welcome to my wambana blog

i welcome my family, friends and teachers to my blog from the wambana camp site.

my wardli has 6 people in it. there is Andrew, Nick, tom, mike, Richard and I. there is Andrew and I in the furthest bedroom, Richard and mike in the first bedroom and tom and nick in the second bedroom.

the wardli is built precisely for 6 people with three bedrooms of two and two bathrooms with sinks, toilets and showers complete with a laundry, a kitchen and a living room to match.

cycle tour

day 1

on the first day i was unsure of how i would go due to the fact that i could not ride a bicycle. with three days of practice of long periods of time at home i thought i would learn quickly. i didn't. it took me about ten times to actually get the bike straight but with a little help from dale i was almost on my way. on numerous occasions i fell and caused minor injuries to my legs and arms. after a while i was making it quite far but falling over on numerous times and taking a long time to get back up.

when i had taken a different way to the group with dale it was the same thing falling and getting back up but i had done 17km which i am told is good for a first timer. At the end of the day with 25km under my belt and after looking at my legs and hands covered in scratches the teachers decided it was time for me to ride the bus. it was the most relaxing moment of the day.

day 2

the second day held the same outcomes as the first day. i began with a head start with dale and Leon. a few half hours into the ride a car was coming. pulling over like i was shown by dale i believed that i had mastered it. unfortunately i misstepped and fell into a bush scraping my back. after getting back up i realised that there were gigantic bull ants all over my bike, my bag and my shoes. after a quick war with the bull ants i was on my way.

we arrived at some large hills at west point which was tough to get up on a bike when you don't know how to ride it. the view on west point was a really nice 360 degree view. on the way down my bike went for quite fast.a few metres down at 25km i went back on the bus. in two days i had travelled 50km.

day 3

on the third and final day i was perfect at bike riding. i went over rocky roads, crossed through tall grass and turned through long and weaving roads next to high cliffs. due to the many kilometres i had rode i was immune to falling over. sometimes. near the end of the bike ride the last few kilometres were done while going through a wind farm which was spectacular. during the ride my backside became extremely pain full and it even felt like it was on fire.

at the end of the bike ride i felt relieved and so did my legs and especially my behind which seems to have some kind of blisters on them. now every night i sleep on an unused gel seat trying to nurse my ass back to itself.

introduction to statistics

5.5km run
we run from wambana to the end of the jetty for this run. the following is a dot plot of times for our class. all times for our class. all times an in minutes rounded up.

23. x
24. xx
25. x
26. x
27. x
28.
29. xxx
30. xx
31. x
32. x
33. xx
34. xx
35. xx
36.
37.
38.
39. xx
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45. x
46.
47.
48.
49. x

fastest= 23 mins
slowest= 49 mins
range of variation = 26 mins
mode (most common time)= 29 mins
median (middle)= 32 mins
mean (average)= 32 2/23mins
Q1 (first quartile)= 28 mins
Q3 (third quartile)= 35.5mins
IQR (inter quartile range or variation of time for middle 50%)= 7.5 mins

5.5km run: best time

all times in minutes, rounded up

w2:27, 27, 27, 28, 29, 36
w3: 23, 23, 26, 27,27, 31
w4: 22, 24, 27,33, 35
w5: 22, 26, 27, 33,40

low high range mode medium mean Q1 Q3 IQR
w5 22 40 9 - 27 29.5 24 36.5 12.5
all 22 40 8 27 27 27 24 31 7

22.xx
23.xx
24.xx
25.
26.xx
27.xxxxxxx
28.x
29.x
30.
31.x
32.x
33.x
34.
35.x
36.x
37.
38.
39.
40.x

my assistance in this statistic was the basically the same in my wardli most of us were 50% in the running except for two people. one finished first and the second came last. i am in the middle with 27 minutes. but there are seven people including me in the 50% mark and that means we are average.

fitness program

Friday 30th April 2010
3.4km run:

on the last day of camping the first run took place and i was dressed in cargo shorts, a thin T-shirt and hiking boots which wore me down. we ran from the shed on the wambana campus and went all the way to a rock and then come back. for the first time it was a challenging task. my time was 24 mins. this day was tough and painful but if i push myself i can improve.

Saturday 1st may 2010
5.5km run:

the next run which was longer from the shed to the jetty which felt less challenging. i got the time of 32 mins. during the run i did not set any goals for myself but i pushed myself by thinking of fast techno, trance and house music through my head. the music helped me in a way but i believed that today was not my greatest effort and i will see what the future will hold for me and my fitness.

