Toongabbie Christian College

STEVE WILLIAMS Teacher 1992-1995 & 1998-2003

The rest of the class, who had already worked out during camp that the person looking for the bull was the gullible one, nearly choked with laughter and we had to gently break the news to Carly that the gully bull was meant to catch only the gullible! The third most memorable time at School in the Bush was during a particularly hot and dry November. We were camped at a place called Bengalee Scout Camp, right in the middle of the bush near the Shoalhaven River. There was only a winding bush track in and out. There had been a bushfire burning some distance from us during the first half of the week and when we got back from a half day visit to Jambaroo Action Park we got a message, from the local RFS team, that the wind had changed and the fire was headed our way. We had an early dinner, packed up our whole camp and, just after dark, made our way to Nowra Christian School, who very kindly allowed us to bunk down in their classrooms overnight ‘til the buses could pick us up next morning. By about 10pm we had everyone settled into their temporary accommodation when the RFS called to say that the wind had changed again and that the same fire was now headed for the part of town we were in. A couple of the staff stayed up all night to keep in touch with the firies just in case we had to evacuate a second time. Thankfully, the fire died down in the early hours of the morning and we were able to head home, a day early, but with lots of stories to tell our families when we got back. I reckon our camps and times out of the classroom were what really made the friendships and close bonds between students and teachers what they were: very special and lasting. During those years, it was a regular thing for the students in Year 12 to always mention “that Camp” as the most significant time during their years at school.

The first involved a newly-built electric fence along one of the boundaries of the area we used for camping. Everyone was told to make sure they didn’t get a shock from the fence (which had a 5000 volt pulse go along it every two seconds or so). The first couple of people to get a ‘belt’ were those who decided to hang their wet towels over the fence to get them dry. Of course, there was just enough moisture in the towels to ensure that every time the ‘grabbers’ attempted to remove their towel, they would get the full 5000 volts through their hands and arms: they would scream, let go of their towel, do a little dance, then try again. Some of the campers required five or six goes to rescue their towels from the fence. However, the funniest time was when the Principal (Mike Budden) was playing touch footy and the ball landed just over the fence. Mr Budden was really sweaty (it was a hot summer’s day) and he leaned over the fence to get the football. Of course, the fence gave him a good belt of electricity, whereupon he screamed, then found he was still touching the fence and it got him again! This seemed to go on for ages (I suppose it was only 30 seconds) but, by the time we managed to get him off the fence, he was exhausted from all the screaming and we were exhausted from all the laughing... The second classic moment started at camp and finished when we got back to school. One of the jokes, which was a camp standard, was to be on the lookout for the ‘gully bull’, a fierce creature who loved nothing more than terrifying the campers. There were often cows in the paddock next to where we camped, but this particular year, Carly was determined to spot the gully bull. She would point at one of the herd and ask, ‘Is that the gully bull?’ Of course, we would have to tell her that it was a cow, not a bull. After a whole week of this, Carly had still not seen the gully bull for what it was. The following week, when we were back in class at school, halfway through a Maths lesson, Carly asked me if there was such a thing a gully bull.

One of my favourite memories of Toonie were a series of camps which were known as ‘School in the Bush’. These camps were five days spent camping by the banks of the Shoalhaven River. All of Year 10, together with four of their teachers, headed off for an incredible week of adventures and fun, for some the first time they had ever been camping. For most, they had never had to cook over an open fire or use a pit toilet! Washing during a daily swim in the river was also a new experience! During our adventures, there were several stand out memories.

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