Behind: Topaz Lee on the giant swing and instructor Daniel van der Horst. Back (from left): Claire McWilliam, Lorelei Withers, Isobel Nash, Emily Hooper, Kaelan Brown, Zoey Barrow, and Marli Naporowski. Front (from left): Jayda Jeffrey-Casey (with helmet), Lochlan Mills, and Sienna Callaghan.
by Alyssa Fritzlaff
Allambee Camp welcomed additional students under the government's Positive Starts program over the holidays.
Positive Starts intends to give primary and secondary students the opportunity to boost their physical and emotional health following the COVID-19 pandemic. It helps students access additional school camps or school holiday camps that they would not ordinarily be able to access.
Government or low-fee non-government schools are eligible for the program, which covers camps, swimming programs, sports programs, and cultural experiences. Holiday camps can also be booked by eligible parents or carers as part of the program.
Allambee Camp's School Holiday program, recently delivered during the April school holidays, was open to eligible children as part of Positive Starts.
Other children also attended the camp, some of which are regular school holiday camp attendees.
Located on Allambee Reserve, the camp has been owned and operated by Imelda and Roman Cathomen since 2008 and gives children aged 8 to 12 the opportunity to participate in activities like archery, a giant swing, flying fox, high ropes, abseiling, low ropes, billy carts, GPS treasure hunt, and hut building.
Ms Cathomen said the program is a good opportunity for children who would not ordinarily be able to access a school holiday camp.
"These children missed out the past two years - they couldn't go to school...it's good to see them out and about," she said.
Ms Cathomen said the camp was a fantastic opportunity for students to develop their skills and get away from their screens - especially after the pandemic. Throughout the holiday camps and school camps at Allambee children experience personal and physical challenges and learn to overcome them.
"It's about persistence, resilience, not giving up," she said.
"Many of them have never been away from home, we cater to eight to 12-year-olds... so they struggle a bit the first night, but then they make so many friends and have so much fun they forget about everything else."
Allambee's term three and four school holiday programs are also open to Positive Starts eligible students.
To view the full list of criteria, or learn more about the program parents or carers can visit: https://www.vic.gov.au/positive-start-camps-and-experiences
Other local camps that are part of the Positive Starts program are The Summit Adventure Park and CYC's Forest Edge.