Sunday 2nd may 2010
fitness game:

the first game we played was a different version of soccer. to score a goal you had to have your entire team on the side of the field and you will score. but if you have at least two people from your team on the other side and you score the other team gets three goals. also if your team scores and the your team has two on the other side and so do the other team the other team gets five goals or something like that. we lost 7-0. this game showed me that i have to work as a team with my peers and others to succeed in the fitness games and the 11km run.

Monday 3rd may 2010
5.5km run:

the next run from the shed to the jetty had more of a strain on me with the music trying to pump its way through my head was not working due back and neck pains but i did it and received a longer time of 35 mins. i still didn't have a system worked out and i got a shorter time because due to pains i was forced to work a bit. today i did not know why i was having these sharp pains in my body. it was probably the strain of not stretching before or something is wrong.

Tuesday 4th may 2010
fitness game:

today we played about three games. the first one consisted of zig zagging through a line of people where the people at the back made their way up until they had made it to the front and then the person at the back would start again. this game showed me how to be more maneuverable.

the second game was a game called crusts and crumbs. the point of the game was two sides of people would stand next to each other, one side the crusts and the others the crumbs. when Mr Baird the teacher shouts out "crumb" all the crumbs have to run away from the crusts to a line and the crusts have to catch them and visaversa. in this the Greeks dominated it in both games Andrew, Johnny and I didn't get out. this game didn't really show me anything like the other games but i did make me sweat so it was probably just fitness.

the third and final game we did was poison ball in a large square did their is always a catch. in this the wardli groups had to grab each other by the shirt and everyone around them have to ho hit and knock the back guy off. in this game i tried using the guy in front of me as a shield and i accidentally threw him. this game showed me team work was needed and i didn't show that because i injured and weakened the people in my wardli due to thinking of myself.

Wednesday 5th may 2010
power training:

we first started running from the shed at 7 o'clock down a sandy track where we ran together as a group for about one kilometre. when we finished the track we went onto the beach and did some stretches. after that we did suicide runs then suicide runs with push ups which pushed me further and harder and it made me sweat. running back we had to do 10 push ups at 5 intervals and that puffed me out. with pain flowing through me i swore i was not going to make it but in the end i pushed myself and finished. my body felt weak and painful and i drank a lot of water. this session was better because i pushed myself but i was stricken with pain afterwards.

Thursday 6th may 2010
7km run:

today we had the choice of doing a 9.2km or 7km run. i decided to do the 7km because i was not fit enough for the 7km one let alone 9.2kms. the first part was easy for me because i believe it was down hill and along the beach was easy too. but for most of it, it challenged me greatly and due to not eating anything i was starving. in the end i received the time of 75 minutes. i did not push myself to the highest extent and i had disappointed myself and i believe i can do better.

Friday 7th may 2010
fitness game:

we played two games on that day. the first 0ne was to carry your partner across with three other people. at each interval we left one person and the last person has to carry him by himself. this game also shows team work and again i was blind to see that and know i can do better next time.
the second game was poison ball where a person would try and hit the people within the circle and if he succeeded the person hit would become the thrower as well. the first time i was second to last to be caught and the second game i was caught about in the middle. this game also blinded me from teamwork and should see more clearly in the next fitness games. teamwork was needed when we had to box in the non caught players by using teamwork.

Saturday 8th may 2010
3.4km run:

this run was a good run for me because i demolished my older time of 24.30 and received the time of 18.00. i got a better time because i ran constantly through the run. i am proud of myself for accomplishing this task and i want to improve more in the 5.4km run. i realise that when i run i make a tune in my head to the sound of my feet hitting the rocky gravel and think that pumps me. i also think that by distracting myself by thinking of something else i forget that I'm running and i don't get stitches.

Sunday 9th may 2010
5.5km run:

the 5.4km run was less difficult because of being use to the run but my stamina is still low so i had to walk at some times. i beat my older time of 35.00 and received 33.oo which is a low time and i know i can improve. today was tough for me and i tried to distract myself from running and it only worked for the first bit but i kept on stopping constantly at the end of the run and could only run for a short time.

Monday 10th may 2010
walk in my shoes:

instead of power training we did walk in my shoes which was walking on the same track as power training but we talked with our "excuse me gentlemen" partners and talked about what they liked and what their hobbies were. i liked doing this because it was a rest from the other days and i learnt more from my partner. it was nice to get away and learn more about my friend.

Tuesday 11th may 2010
3.4km run:

today i thought the 3.4km run would be easy for me when i beat my old time by 6 mins. there was a twist placed in by dale which was "at every post on the track you must sprint for 15 paces". i could do this quite easily at the beginning but when we came back things became harder. my legs ached, i was loosing breath and i felt dizzy but i kept on pushing and beat my old time by 30 seconds.

