Ain't no Mountain High Enough

Barker College (NSW) Silver Award Participants embark on three life changing Adventurous Journeys.

For the students at Barker College in Sydney, NSW, canyoning, abseiling and hiking are a walk in the park and just a small stepping stone to becoming skilled outdoor professionals. Barker_Abseiling

Coordinator, Graeme Dawes and The Barker College team have put their Duke of Ed Participants through their paces during three Adventurous Journeys - all to achieve their Silver Duke of Ed.

Coordinator, Graeme Dawes says “The reason we go for experiences such as these is that the level of commitment reflects the true journey. The most worthwhile and memorable experiences are often the most challenging.”

For their first Adventurous Journey this year, Barker College students undertook training and team building exercises. Participants were asked to stand with a friend and then were immediately split up and encouraged to interact with new people from other social groups. Canyoning then became the next step of the journey. Silver Participant Sally says, “Canyoning was freezing but so much fun!” Eloise also completing her Silver Award agreed, “The last day of canyoning was really good. It was all jumping through waterfalls and swimming in pools.”

After developing a number of outdoor skills on their first Adventurous Journey, things went up a notch for Adventurous Journey number two. These brave Award Participants abseiled 240 metres to reach the start of their hike to Mt Solitary in The Blue Mountains. The abseil took the team approximately six hours to complete – the six pitches separated by large ledges with amazing views.

At the beginning of the journey, nervous energy gripped the group. “We were at the top and feeling so petrified...I hate heights,” said Sally. Mike, aged 17 says “We had lots of groups going down together and each one was a team. Each team had to safely go down one tier before beginning the next one. We felt connection to see groups above and below.”

After the initial fear, the Participants enjoyed themselves and reaped the rewards, Alex aged 15, a Silver Award Participant says, “Abseiling was a highlight. I would never do anything like that and I hadn’t left my comfort zone. When I reached the bottom I could say, ‘I did that’!”

Sally, who has a fear of heights reflected on the experience, “It was awesome coming down to the bottom to everybody’s support, encouragement and trust. I’m not afraid anymore and would love to do it again.”

The third Adventurous Journey saw Participants going to Wild Dog Mountain in the Megalong Valley, NSW. They were split into four groups and planned to commence the journey from two different locations, crossing over in the middle and each completing individual hike lines.

It was during the course of this Adventurous Journey where challenges arose with the difficult terrain, “Everybody helped each other progress, but then it began to get dark and we knew we should have been back at camp,” recalls Mike.

It was then that the Participants and their Coordinators had to make the tough decision to reorganise the route and find an alternative. Graeme said “We have a very genuine approach to The Duke of Ed. It’s all about designing a challenging journey and providing the safety net for our young people - always allowing them to make their own mistakes and decisions.”

“When things don’t go to plan, there is always an opportunity to learn,” says Graeme, and this was really apparent during the final Adventurous Journey.

As this group of Participants move on to complete their Gold Award, the inspiration from their Coordinator is evident, “He is good because he is out there with us. He’s done these experiences, he’s been on so many trips,” said Eloise. Mike agrees, “He is realistic, genuinely cares and knows the activities.”

During their first Adventurous Journey, Graeme said some inspiring words to the Participants which Alex now fondly remembers, “You can do Bronze and its shows you made a start, complete Silver and you have really shown some interest. But to reach Gold level, it shows complete commitment and the completion of your goals.”

The Award journey means different thing to each Participant. Silver Awardee Lucinda, aged 15, says “The Duke of Ed is two main things; people and experiences. Friendships formed are fantastic. These friends are supportive and know your true character.”

For Mike, The Duke of Ed means something different, “Last camp we were struggling, we had to make a decision and that’s where spontaneous team work happened. People offered to help, plan and pitch in. We’ve grown together.”

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Ain't no Mountain High Enough

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