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2024 DSR Kids Summer Camp Wrap Up

This year’s Summer Camp returned to YMCA Camp Manyung in Mount Eliza, where 12 lucky campers experienced the fun and excitement of inclusive adventure activities across the three days.

Caption: Five children standing on a high ropes course platform, smiling and wearing helmets and harnesses.

The camp started around lunchtime on Friday 16th February with a meet and greet session, followed by a lovely afternoon swim at the beach. We welcomed five new campers this year, along with our wonderful group of volunteers, one of which has been supporting our DSR campers for over 30 years!


Saturday started with a morning bike education and riding program on the basketball courts, facilitated by the experienced YMCA instructors. The session offered a range of adaptive bikes for our participants, with a number of campers deciding to take their riding to the next level and triumph on the adrenaline-filled mountain bike track. After burning off so much energy on the bikes, the group enjoyed morning tea and a short break back at the lodge. Although the break didn’t last for long, as our campers discovered the microphone and speaker in the living room and launched an impromptu karaoke party!


Caption: Three images of camp participants and staff enjoying the water at the beach.


After lunch, the group set off for an exhilarating afternoon of activities, with the tree ropes course and flying fox first on the list. Following a few laps on the ropes course, our campers paired up to conquer some additional challenges, including completing the course backwards or blindfolded! The group then had a brief afternoon tea break, before heading down to the giant swing. This activity features a universal harness to ensure it is accessible for all participants, and offers incredible views over the Canadian Bay waterfront. Our brave campers decided how high up they wanted to go and released the rope to swing down towards the cliff face.


Following an exhausting and jam-packed day of adventuring, the group enjoyed a quiet night in at the lodge, involving making smores over the campfire and watching Madagascar on the big screen.

Sunday started with exploring the beautiful camp grounds, before heading down to the veggie garden and outdoor fire oven for pizza-making. The YMCA staff provided a spread of ingredients and encouraged our campers to pick fresh produce from the veggie garden to include on our pizzas. The participants had a ball rolling out the dough, adding their ingredients and watching their personalised pizzas cook in the oven.


It was then time to pack up and share highlights from the camp, with the giant swing identified as a fan favourite!


Caption: Three images of camp participants with big smiles, swinging very high on the giant swing.


Disability Sport & Recreation would like to thank our exceptional volunteers and our generous donors for making these valuable camps possible!

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