Wednesday 12th may 2010
altered soccer:

instead of running the 5.4km run we played the altered game of soccer which was the first game played for us. today we worked as a team but we lost 8-2 but it was a lot of fun and i enjoyed it. the aim of the game is to get all of the players on your team across a line and score but if two of your players are on the other side the other team gets three goals.

Thursday 13th may 2010
5.5km run:

i screwed up my run today by getting 33 mins due to pain going through my body but i kept going with the stabbing pain around my body and ankles. i believe today was not a good bay for me with it pain and the constant. it was probably because i didn't have a system and i will think of of one in the next week we have left.

Friday 14th may 2010
fitness game:

after waking up from a terrible sleep on the wardli porch, i was not in the mood even for a game. we had Mr. Baird again for the games. the first game out of the three was where we had four cones. the point of the game was to run, pick up the cone and run back again. in fact it was more of an exercise. we were smashed in that game the same outcome was in the second. the next game was a modified game of catch. two teams had to fight over a ball and throw it between other team mates. if you succeed in passing it ten times your team wins a point, quite simple. not for us. we were beaten about 5-nil until Mr. Baird got tired of us loosing so he changed the game to soccer. this was the fun point for me being a defender and all. my team won 2-1 from a final golden goal. i enjoyed the exercises and hope to learn more for being a team leader.

saturday 15th may 2010
5.5km run:

i had changed my tactics today, instead of bolting off at the beginning and being forced by my body to walk i went at it with a small pace and sustained my energy and breath which worked for me but i went too slow and lost my old time of 33 mins to 35 mins and i was quite disappointed because i thought i had come up with a sustainable pace and strategy.

sunday 16th may 2010
3.4km run:

today i went at the same slow pace during the middle but at the start i decided to run at my older paces and near the end i sped up but i also stuffed up by going at the slow pace during the middles going back and forth. i got the time of 20 mins and my oler time was 18 mins. i was again disappointed and i hve decided not to go at the slow pace only when i need it. we had a game of chain tag where the people who are it have to join hands and try to capture others. when you get to six you split. i have noticed that all the games we are playing has involved teamwork.

monday 17th may 2010
3.4km run:

it was the same standard run and i felt fine, relaxed and i didn't feel tired. at the end there was something different. before running to the shed we had to run to the last post at the run and we had to run around it and everytime we went around we had to keep on running until the next person came and you ran back doing the same thing. this was really easy for me and i was quite relaxed. mabye because it was raining.

tuesday 18th may 2010
2km walk:

the walk did me good and it made feel relaxed from all the runs we have been doing and i feel really pumped for it.

wednesday 19th may 2010
11km run:

i was feeling quite fatigued when we started when we got off the bus. i started doing some stretches which helped me out massively. i gave myself the goal of 1 hour, 20 minutes. we ran off at 7:20 am. i was in the 14th position when we started and i was feeling great. the wind on my face, my breath at a medium pace and my legs were like as powerful than ever. like most runners, this feeling began to change. my legs were getting weaker, my breath was slower but the wind of the sea kept on pushing me on. i tried to forget about this and focused on the wind and watching my favourite movie in my head "saving private ryan". this only worked for a while until about 3km. i had another idea of closing my eyes and running blind taking the strain off my eyes and my mind. this worked for about 3 seconds because i kept on thinking there was a pole infront of me and i would go "smack, back" right into it. i thought i nearly did go into one and i tried to push it out of the way. i was a little embarrased because there was someone behind me. when i got t 5km i started making a song in my head which timed in with the cracking and snapping of the shells under my feet. it was quite catchy but i still felt the strain in my legs and my breath was getting shorter and shorter. i decided to think of another way to push myself and i came to me. i started thinking of the song "born to be alive" and that got me going with the song and a disco ball moving through my head. after i forgot the song i decided to think of things that could be infront of me but were not there. there was giraffe, a dragon, twins and an lama. this didn't work because the lama kept on spitting on me and it put me off. suddenly a boy behind me came up next to me and i felt a bit better because i had some company. then suddenly another boy came up next to me and we ran in a pack of three. this was good because we talked and encouraged each other to push it. we ran through some puddles of sea water which had been left by the sea which cooled down our feet and we felt quite better. but the water was only on my feet so one of the boys and i took our shirts off. he was wearing a tank top and was in my great big sweaty and hairy body and it was luxurious, an orgie of relaxation and refreshness filled my hair and body. this worked really, really well but my breath was as low as it could go and my legs were in pain i felt a stomach ache in my belly. but what really made me feel better was to see the path of dirt which went straight to the shed where we were to finish. there was a sprint to the finish between the two other boys but i was puffed and tried. i finished at the time of 1 hour, 17 minutes realising i had beaten the time i set for myself and was impressed and tired. i went to get a drink from the hose and slurped it down, which was not good because i had to throw up because i had nothing to throw up and only a little bit of water came out.
i am proud of what i did and i am proud that i beat the time i gave myself at the beginning and don't really want to do the 11km again.

