Attitude not ability determines our destiny.
This quote comes from Emu Gully Adventure Camps, who led the camps for our Year 9 and 11 students last week. It was my privilege to attend the Year 9 camp and it has to rate as one of my favourite camps I’ve been to.
Are camps important?
YES, YES and YES!
Imagine I came to you and asked if you’d help supervise 80 Year 9 students in the bush for five days on meagre rations. Now you know how I initially felt when asked. As Head of the Senior School, I haven’t had a great deal of interaction with the year 9s but I know that they have lots of attitude. Unfortunately its not always the type of attitude we like to foster at GCCC.
This camp took the students on a journey. First we had a journey back in time with students discovering the values of the ANZACs and realising what it was like on the. Kokoda Trail or building the Burma Bridge. But then there was a much more valuable journey which each student did. The boys became young men as their attitude slowly changed. On one night adventure, I witnessed the boys band together to pull an 8 tonne truck over 1,500m and then carry 15 railway sleepers up and down steep hills until way after 10pm. How did they do it? It was all about attitude.
Next term we will turn our focus from the “R” in our GREAT GCCC values and focus on the A. It doesn’t mean students will forget the true meaning of Respect however our emphasis will be on Attitude. The type of Attitude I would love to see our students gain is summed up in that of Christ Jesus. At Easter we are reminded what type of Attitude we should have –
Philippians 2:5-8
In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man,he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!
Have a wonderful Easter with your family and friends as we remember the amazing sacrifice of God’s son for us.
David Heyworth