Mr Kimbell for making my time at Imbil so enjoyable. JO BREALEY PEER TUTORING (r trictly speaking this term means tr"rtoring by someone ol )yorr'o*n ng.;nd at yotlr level. I-Jut the term js non more widely used and covers "Cross Age" tutoring which is really what this scheme is. I have been involved in tutoring a boy Karl aged ten, at Brisbane Central State School since August 7994 and have found it a very satislying experience as well as being fun. \flhen you first meet your pupil or "tutee" it is a little difficult to break the ice. I was advised to stafi with a "getting to know you" sheet which we fi1led out together. This comprised questions about his interests, favourite TV show ancl so fofih. I discovered that "Karl" was very keen on football and most sports and that he enjoyed maths. His main difficulty was with reading because he wasn't very good at it and so naturally he hated doing it.

Jo Breqley

\(rorking at Imbil, whether flinging myself off a rope swing with Grade Eights or scrambling up hitherto unchartered mountains with Grade Tens has provided me with many practical challenges but also those represented in the diversity of characters within each class on camp. Learning to make friends, instruct and take responsibility for others has been a valuable lesson. And despite the many times of disgruntlement as I puffed up and down hills, ate my dinner sitting in the dirt or tried to sleep under a flysheet as a howling gale raged outside, I also have the cherished memories of star gazing on Borrumba Dam andwatchingthe beautiful sunsets at Kenilworth Bluff; and those I have lived and worked with have become firm friends. The Easter and winter holidays saw me engaged in a variety of adventures which took me to Northern Queensland, New South \ilales and the Northern Territory. In my endeavour to capture the true essence of Australia I have climbed Ayers Rock, snorkelled in the \Thitsundays, hiked around Fraser Island and ogled surfers on every beach lrom Noosa to Bondi!

Elizabeth McIeod witb Karl

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