Samford Valley Steiner School

Cert II in Outdoor Recreation

Please read below two stories from Samford Valley Steiner School on their senior elective students studying Outdoor Recreation.

Earlier in the term, our senior elective group took part in our Vertical Camp, for their Cert II in Outdoor Recreation. This camp comprises much of the practical component of the course where the students undertake Workplace First Aid training, an ‘unsighted navigation challenge’, and abseil and rock climb in many locations, including a 50m sheer face!

This is the largest Cert II cohort yet, and it is great to see the program growing year on year. Due to this, we were ably assisted this year by Miles, a young professional guide in his 20s. Not only did Miles do a great job in supporting the students on our camp, it’s fantastic for the students to meet and talk to an industry member nearer their own age and quiz him about life in the Outdoor Industry.

The group are now nearly finished their course, and currently undertaking work experience, with outdoor companies Riverlife, Pinnacle Sport and Outdoor Spirit. The reports coming back from these professional outfits are all positive and show the exemplary way in which our students conduct themselves in the workplace and I’m looking forward to many of them continuing on, to the Cert III in Outdoor Leadership next year. This extension course will see them qualified as guides and further support their professional growth in the field.

Andy Currey

SVSS Alumni Assists with Outdoor Ed.

It was 2019 when I first had the incredible experience of canoeing the Brisbane River in Class 9 at SVSS. I can remember the rushing rapids and dreaded early mornings challenged us as a cohort and brought us closer together as a class. It was the amazing camp programs in Class 9 from climbing Mount Barney to a three-week farm stay in Kilkivan that ignited my passion for the outdoors.

In Class 11, I decided to take a Certificate II in Outdoor Recreation as an elective subject, followed by a Certificate III in Outdoor Leadership in Class 12. With the courses directed by Andy Currey, we spent our days hiking, rock climbing and abseiling (with a decent amount of study in between!). At the completion of Class 12, those of us who chose to take the Certificate III were now qualified outdoor guides.

With this new qualification I approached Simon Roberts (Outdoor Education Coordinator) early this year and applied to become a camp assistant at SVSS. A few piles of paperwork later I was climbing Mount Barney, hiking down Moreton Island, and most recently, canoeing down the Brisbane River for a second time, now with Class 9 of 2023.

It is such a great privilege to continue my relationship with SVSS and have the opportunity to help deliver the incredible learning experiences that my own Steiner class had on camps and hopefully inspire other students to love the outdoor life.

Oscar McKay