Quotes and Comments

There are many testimonials here so it is a big file ending with two outstanding poems.

Some comments from teachers over the years*

"I was extremely impressed by the program you offered us. Your... expertise and enthusiasm and your use and involvement of the children in the program made it a real experience."

"The varied program...provided many opportunities which could be extended into further units of work right across the school curriculum."

"Fantastic!!! Would highly recommend it for all school camps. Program excellent."

"What a great four days we had at Wangat! The children still haven't come down to earth.... For some of them it's been the most exciting experience of their lives.... "

"Absolutely wonderful learning and living experience."

"The children learnt more in those three days than they would have in a month in the classroom."

"We really appreciate the amount of time and effort you put into our children. Your enthusiasm for the environment has really rubbed off on them....

"The Lodge, its setting and facilities are magnificent and we look forward to enjoying them again next year."

"The great range of environments in close proximity to the Lodge is a wonderful asset - rainforests, waterfalls, farmland, eucalypt forests, river, cliffs, logged areas, the Dam, the catchment area."

"Our four day/three night excursion to Wangat Lodge to enable pupils to appreciate the natural environment and the need for conservation rates as one of the very best I've been involved in...

I have been 3 times before and each group I have accompanied has had a fabulous time. The activities are well planned and suitable.

A very fulfilling experience. I would gladly attend again.

Ken & Robert have a pleasant, patient manner. Their knowledge of the environment and the way they convey it to the children was very good.

All activities were great fun!

*(from the Wangat Lodge Visitor's Book and files)

Wangat was great, we had a lot of fun and we are missing being surrounded by nature. As soon as we arrive home we could smell the difference in the air.
We are all keen to try hard to re-cycle, re-use, repair and reduce. We learnt a lot about bush tucker. It was great to see the koala, mountain brushtails, echidna, goanna, and the amazing fireflies...you just don't see these things in the city.
Frogging was fascinating, fantastic and fabulous fun. Fig Tree Pool was a blast.
We enjoyed the walking, the mime, and appreciated the humour you brought to the program. Your explanations were clear and fascinating and we learnt more than we thought we would. We appreciated your depth of knowledge and the caring and supportive way you taught us.
We miss the cosy cabins, the spectacular scenery, and especially Robert's animalistic clothing.
We would love to come back in years to come and share nature with our families.

Yours in nature
5I (Mrs Saurin's group)

Being here has made me feel a peace that I need, that I don't get in my daily work and routines.
I have watched the children's faces light up with wonder and enjoyment as they discover new aspects about nature or identify animals or plants that they know something about.
I have enjoyed the company and help from the parents who gave of themself to be there for the children. They are fun and loving people who I will miss very much as I move away from this school after Christmas. I hope I can keep in touch as friends.
Thank you Ken and Robert for teaching us to appreciate and love nature. You must have peace and contentment in you because you live here. How lucky you are to be away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Being here makes me realise what a lucky person I am, how fortunate I am being with children - it is up to us to teach them to be at peace with each other and with nature.

(this from a Year 5 Teacher)

Letters from one class of Year 3/4 children after three days at Wangat in 1999

I liked when we went frog-spotting because it was fun and we saw all kinds of frogs. My favourite was the small green one. I also liked the food in the bush. We had a really great time with you.

I love that beautiful kingfisher. It really makes my eyes go wide to see the sight of this rare kingfisher. My mum and I think it is a really good thing. Thanks Ken.

Thanks Ken for helping me make the mud bricks. It was really fun!

Thank you Ken for letting us see the pretty possum on the deck. Its eyes looked nice and shiny. What a great experience seeing the possum run across the deck. I really appreciated it Ken.

Thank you for letting us climb the big vine. Some people went very high. They must have had a good view. I went half way.

Thanks Ken for showing us how to handle leeches. It was very helpful.

Thank you Ken for taking us to The Island. I had a lot of fun playing the Island Games. I like the one to feel and smell. Most leaves smell nice and have interesting texture, some rough and some smooth and some flaky.

I had a lot of fun doing the miming. I liked our one when we had to do the bush tucker.

I loved seeing the wallaby with the joey because I have never seen a wallaby before. Just to see that little joey's head popping out from the pouch was so cute.

I liked the look-outs but most of all I liked the bush walks. My favourite look-out was Shaky Knees Look-out. I liked the adventurous way to The Island.

Thank you for teaching us the Earthsong. It felt great when I sang and heard the African drums.

It was really neat when we got to see the echidna. It had a lot of spikes and they were big, yellow and black.

Thank you for showing and telling us about the bush. I liked seeing, hearing and feeling all the wonderful things especially the frog-spotting. It was really something different at Wangat. I enjoyed it so much there. Thank you for all you've done.

It was so cool of Ken to hold up the scary goanna so we got a big opportunity to see it.

Thank you for showing us how to rub two rocks together, one hard and one soft, to make paint. It was good fun.

Miming was one of my favourite. It was really nice to sit there and wonder what the others were miming and to wait and wonder when it was my turn.

Thank you for showing us the water dragon.

We had fabulous food - lunch, dinner, breakfast. I liked the dessert, it was delicious. When each room had to dry the dishes it was fun. I liked the hamburgers, they were really tasty.

Thank you for taking us bush-walking. I enjoyed looking at the goanna.

It was a wonderful experience being near the river. You gave us many great experiences to remember. I really enjoyed staying at Wangat with so many feelings and sounds. (Today I was 90 minutes late for school because I had found five more little experiences - ticks.)

I loved being at Wangat Lodge. To see the kingfisher and possum was really spectacular. You were a fabulous teacher for our class.

In Silence By The River

The final activity of a three- or four-day stay for primary school children is a Solitude Session along a pristine section of the Chichester River, where the children can sit quietly in their own place in the wilderness with pencil and paper in hand they have time to reflect and express their feelings...

So lush and green is Wangat,
Such a distant place, so undisturbed,
With a faint trickle of water
And the gentle breeze that
Sways the mighty gums;
There is barely a trace of human work.
And when the outside world is slowly dying
Wangat will form a world of its own,
And anyone who comes to this beautiful place
Will be engulfed in its pleasures
And simple joys
That the rest of the world once had too,
Before it was destroyed
By the cruel ways of modern man.
Only then will we realise what we have done
To the best planet in the galaxy,
And only then will we wonder
How we could patch up
Our deadly mistakes.

Here is a sample from a Year 5 child from a Lake Macquarie school:

At this camp I have felt feelings that I have never felt before. It's hard to find solid words...to tell you what I'm feeling. Back at my home in Newcastle I feel hurried, rushed, pushed away.... But here at Wangat I feel isolated and emotional. I feel as if I was asleep all my life and that I have just been awoken to the soft gentle noise of nature. Every walk that I have been on has brought me to the depth of the wilderness. And now as I nearly depart from this place of beauty and isolation...I think that the hearts of many children will change here. And this place will be in my heart forever.

Year 5 student, Marks Point Public School
at Wangat Lodge April '99