Great Scot May 2020 Great Scot 159_MAY 2020_ONLINE_V3 | Page 24

FEATURES
SONY CAMP 2019 – PROVIDING
The camp was a rewarding experience for campers and companions
Last December, Scotch again played
host to the annual Sony Foundation Camp,
allowing recently graduated boys from
Scotch and girls from St Catherine’s School
to care for children with special needs,
thereby granting their parents some much-
needed respite. For some parents, it was the
first time they had spent a night away from
their child since the child was born.
In a jam-packed three-day program, all
those involved enjoyed many hours in the
Scotch pool, expressing themselves through
painting (both on the canvas and on some
of us), playing games of Blowfly Cricket with
the boys and girls, finding their rhythm in
African drumming and a silent disco, and, in
my case, spending many hours being driven
around the School in the nurses’ golf cart,
affectionately known as ‘Pino’s tractor’.
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Great Scot Issue 159 – May 2020
For many of the boys on the camp, myself
included, the experience of living with and
caring for a child with special needs for three
days was unfamiliar and initially daunting.
However, throughout the weekend all those
involved came to better understand the
challenges faced by those caring for these
children on a long-term basis. The fact that
the campers and most of their teenage
companions were well and truly tired and
asleep by 9pm each night attests to the
incredible energy invested by families in
caring for these children.
Seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces
during the weekend’s activities as well as
their reluctance to go home at the end of
the camp made the experience all the more
rewarding for the Scotch and St Catherine’s
companions. While we all hoped that we
were able to provide each child in our care
with a special Christmas gift through this
camp, the perspective they have imparted
on our lives, particularly after the senior
students’ year fixated on the pursuit of a
Year 12 ATAR, is invaluable.
Thanks must be extended to the many
teachers and volunteers who enabled the
camp to take place, and in particular to the
camp’s head doctor, Dr Madeline Price and
organisers Mrs Margie McDonough and
Mr Pino Cutinelli. Their tireless hard work,
organisation and desire to improve the lives
of others continues to be an inspiration to
all of us.
WILLIAM DIXON – CAPTAIN OF THE
SCHOOL