hardwicke bay revegetation project

the aim of the re vegetation project is to Gain an understanding of the introduction of ‘alien plants’ (weeds) by humans and their impact on Australian natural environments and economy. we planted native plants to Australia to drive out the foreign ones where we smoothed ground, put down mulch and planted them.

Q1. weeds are bad for small towns because it acts like a plague and grow everywhere. three weeds that affect the environment are sour sobs, onion weeds and box thorns.

Q2. humans are one of the largest problems of distribution of weeds because they bring weeds which are foreign to Australia to plant it and think it is beautiful.

Q3. some of the common ways weeds spread are by humans planting them and birds who take the seeds out of them and drop them over the plains.

Q4. weeds are not the same all over Australia because some are foreign to Australia and some grow in different areas such as places with more different climate.

Q5. climate change is likely to affect weeds because more plants will be introduced to withstand the climate.

Q6. people volunteer to weed and plant new plants because to help build a safe environment.

Q7. i can plant new plants which are good and stable for Australia's harsh environment and help out in the scrub lands in towns in the outback. i can hand out plants from house to house and let others be aware of this problem.

moff's history tour 1

the history tour was quite interesting with moff taking us around and showing us impressive and sometimes scary information. we first started off by going to a rundown house which used to hold armed settlers who protected themselves by barricading themselves from Aboriginals in a stone house with two windows.

after the house we travelled along the highway stopping off at the side to look at some native trees such as the river gum tree and the eucalyptus tree. a while went past and we came across a large area of land with was covered with eroded limestone which contains calcium caltrate which erodes acid. we found many cave entrances which were blocked up by rocks and sticks. what really scared me were the remains of animal bones in a hole which used to be an aboriginal well for water. what also scared me was moff's story about one of the students many years ago picking up a leg bone which scared me more when i thought we found it under a rock.

we hopped back on the bus and went to stenhouse bay where moff told us the story about the old mines which use to mine there and all the aboriginal stories of the land and how there is a very rare bird and a picture of it can be worth 600 dollars or something like that.
while leaving stenhouse bay we saw some emu's in a group of three. Jake decided to lure them towards him by getting on his back and waving his legs and showing his testicles at them.


as this ended we drove onward to the site of the Ethel and the ferret which were both ships washed up on the same beach. the ferret was high jacked by two Americans and turned into a pirate ship. it was caught in England when it was recognised by a sailor and transported back to Australia where it crashed and stranded.

snorkeling

the skills i learn't for snorkeling was to not be afraid of the snorkel in your mouth and i also learned if there is a great big white thing in the water its not a stingray its just sand from bottom which you have moved yourself. if you want to clear your goggles is by spitting on them and rubbbing. i learn't a few things about snorkeling but thewhole experience made me frusterated

while snorkeling i could not see anything due to the amount of sand there was in the water. we went snorkeling at the front of the wambana campus. the visibility was terrible underwater but in shallow water i could see huge rocks that i stubbed my toe on. my opinion was the best part of snorkeling was floating in the ocean. my greatest challenge in the water was walking over sharp and jagged rocks.

i didn not really enjoy the snorkeling because of the sharp rocks and from the fact of not seeing anything underwater and feeling things on the sea bed made my scared. i would not be enthusiastic about going back out there and go snorkeling.

instructional entry

anzac biscuits

bowl=large
pot=medium

1 cup of plain flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shredded cocnut
125gm melted butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon bicarb

cook at= 175 degrees at 15-20 mins

firstly start by putting the plain flour, the rolled oats, brown sugar and the coconut all together and mix it up. put those ingredients into the large bowl. put the rest of the ingredients together in the medium size pot and stir. add all the ingredients together and roll into small bowls and flatten them. put onto greased tray with baking paper and cook at the alloted time and cook and the correct degree.

statistics and climate change

novel

the godfather
by Mario Puzo

This book is a best selling, fictional, mob story which follows the story of don Vito Corleone and Michael Corleone. The don is the boss of the Corleone family in new york and hell's kitchen. Michael Corleone is the second youngest of four children and the father is the don Vito. The story is from a third person.It is written in a middle tense. The book is set right after the end of world war II and it shows all the criminal activities the mafia is involved in. In the book there is the three sons sonny, Fredo and Michael and the youngest daughter Connie whose father is don Vito Corleone.

it is set in new york and hells kitchen and right after world war II. Some of the main issues are a huge gangland war which tears through the streets of new york and the assassination of the mob bosses. They are solved by murders and hits but sometimes it is solved with good old fashion persuasion and i admire how the don never insults or throws any threats at the people who throw threats at him.

