Rafting + caving = bonding at St Pat’s

Aaron Rigby discovering the slow, deliberate delights of caving.

From left to right: Jackson Armour, Izaak Austen, Aaron Rigby and Callan Ryan, on the Mersey River, bonding through the challenges of outdoor activities at St Patrick’s College. Photos supplied

by Sharon Webb

ST PATRICK’S College students have ridden the highs of whitewater rafting and the lows of deep caving in the Meander Valley as part of a pre-tertiary course in outdoor leadership.

Student Callan Ryan of Prospect Vale said he was blown away by the technical difficulty of caving in the fragile environment of Honeycomb and Baldocks Caves at Mole Creek.

And Eleanor March of Launceston said that whitewater rafting on the Mersey, with guides who made everyone feel safe, was fun and thrilling.

Teacher Alistair Biffin said 14 students, from years 11 and 12, experienced the four-day camp including caving, rafting and bushwalking to Lees Paddocks as part of their fullyear course

‘This last unit is about human/nature relationships, where students learn about the ways we interact with nature’, he said.

‘With rafting it’s about how society has harnessed the power of water through dams, and transformed it into electricity. A wild, untamed force transformed for energy production.

‘For us, the way we interact with it, in rafting, is a loud abrasive experience.’

Mr Biffin said caving was a huge contrast.

‘The cave formations have developed over millions of years and are incredibly fragile and vulnerable. Caving is therefore slow, deliberate, quiet and respectful in terms of preservation.’

Callan, 18, said he’d found the bushwalking challenging because the 5.5 hour walk had involved students navigating, negotiating and leading from the front in different roles.

‘And I learnt a lot from the caving. Some of the holes we climbed through looked so small, impossible.

‘The knowledge of our caving leader, Deb Hunter, was outstanding and I can see how important it is to be led by an experienced caver.’

Eleanor, 16, is aiming to study tertiary science or paramedicine and has done a lot of caving.

‘I had an assignment where I led a group through a cave and I wanted to watch how a great caving person like Deb would lead.

‘When I go to uni I want to do guiding with Cradle Huts so I’m hoping this experience will be transferable to a job like that.’

Ultimately, the four day camp was a bonding experience for college-level students who have had a tough year because of COVID-19.

‘We’ve been close the whole year and it was great to have these experiences out of the classroom to put the theory of outdoor leadership into practice’, Callan said.