In January, 27 other Venturers and I made the trek up to Oakbank Racecourse to take part in this year’s Jack Roberts Camp (JRC). Jack Roberts is a camp designed to give disabled youths the chance to experience a week away from home in a camp environment. I had never worked with handicapped kids before and I wasn’t at all confident that I would be up to the task. Having heard daunting tales from Venturers who had previously attended, I was constantly questioning myself as to whether I was up to the task.
We arrived a day before the buddies, on Sunday. This was to give everyone the chance to get to know one another, undergo a briefing in which we were instructed on safety - both for ourselves and the buddies - and finish off a few odd-jobs, such as painting the cardboard cut-outs of Finding Nemo characters (the theme for this year was “Underwater World”). Overall the Venturers were a fairly rugged group, and seeing how they acted gave me a small confidence boost.
When the buddies arrived the next day, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. As they came off the buses and out of cars, I was slightly taken aback by these seemingly normal blokes. However, gradually I began to notice small things about them that, in effect, marked them out as being different. Despite this, the all of us welcomed them warmly and I felt that they were fitting pretty well, and enjoying the company of the Venturers.
Over the week I learnt a lot, and I feel that I really connected with most of the ‘buddies’ as we called the kids. It was interesting, as I had been moved from my originally assigned buddy, Ryan, to an older guy called Lincoln. Whilst Lincoln required a little more attention, I felt confident in that the Leaders had felt comfortable having me look after him, therefore I must be capable.
There were several different activities we did throughout the week, including Dunking, a Water Slide, Shooting Range and Go-Kart building. There were also a couple of off-site trips, on to Murray Bridge, where we took a ride on a houseboat and looked around the town, and another trip to Victor Harbour, where we enjoyed fish and chips, a walk along the seaside and looking around the Whale Centre. Another eventful and enjoyable day was the pool visit, where we all trekked down to Oakbank School to use the pool. It was great to see all the buddies get involved in the water, splash about a bit and really just have some fun.
It’s a humbling experience, having to help these kids do so many daily activities that we have no trouble with, such as getting dressed, brushing teeth or even just having a meal. However, nothing is more rewarding than hearing them laugh, or even just seeing a smile on their faces. Despite almost all of the Venturers - and Leaders - being completely exhausted from the intensive care demanded of us by the kids, we all revelled in knowing they were having a good time.
Although I was a little bit anxious, and possibly even afraid of whether or not I would meet the challenges demanded of me, at the end of the camp I realised that I had managed to develop, and make friends whilst doing so. Jack Roberts taught me so much about myself, and I’ve found that I want to go back more than ever. It’s amazing how any activity that is so physically and mentally exhausting is so surprisingly addictive, and I feel stronger through going through this camp.
As for thanks, they should mainly go to Ross Vivian, the coordinator of this wonderful activity, but also to the entire Leader and helper team, especially the cooks, who managed to keep us all well fed - often with food that was better than Mum’s cooking! However, all the Leaders were so supportive, and always presented a smiling face to everything.
At the end of the camp each person is given a sheet with their name on it and they pass it around to have other people write comments about them. This sheet is then mailed to the person a few weeks after the camp. Receiving my comment sheet was one of the best times in my life, and to know what people thought about me is so rewarding. This sheet, along with my memories, will stay with me forever.
For anyone looking to do Jack Roberts 2007, I would recommend it above anything else. Not only will you make new friends, form stronger bonds with old ones and have an absolute ball, you might just discover something in yourself that you never thought you would find.
Tim Cooper
LOCO Venturers