I believe the author, Mario Puzo, wrote this text because that is what they call the boss at traditional times. the themes have some connection to the author due to he grew up in hell's kitchen in new york which has a large population of Italians. But also because Mario Puzo was in the air force during world war II but due to poor eye sight but after studied as a journalist and learnt about the mafia and wrote about them not in the news paper but only in books.

When i finish the book i would like to find out how the mob works such how is a don chosen for a new family and how do you choose captains and soldiers for your family. I understood a lot about the story, not because Ive seen the movie, but how there is a lot of criminal activity in new york and how a hit is done and all that. I would like to ask the person who removed the head of the horse how he did it, but i did find out because in the book he drugged it out and hacked it off with an axe. i would also like to ask Clemens, the fat captain, how do you make a snub nose revolver fingerprintless. I would like to ask the author where he found all this information on the mafia.

This story does not contain real events or people but has real places. there is America, Italy, new york and hell's kitchen. I know that hells kitchen has the largest population of Italian immigrants and Americans with Italian decent. New york is known for a lot of criminal activity the book is set mainly in new york and long beach. In Italy, Sicily, that is where the mafia and the omerta (code of silence) originated from. In the book i could only relate to Michael Corleone only because he has the same name as me and he has black hair and in the movie, supposedly he looks like me.

As i read the story i felt enthusiastic and interested in what is to happen in the book. This book has already been turned into a movie and is to be said to be one of the greatest movies every made. this book is not for children due to hard and extreme sex talk and the use of Italian words that people would not understand and would make reading it confusing.

This book has already been made into a movie.i didn't really have a problem with it but if they were to make a remake, which would probably be bad, they could leave out the part with johnney fontane, who doesn't really have a main role in the book. they could also leave out making a second remake and especially do not make a remake of the third one.

living in a wardli

highs:

cooking food
warm and comfortable beds
relaxing outside
hot showers
funny conversations
couches
cool breezes
large amounts of food
fritz
being with friends

challenges:

mopping
washing cloths
cooking
sweeping
scrubbing
washing and drying dishes and utensils
powerful gusts of wind
annoying room mates
waking up
going to sleep

expectations of wardli partners
no nagging
no complaining
no shouting
doing what is needed
like each other

what i expect of myself

to clean the wardli more thoughrouly
be respectful of others beliefs
help out others in need
take responsiblility for my actions
be more understanding of people

session 1

my strength in the wardli

i believe my strength in the wardli is to make people laugh and have fun and make everyone feel welcome into the wardli. my other strengths are cooking meat and everyone getting a fair share of what food is supplied at dinner time. i would like to improve on my cooking skills with meat and other types of food which suits the others in my wardli and try to be more kind to others beliefs such as if they don't want food that is all right, they can have it later or someone else can have it or if the food is not cooked properly i will not explode and be reasonable.

issues that have occured

1. an issue broke out which ended in shouting and hitting of my ear. it occured due to me overreacting to a person who was unstable. it was resolved when a teacher was informed about the situation and had a talk with the boy. the boy was homesick and he resolved his problems by writing them down. but what i don't get was he is leaving in a couple of days to go to mount gambia so i don't know why he was so angry and i wasn't too happy when he smacked me ear but i controlled myself. i was part of the solution when i was understanding about his problems.

2. another issue we had was over some undercooked chicken shnitzel. on the first night in the wardli i was in charge of cooking the meat. i was shown how to cook it and for how long. i cooked 5 out of 7 perfectly and the two halfs or the other two were undercooked. the two people who got the undercooked chicken realised it. the first person was understanding and the other complained like a spoiled brat. he has also not been eating the foods we have made for him. but we discovered that he has a couple of problems and was not hungry and i helped by understanding.

