Through this project, I have learnt how to communicate
(Untitled)
on on My experience of teamwork & leadership at Kalbarri
on 
My recent trip to Kalbarri has left an indelible impression on my mind. Reflecting on my experiences, i marvel at how the trip has thrown up so many opportunities to develop ‘the leader in me’.
During our second day at Kalbarri, we travelled through a towering, picturesque canyon. While passing through this amazing rugged terrain, I took on the role of a Health (ensuring people drink water and don’t injure themselves), Navigation (leading the way and guiding others towards safe paths) and Entertainment Lead (keeping up the group morale on the arduous climb).
We had earlier grouped ourselves into small numbers, with the purpose of cooking for ourselves each night. These cooking groups were given a set task to lead for the day, and the duties rotated daily. My role on the second day was as the Health, Navigation and Entertainment Lead.
Throughout the canyoning, I made sure to hold frequent recouping periods, tried to keep up spirits and morale through directing any frustration towards me and my abominable puns, and continuously reminding people to drink water (it was a very hot day) and have rest periods to do so. When people abseiled or rock climbed, one could hear a cacophony of cheers and congratulations arising from the sense of camaraderie and positive atmosphere of the group)
The next day, we packed up camp and headed to the ‘Four-ways’ canyon. To get there, we travelled across some treacherous, swampy terrain made slippery by incessant rain. It was this day that I had the duty of the foodie – it was my charge to organize and lead the preparation and clean up of breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I took the food and tools we’d need throughout the week at the campsite and distributed them among our team to carry. We also brought the recipe and ingredient lists.
On the fourth day, three of us were picked on a rotational basis to be Leaders. We were to manage our group-mates, ensuring timely running of activities and completion of essential jobs. Fortunately, everyone was inclined to do their best. In the rare cases when they lagged or faltered, I tried to pick up some of the slack.
On the fifth day, we hiked up a crumbling uphill road. Though I was not formally a member of the Health, Navigation and Entertainment sub-group this time, I found myself in that position regardless, trying to regroup when we became a thin, barely connected line of people that couldn’t even hear each other. I tried to read the map and consistently called for wait/drink periods and tried to ensure everyone’s comfort.
After the hike, we toured around the sight-seeing locales of Kalbarri, I took every opportunity to volunteer to help out, cleaning and setting up whenever there was a need even when I was not specifically asked to. Thus I was pro-active.
Kalbarri taught me many valuable lessons. It taught me the importance of self reliance. It also taught me how to the importance of communication and coordination in a group. It taught me how to mobilize people together for a common goal. It taught me the importance of resilience and perseverance. It was a small step on my path to finding the ‘Leader in me.’
2019
on 2019 was, all in all; a cheery year. There were ups and downs, yes; but through each and every one of them I have grown and changed. Whilst some may say that a man becomes a new person every occasion wherein he makes a dramatic change to his personality or nature; this is false. A person is born anew every day, with the option to journey down that same, worn dark tunnel or to hunt for a new light and forge a new path. A person should nary fear that they are trapped in their life, and instead go forth, and strive to be a better person.
And so, too, it is with the events that come. They change the world around you, and if you allow it, they change you too. But, with the awareness granted to us of virtue of sapience, we can learn from our follies and our mistakes; and advance ever higher.
Of course, This year, two thousand and nineteen years after the believed birth of one of the most influential figures in history; it has changed me. 2019 provided numerous learning experiences, and from them I have developed. However, I have no wish to ramble on ‘till heat death, so instead I shall skim the surface of one of the experiences that changed me the most. In my ‘trip’ to India, (Kolkata, of West Bengal) I not only met much of my extended family (We’re a big bunch apparently), but I did some minor volunteering for a palliative care information ‘shack’, just outside a government hospital. There I handed out some leaflets, and recorded some of the patients’ names. It was…enlightening. There were five and four year olds with cancer, the were children and adults alike. And so few of them had much opportunity, being unable to read. It struck me, then my position in life. Often, I had wondered the great slip of luck that made me who I am – why was I born in this form? What serendipitous chance caused me to be who I am? But now, it was impressed upon me even further. I wish to make a change in this, one day. But if I succeed, who can say? What great fate can shape us, what great luck?
Now, however, I should think away from that slippery path of wandering in the future, and dart back into the past. I should perhaps discuss the most enjoyable experience of this school year – and this is surprisingly hard to say. But perhaps it can be as clear as day. I would claim, not to dally in the common of choices, that the most enjoyable period may be indeed my Year 8 camp. Whilst I would usually shy away from camps – I am bookish person before being one accustomed to the mud and dirt; I found this curiously fun. I grew closer to my school friends and made a few more, something sadly novel in my life. I suppose that I should give a few honourable mentions to all the fun activities in this year, the excursions to Bell Shakespeare, and perhaps the dissection of animal hearts, which despite its gory nature, was extremely fun.
I learnt the most about my own nature perhaps during the occasional talks of philosophy and psychology that spring up at random. Through these I learnt my fears and opinions of the world around me, realising themselves when something came too far beyond my comfort.
In its entirety, I have developed and changed, evolved beyond how and what I was, though perhaps still I am in my chrysalis. Perhaps we all are, never yet to truly emerge.
Chess, and not giving up.
on InnovatED: Service Partners – And what it taught me
on In the second term of 2019, we – the students of Year 8, were asked to choose from one of several real groups, and to help with an associated problem. I, along with Caitlin Brown, Lucy Wilkinson, Samantha Shenton, Kate Cotham, Jessica Eames and Ashlea Gurr chose Amana Living: Books. Amana Living Aged Care is an Anglican residential care organisation dedicated to the elderly. Amana teamed up with our school, A.S.C, in order to deal with a problem – many of the older residents, whose sight and hearing is deteriorating, can no longer read books as they one wished, and often slink away and stay away from companionship. To resolve this, my group and I built a presentation that showed our plan to deal with the problem. In the end, after much trial, error and experimentation, we ended up deciding to create book clubs using a variety of audiobooks and e-books, and to have ‘little free libraries’ in which people could borrow and trade books based on the honour system.
From this I learnt the following things: Firstly, I should always take the bull by the horns, actively try to take lead of the group; and properly delegate duties and jobs to people. Secondly, I should always, when confronting a problem try and see everything from those dealing with it personally, and finally, to always think of the materials at hand.