September Youth Camp Reflections

When a person transitions out of service, their family also goes through massive changes. The service community that was once their support network, becomes less accessible. With many service families consistently forced to move for their loved one’s various deployments, it can be hard to build that network in the first place.

Melbourne Legacy youth camps offer a unique opportunity for children of veterans to come together and form that community. With a focus on building relationships, forming connections and fostering a sense of belonging among those with shared experiences, we consistently hear from attendees how vital it has been to their growth.

The Melbourne Legacy’s most recent camp took nine students to Tasmania, including Lily*. Over the five days, the group immersed themselves in environmental activities, wildlife conservation, and challenging hikes. This is Lily’s* experience.  

_{(*Names throughout have been changed for privacy)}

Day One

I was so excited to see everyone again and meet a new leader that would await us at the airport. As soon as we got off the plane, we all ran to Joel  because we missed him so much. We had a short drive before going to Mt Wellington where I saw snow for the FIRST TIME! Joel had brought some cordial for us to make snow cones and it was delicious... 100% would recommend! Later that day, we went to Port Arthur and had a convict tour. It was amazing to learn about all the history and the living conditions of convicts back in the day. 

We then travelled to our first accommodation at Port Arthur-NRMA Cabins. We couldn’t open the door… but that’s okay, because Leenie came to the rescue and opened it for us! We then cooked dinner and Kate* and I cooked all the meat for a BBQ. Dinner was amazing (of course) because Kate* and I cooked it, and it felt like a nice bonding moment between all of us. It felt like a family dinner with everyone reaching over each other and fighting over the last bit of soft drink.

Day Two

It was a tough morning…way too early for me but we must power on! We started the day with a nice two-hour hike which was really refreshing, and an amazing experience to see how everyone bonded. I had some great chats with Joel about how he got into being an Infuse leader and really got to know Lana* (little did I know how much she would mean to me in the coming days). After, we started a HUGE drive to Coles Bay and had some cool stops along the way. We saw some amazing lookouts at Tasman Arch and The Blow Hole. Our accommodation was the Coles Bay Cabins - a really nice place. 

Dinner came around, and I felt like I had my first big sister moment with Hayley*. I taught her how to cook the mince meat for Spagbol, which was a good bonding moment and helped us grow closer. Our night discussion was really good, and I got to hear everyone’s else’s perspective on the trip and how they felt. This gave me the opportunity to open my mind up to new ideas, and see how I can help people who weren’t feeling too well at the time. Today was definitely my big sister day.

Day Three

It was a tough morning…way too early for me but we must power on! We started the day with a nice two-hour hike which was really refreshing, and an amazing experience to see how everyone bonded. I had some great chats with Joel about how he got into being an Infuse leader and really got to know Lana* (little did I know how much she would mean to me in the coming days). After, we started a HUGE drive to Coles Bay and had some cool stops along the way. We saw some amazing lookouts at Tasman Arch and The Blow Hole. Our accommodation was the Coles Bay Cabins - a really nice place. 

Dinner came around, and I felt like I had my first big sister moment with Hayley*. I taught her how to cook the mince meat for Spagbol, which was a good bonding moment and helped us grow closer. Our night discussion was really good, and I got to hear everyone’s else’s perspective on the trip and how they felt. This gave me the opportunity to open my mind up to new ideas, and see how I can help people who weren’t feeling too well at the time. Today was definitely my big sister day.

Day Four

AHHHH last day... noooooo!! We woke up and got ready to see our beloved Tassie Devils and do some community service for Nature World. We cleaned up a wombat enclosure and fed some albino wallabies. This was an amazing experience for us, and we all felt closer and connected to the animals. After, we all got hungry, so we decided to get some snacks from the van and have a feast while learning about the wallabies and their joeys. We finished our time with a walk around the whole park and a quick shop at the gift shop where I brought a tassie devil named Chaser. 

The day finished at a nice cabin and dinner at the pub. It was amazing and reminded me a little of Sydney. I was both happy and sad that it was almost over, and was missing everyone already.

Day Five

Today’s the final day and it was bittersweet waking up. Kate*, Reya* and I woke up early to go to the gang pillow, but it wasn’t open which was sad. We packed everything into the trailer and said our last goodbyes in the leader’s cabin where we all had a bit of food to last us to the airport. We had a last look at a beach where I collected a really nice shell and took some photos with everyone. We then stopped at this nice cafe and had some great food, and Damon finally got a quiche which we had been searching for since Sydney. 

The airport is always the worst part and when we left Joel I bawled my eyes out. When we went through security, Lana*, Reya*, Dylan*, Jack*, Campbell* and I got pulled over for a pat down - we are just too cool for this ha-ha. Saying goodbye to Lana* was hard, but it was good leaving with the memories we had. Tassie was one of the best camps I’ve been on, with relationships that will last a lifetime.