3. the most recent dispute we had was with one boy who would wait untill the very end to do work around the wardli and sometimes he would not even clean at all. the other boys and i grew angry and weary of him not cleaning so with the help of teachers he is doing little amounts of work in the wrong places but we still understand that he is trying. i helped be motivating and advising him.

session 2

a functional house mate needs to lead by example so other house mates can get an idea of what is to be done around the house hold and also outside. for example there was a boy who was unsure how to clean the bathroom and so as an example i cleaned the bathroom and showed him what to use and how to clean.

another example for a functional housemate is communication with the other house mates so people are sure what to be doing and understand how the cleaning or cooking is performed in a household. communication also brings people together with the correct words being used. he never insults or descriminates against others and does not raise his voice or shouts to get peoples attention.

being active is one of the most inportant of all aspects of living in a home with other and fellow men. he must be able to work in a calm and clean fashion while getting people to help him or in other places.

keeping calm is a hard thing to do with 5 other men and some of them you might not like but it is possible. their might be disputes in the house it can drive you up the wall so keep calm and try to solve it.

one of the other most important things to remember is to not be a hypocritical because everybody hates a guy who will say something for you not to do and he does it himself. it is good to have someone who will stick to his word and is a competent and reliable person.

the most functionable person in my wardli has courage and strength for all things he does such as cleaning the house to helping the less fortunate in cleaning and cooking. he is an exellent listener, charismatic, enthusiastic, interested in topics such as literacy and mathematics and not angry or displeased to help another student who is struggling. he has a heart full of love for his school chums and teachers. he is not bored about others stories but is quite interested in the day to day topics the students talk about here. he is a good friend of mine and i am proud to call him a friend and companion to be with.

i have not been working hard in maintaining a successful wardli but i have helped out by sweeping, mopping, washing dishes, cooking dinner, cleaning the tables and benches and doing the laundry so in fact i change my mind and say i have done a good job in maintaining a clean and successful home. i have encouraged many of my wardli partners in cooking and cleaning and encouraging them to keep on pushing until we have finished and then we can move onto leisure activities such as resting or playing a game.

poetry

the sea at night

the sea at night sounds like thunder
crashing and thrashing and making a blunder
throwing ships front and back
pushing them onto rocks with a smack
rain and wind stir it around
while thunder and lightning flash and roar like a hound

the wind and water makes sailors go insane
as if poseidon himself is playing a game
captains and crew men try to contain the beast
but the water swallows them up like a christmas feast
the water twists and tangles fishing boats nets
the fishermen are only happy during day until the sun sets

the fishes will never take the bait
tankers and barges will meet their fate
light houses will have to be working
or else cliffs won't have to be lurking
ships will sink without a trace
the sea at night is a dangerous place

the sea monster

it's great arms lash at the coast
the tremendous body twists, gurgles and shouts
a tail whips and tangles
claws of lightning
a voice of thunder
a spine of broken ships

waves of razor teeth
eyes of anger and strength
a mouth which swallows whole
no ears to hear the screams and shouts
no soul or sympathy live within

it has no love
it has no fear
nothing can beat it
it doesn't sneak up
it traps and sinks
and it rips boats apart

community service-leisure options

1st meeting
the aim of the program is to assist disadvantaged people in our community with a great social environment in which to have fun.

being a volunteer means to me as a helper and to assist in the needy who are in need of support and someone to talk to. i learnt that people with a disability are not always born with it. i met a girl named Melissa who had suffered a disease which wiped her memory clean and she nearly died. she had to learn how to walk, speak and basically she had to start life again.

the thing i enjoyed in this experience was talking to Melissa about her problem and what she had to go through. i least enjoyed hearing how much these experiences affected people and are to live like this for the rest of their lives and just hearing this made me sad.

i really enjoyed coming to meet them and learning how people like them are just normal people who have just received hard knocks but they were lovely people who were enthusiastic about activities and are really good friends.

2nd meeting
on the 14Th of may, the leisure option people came to our campus where we were to have a lunch of wood oven pizzas. there was an assortment of pizzas with onion, capsicum, salami, ham and mozzarella cheese.
after eating all the pizza the boys and i mingled with the leisure options people. i had played UNO and stripjack which i had never played before and it was quite immusing. but what i liked was one of the leisure options people explained it to me. i was impressed.

scientific research-hooded plover

Hooded plover

The Hooded Plover is a species of bird which is only found in Australia. They are about half the size of a standard seagull with a black head followed with a back with a yellowish-white colour which camouflages with the sand, a white belly and moves quickly in different directions. They live only in the middle of the beach between the sand dunes and the sea on Australian beaches. The population Hooded Plover has decreased dramatically and they are now an endangered species because of numerous deaths and their poor birth rate. This has happened because of humans, vehicles, animals, predator birds and the poor birth rate. Some solutions for saving it to strictly ban vehicles such as four wheel drives and quad bikes and their could be some way to save and alter the birth rate by trying to move them into safer areas of beaches.

The aim for this research is to provide more research from the birth rates, living, laying eggs and making nests for the future scientists and professors of birds who can get a better understanding of the birds and how they can make their lives better. This information can also go to help and save their lives from deadly predators on beaches.

