Realising he was in his office, I went and introduced myself to Mark. He is a lovely and friendly man, which I was already aware of from his emails and the praise he frequently received from the other centres I had been visiting. He settled me into the kitchen, showing me where everything was before inviting me to help myself to breakfast.
Before long the whole staff was standing in the kitchen; Paddy and Anna from the night before, Mark, Kate and her husband Bo. Everyone was really welcoming and enthusiastic about my research. I can tell I am going to like it very much at this centre. The only staff I was yet to meet was Jesse, the other training member of staff.
Introductions were made, food was packed away and breakfast; tea and pastries, was enjoyed before the boys promptly arrived in their bus. 23 boys would be at the centre this week; 11 with Paddy, Kate and I and 12 with Jesse and Anna.
The boys first had to sit with Mark for a talk through their program, their journals, which they have to keep for submission to the school (these contain details on how to navigate, pack, what to take, what meals will be cooked as well as space to write about each day) and the general rules they needed to obey whilst at Kooringal, such as wearing shoes all the time, a rule which was frequently broken. Mark then advised the boys on which dorms they would be based in and split them into their two activity groups.
Once settled, Paddy, Anna and I would be taking the group of boys I would be with for the duration of the week, out to the River Murray to practice some basic canoeing skills. These canoes carry two people and I was to be paired of with one of the boys. Initially a little more nerve racking than I would have liked, this partnership improved as he got the hang of the paddle strokes and started to listen to advice.
After a few games in the flat surface of the river, we headed down a small grade two rapid (backwards I might add), before exiting the river and re-loading the trailer with the canoes. It was now time to return to base for some lunch and to swap over activities with the other group.
The afternoon's activity was the high ropes course which is positioned on site at Kooringal. I was again paired with the boys to compensate for the group's odd number. This time I was placed again with my canoeing partner in addition to a second boy. The high ropes course at Kooringal was a lot more integrate than the one at the last centre and, to the boys enthusiasm, ended with a large flying fox.
Paddy, Anna and Kate gave detailed instructions on how to use the course and the role of each of the three team members, including a demonstration, before the boys were allowed to try it for themselves. Both of the boys I was paired with gave the course a shot, though one was certainly more gifted with heights than the other. I did not give this course a shot, instead wanting the boys in my group to have more time.
Once everyone who had wanted a turn had had one, it was time for the boys' showers and then dinner. Tonight would be beef noodles which the boys would cook outside on tangies in practice for when they camped out later in the week.
Anna and I sat with the group I had been allocated, keeping an eye on their cooking, utensil and food use. After a short while, Paddy kindly brought us some of the staff cooked dinner for us to eat while we were waiting for the boys to complete.
For the rest of the evening, the boys would be involved in an hour and a half navigation theory lesson, lead by Anna and Jesse. Mark would also be sitting in on the lesson to later advise them on their teaching. For this a log fire was lit in the main hall/classroom and the boys were sat around tables facing the whiteboard. I stayed for the duration of the lesson, finding it very interesting, concise and informative. After the lesson was complete it was time for us to depart to the staff living room for some TV and relaxation before an early retreat to bed for the activities of the day ahead.
