Grammar Gazette- Issue 1, 2014

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This was the same with all the other operations and activities we completed, and I believe it brought us closer together as a team, making the camp so much more enjoyable. The Jolly Rogers, including Serena Edwards, Katherine McCready, Felicia Su and myself, received the Admiral’s Cup, which was awarded to the most outstanding team at the end of the week-long camp.

Natalie flies the AS350BA Squirrel Aircraft as aircraft captain and conducts missions including ship operations, winching and load lifting, VIP passenger moves, and training for new aircrewmen and observers who enter the squadron. Currently she is deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan as the Divisional Aviation Planner for the Coalition Forces. She is embedded in the American Division Unit (4th Infantry Division) and looks after the planning, operations and logistics for all military and contracted rotary wing aircraft in the south of Afghanistan. Every experience a child has matters to her development. The Space Trip offers students opportunities for growth in all sorts of ways. It challenges them mentally, physically and socially and opens young minds to a plethora of ideas that will broaden their knowledge and understanding and quite possibly impact upon the rest of their lives.

One of the main features of Space Camp is its award system, used as a fun, motivational tool by the counsellors. Students in all programmes compete for numerous individual or group awards. Probably, the most sought after award is the Right Stuff Award, named after the 1979 book by Tom Wolfe which told the story of the mental and physical characteristics required by test pilots and the first astronauts. The award is bestowed upon the student who consistently demonstrates these attributes throughout the six-day camp. The recipient must exhibit leadership skills and be supportive of their teammates. They must remain positive in the face of adversity, perform under pressure and make a significant contribution to team problem-solving activities. Natalie Davies (2006, right) won the Right Stuff Award when she participated in the AC programme in 2005. She is now a Lieutenant in the Australian Air Force and is a helicopter pilot at 723 Squadron.

Former Space Camp participant Natalie Davies (2006) is now a Lieutenant in the Australian Air Force.

WINTER ISSUE / 2014