We arrived at west gate beach at 10.30am and looked out for them untill11.55am. The first sighting of the Plover was either two baby Plovers or two juveniles which was at 35 degrees south with 14.992 and 136 degrees east with 49.762 when we first walked onto the beach. We walked for a while after that and found two more with the same dilemma, juveniles or babies? They were found at 35 degrees south at 15.138 and 136 degrees east with 49.867. Many tracks of the Plovers were found spread all over the beach. We noticed that the direction of the birds footprints were in every single direction which confused us why they did this. The methods we took were by taking down the area the birds were and how many there were in that area. We also looked for tracks of predators and vehicles in the sand to know if any had come around lately.

On the beach we only found four hooded plovers overall and there was no evidence of nesting in the vicinity of west gate beach. The cloud cover was about 25 percent and there was no rain to interfere with the research which was taking place. The estimated temperature was about 26 degrees Celsius and the wind was low which also helped in not interfering by distracting or scaring the birds away. Their were scarce amount of human footprints in the track except for the ones we made along with many other human activities such as joggers and sunbathers. We discovered the tracks of dogs which are extremely dangerous to the vulnerable plover so that was interesting but there were no sighting of foxes or other dangerous animals. The results were small but it was good to know there were no cars of dangerous animals on the beach that kill and crush the plover’s eggs.

In discussion their survival is the most serious thing to look out for such as the birth rate is good for eggs which have been laid with a 90 percent chance of living but baby Plovers have about a 30 percent chance of living as a baby which doesn’t give any chance of living into their juvenile age. The area they live on the beaches is literally suicide for them so there must be some way to protect them from predators and vehicles or even moving them from the middle of the beach to more stable ground in the sand dunes.


In conclusion the Hooded Plovers are technically screwed where they are now and something has to be done because we are talking about another species of bird which can be wiped out due to their size and living area. This is a living creature with families and these things are also quite beautiful and it would be a damn shame for it to be killed out. But they are really digging their own grave from where they are living right now in the middle of the beach and they need to be protected somehow but what can we do?

community service-aleppo pine removal

today we helped the SYP landcare group with removing the aleppo pine and removing plastic covers and sticks which held them up from the native plans in the areas. all together wardli 2 and 5 took the covers off 1000 plants.

the aleppo pine is a native to the mediterranean regions like itlay and greece. it was planted in the yorke peninsula as a forestry tree and a plant for shelter. the aleppo pine is a problem to the peninsula because the roots amage the roads and it robs the soil of moisture and nutrients. the landcare group is keen to eradicate this plant because it reduces the habitat of birds and it competes with the native vegetation.

i think the reasons the people volunteer to remove the aleppo pine is to see something that is not Australian in the yorke peninsula and from what i have seen they are very australian. another reason is that they don't want the roads to be destroyed and they don't want the birds which they have grown up with wipped out. this this a good thing to do because we can make the australian outback more australian for the future.

history tour 2

on the 15th of may 2010, we set off from the wambana campus and went to the museum in the town of tent. this was different to others because moff had a key to get in and there was no one inside to show us around or to keep secure. inside was very interesting with facts and memorabilia of swords, cooking utensils, old boxes and brands and engineering equipment. i discovered three very interesting things about the museum's contents and the museum itself. the museum used to be the second police station ever to be built in south australia. also the last cavalry charge in history was done by the australian cavalry against the turks in egypt at bashiba. it was the last and affective charge with it ending in 40 minutes. the third and final thing i learnt was that the policemen back then were troopers and soldiers.

after that we left the museum and drove onward to a cemetary which had bodies from 1878. the percentage of at least 50-60% and we discovered some epitah's. we noticed a few metres away from the graves there was one that was all alone. we found out that it was the grave of a bastard whos parents wern't married and he was a sinner.
the next place we went was a farm called sandlewood park where a family used to live but we were told that there we ferrels living there. i was scared and i thought that we were going to be malled by them. later i calmed down later and found out that this place was used for horses to conduct sexual intercourse in a mounting yard. i discovered that horses are so aggresive that the male can kill the female not by sex but by ripping the females neck off.

we left the farm without any problems learning about the people who lived there and how to pleasure a horse where we went onto yorke town where i discovered something had happened to my booklet. i was worried until i found out i put it in someone elses bag we brought ice coffee and left. we went passed a salt water lake which is used to get table salt. the formula for salt is sodium clorite and NaCl. i really enjoyed the second history tour more than the first one because i learnt a lot about the australian soldiers in world war 1 and 2 so i enjoyed the museum the most.

