The VIP Camp was held at the YMCA’s Camp Adair, Hunua from the evening of 8th April until Sunday 10th April. David Willmott read excerpts from a number of letters he had received from participants and their supporters of which the following comments are a small selection. The letter from the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind said the camp was an outstanding experience. Other comments referred to how relaxed and confident the students were; the have ago attitude of the participants; how much the students loved the confidence course including the mud; what a great social occasion it was and the pleasure of meeting other students with similar disabilities; and of course the food was great and mentioned several times. The comment that summed up the overall feel of the event was the one regarding starting “early” on Friday next time to extend the wonderful experience.
The visually impaired students were buddied with students from Kings, Diocesan and Dilworth schools. Kings and “Dio” had students present at the meeting and David introduced them so they could relate their experiences of the weekend in their own words. First up were three young ladies from Kings – Imogen, Hannah and Rachel. They said they found the experience inspiring and a great opportunity. They made some good contacts which they have carried into daily life. The icebreaker quiz on Friday night was great fun, the trapeze was amazing and it was great to be with so many happy children. Next to speak were Rochelle and Annabel from Dio who said they started out feeling a little unsure of themselves but were going to “give it a go and have some fun”. They found the visually impaired children were very confident and were pleased to make some new friends. The food was a highlight, well done the kitchen volunteers, Saturday was full of activity and it was inspiring to see children conquering their fear of heights. Overall it was an amazing experience and they recognised the huge effort from all the staff and volunteers and could they please have more time at the hot pools on Sunday!
