MUIR is an elective provided by All Saints’ College which focuses on outdoor education. The activities we did in the program include, snorkelling, archery, orienteering and an overnight camp on Rottnest Island. This elective allows students to bond with peers and gain new capabilities.
Snorkelling:
As a part of our elective, we got the opportunity to go snorkelling at Coogee beach. At the beach we went to, there was a shipwreck and other different things to look at in the water. While we were snorkelling it was incredibly important that we kept both ourselves and the reef safe. To ensure this we used SAFE SNORKEL:
S: Safe – stay safe
A: Accidents – report all accidents even if they are minor
F: First Aid – always keep a first aid kit near by in case of an accident
E: Emergencies – if you hear 3 loud whistles get out of the water immediately
S: Sun – wear sunscreen, a hat and protective clothing when out in the sun
N: Nourishment – eat healthy and nutricious food when doing snorkelling
O: Ocean – check the weather, tides and waves before going out
R: Reef – no touching the reef or taking anything from it
K: Keep together – keep together with your group and your buddy
E: Environment – respect the environment, in and out of the water by not touching or taking the reef and enforcing leave no trace
L: Leave no trace – there are 7 steps to ensure that when snorkelling we leave no trace on the environment. 1. plan ahead and prepare 2. travelling and camping on firm ground 3. dispose of waste correctly 4. leave what you find 5. minimise the impact of campfire 6. respect wildlife 7. be considerate of hosts and other visitors.
Rottnest Island Camp:
During the snorkelling section of this elective we had the amazing opportunity to go to Rottnest Island for a one night camp. We visited two different beaches to go snorkelling in, on the first day we went to Little Parakeet Bay and on the second, we went to the Basin. Although the camp was such an amazing experience it also brought along a few friendly challenges. The water temperature was very cold and it was hard to get into the water initially. But after we got used to it the water really wasn’t that bad. From this experience I believe I gained more resilience.
Orienteering:
Another aspect of the MUIR elective is orienteering. Although we had a lot of opportunities to go orienteering at school and at piney lakes, the trip that sticks out to me is our orienteering day at Jorgensen Park. We did multiple different orienteering courses out in the beautiful nature that Jorgensen park provided. It was definitely my favourite orienteering trip we did. Orienteering has allowed me to become closer with my peers as it means using a lot of teamwork and leadership, without it we wouldn’t have been able to complete and of the courses. But more than anything, my team and I had to do a lot of problem solving. Whether we had gone in the wrong direction or landed on a wrong check point, using problem solving was a constant when orienteering.