Wood Oven Cooking

today we started to cook wood oven pizzas. first paul showed us how to start the wood fire in the oven. it takes three hours to get it to te correct temperature of about 380 degrees. then it was time to make he dough for the pizza base. we first started by getting three cups of white flour and one cup of wholemeal flour and put it in a pile and a teaspoon of salt, then a hole is made in the middle and warm water with yeast is poured into the hole and then it is mixed together and kneaded until soft and ready to flatten. we put salami, ham, cheese, olive oil and other vegetables on the pizza.

later on we cooked a lamb roast and some vegetables in the wood oven we ate it later. we screwed up our carrots which were burn't to a black crisp but the lamb was succulent and tasted great and im still trying to get it out of my teeth.

to cook the dough we had to wait three hours as well as the wood fire oven to get it ready in the oven so we could flatten it out. it was in an oven at a temperature but it doesn't cook fully. then we flattened them out, put the topping on, put it in the wood fire oven for about 90 seconds and then we eat it.

Surfing

Sunday 9th may 2010
day 1:

the first day of surfing we went down to south berry bay. this was the first time i had ever been surfing and i was not feeling quite up to it but i gave it a go. the instructors were Sheryl who works at the school, orey who was the lead instructor and Shane. we had to squeeze into extremely tight wet suits which felt rather odd on our bodies. the wet suits felt really weird on my body with all of my hair. we were toldfirst off how to lie on the board and then stand up on it. finally it was time to get into the water and was feeling the adrenaline pumping through me. i loved the splashing of the cool, silky and salty sea crashing up against me. the hard, cold breeze smacking me in the face was refreshing and cool. i caught i few waves and glided across the water like freezing ice cream and hot day on a slant. although i caught a few waves i could not stay on the board while trying to get up. it was tough for me but the experience of crashing waves and the adrenaline pumping through me was enough.



after a lunch of salami sandwiches it was time to go back in this time we were all tired and weakened by the surfing before. to me the waves were stronger, the wind more powerful on my face and the sand was thicker and harder to move through. because of this i was pulled under by the waves numerous times and had to get out of the ocean and change back into our clothing to go on the bus. today was good for me because i tried something new and i was proud of myself for going there and facing the waves.

monday 10th may 2010
day 2:

on the second day we went to the same beach named south berry bay but this time the weather was different. with stronger winds and rougher seas it was going to be tough. the activity we were doing was that there were groups of two who both had to share a board. when the first partner had caught a wave we had to swap. this didn't work out for most of the groups who ended up bobbing in the water and body surfing who were just having fun. we ended up building sand castles and digging holes. the teachers cut the lesson short for some apparent reason but i enjoyed today but i still got thrown underwater and started throwing p but it was fine. i enjoyed the surfing and the view of the sea from the hill and I'm looking forward to next in about a week.

Monday 17th may 2010
day 3:

we went surfing a berrybay north. another day of surfing had just begun but i wasn't exited about it due to being quite tired and sick. we did a few fitness exercises just to get us feeling loose and more flexible. when we got into the water it was quite fun. splashing and jumping over waves while trying to catch the biggest or msot powerful wave. the waves were powerful and mennacing. i got dunken under plenty of times and felt a bit faint and dizzy. many times i had to stop and have a rest but i went back in. i can catch a wave but i cannot stand up on the board yet which has become very annoyng. after a lunch of beef sandwiches there was a brisk walk along the beach to some large rocks which were drowned in the great waves which crashed upon the rocks. when coming the instructors decided to show us what to do when in a rip. i wasn't feeling too good about going into a rip because ive never been in one before, but what scared me more was a family of dolphins swimming and jumping in the waves. what scared me more was that the group that was out there were swimming right over them and they were about an inch away from the surfers. this caused me to be freaked out and i refused to go into the water. i was not keen on going in again or even tomorrow.

tuesday 18th may 2010
day 4:

twas the final day of surfing and this time we were at berrybay south. iwasn't confident because of seeing the dolphins the day before but luckly there wern't any. thank god. i went in feeling a bit more enthusiastic. i nearly stood up on the board a few times but i kept on making one mistake and falling. the waves were not as strong as the ones at berrybay north but they still packed a punch but luckly i wasn't pulled underwater forcing me to get to the beach. unfortunatley, i fell into a bit of trouble. while catching a wave, a hooligan from my class sped right over my back and the fin smacked me in the foot. luckly it didn't pierce the skin but it did cause agonising pain. i had to stay on the beach to replenish and recooperate. after lunch i only went into the sea for only a little bit but i couldn't maintain it and i had to stop. i am relieved that the sufing is over.

Photography

Qualities of Good Men