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FUN IN THE SUN

Last Friday August the 6th, a crowd of over 160 campers and companions gathered at our usual pick up point, the Kowloon Tong KCRC station, to embark on our three day "Fun in the Sun" Camp Quality summer camp. The camp was held at the Po Leung Kuk, Pak Tam Chung Holiday camp, a place we had stayed at nearly five years ago. The campsite has an area of about 10 hectares and is set in the scenic natural surroundings of the Sai Kung Country Park.

All of the campers, most of them newcomers to camp, were already excited as we set off in two full double decker buses. We arrived at our campsite after a 45 minute scenic drive. The first order of the day was to split up into two groups, campers and companions, for respective camp briefings. Then we organized everyone into their respective camp hostels. We had a choice of 2-storey bungalows with 2 units on each floor and each sleeping 10 people, or 3-storey family bungalows, each sleeping either, 4, 6 or 8 people.

After settling in to our respective accommodation, it was time to start our camping festivities! The first event of the evening was a special guitar performance from the volunteers at the Music Farm Workshop. Tunes to popular animated cartoons were played and received with great applause. The highlight of the evening however, had to be the African Drum show that was performed by over 25 Music Farm children who were all dressed up in colourful costumes and tribal make up.

The sound of the drums definitely grabbed everyone's attention and it was great fun to watch for all ages. Audience participation was eagerly anticipated as our Camp Quality kids dashed on stage for a chance to play the drums. We definitely ended the evening with a "LOUD" note!

The sun shone brightly as we rose early at 6.00am for our main event of the camp, our hot-air balloon rides. For many of our new campers, this was their first balloon ride. They showed great excitement as they rose up in the basket, high into the sky.

As the balloon can only accommodate 4 or 5 people at one time, we amused the other children with activities such as the human spheres while they waited for their turn. The children climbed into one of two human spheres, large inflatable balls, and raced one another.

A special arrangement was also made with the Wilderness Adventure people to conduct a series of teambuilding wilderness games with our children. The children were given the chance to race and compete with each other and to explore the nearby Sai Kung Country Park.

Although the weather was extremely hot, all felt a great sense of achievement after completing their tasks. The kids were given the chance to try their hands at abseiling, and some completed a two-hour scenic hike along the Sai Kung Country Park. For the less adventurous and younger campers, some light, fun-filled group games were held indoors.

Saturday evening's entertainment was certainly a night to remember as all of the games organized were done so by some very familiar faces!!¡K. Those faces were of some of our ex-campers who are in the process of being trained to be companions themselves!

The response was ecstatic and the games were tremendous fun for all ages. You could see the unity displayed in each of the groups as they competed to win the games. The games were a great icebreaker for the new campers.

On the Sunday morning, many of our campers escaped the summer heat by heading straight to the pool!!

Archery was another favourite amongst our campers. The campers listened on as the instructors taught them how to handle a bow and arrow whilst improving their skill and accuracy. After the safety briefing it was time to shoot and have some fun!

Other camping activities put on for the children included trampolining, roller-skating, rock climbing and cycling to name but a few.

It was not long before it was time to pack our bags and head home. Our summer camp had again succeeded in fostering new friendships, building self-confidence and above all, providing a chance for the children to have some fun!