Cadet Weekend At Jurien
June 24, 2011

A group of 14 enthusiastic cadets enjoyed a fun weekend away at Jurien Bay last weekend.

Unfazed by the wet weather the group left the Mickles' house on Friday evening and drove up to Jurien (via MacDonalds & Red Rooster)where we checked into the luxury accommodation kindly provided by Greg Mickle. Most settled into their cabins nicely, however three intrepid girls chose to brave the elements and pitch a tent instead. Good work girls.

On Saturday Wal Walker interrupted the sleep-in to take the guys for an early morning training session which finished with a brisk swim in the ocean and a bombie competition off the jetty. This was followed by a cooked breakfast and then we set off for Stockyard Gully caves.

Greg Mickle arranged the group and promptly confiscated all of their torches, before tying the group together on a rope and sending them through the cave with only small glow sticks for light. The trip through the cave was relatively uneventful (despite Greg's best endeavours) and all were very impressed with the size of this cave system. Greg is a great tour guide and gave the group a good insight into the area.

After a quick lunch in the rain and some instructions to prepare for a quiz later that day, we headed back via Green Head where we had hoped to stop for an afternoon surf at Point Louise. The weather gods were against us however and surfing was abandoned for the day in favour of some afternoon fishing or relaxation. A couple of vehicles detoured into the sand dunes for a spot of four wheel driving on the way back to town while the rest headed for home.

The troops headed out onto the jetty for an evening fish and they managed to catch a few amongst them. No fish made it back to the table for dinner, but the barbecue dinner was ample for most. Whilst dinner was being prepared the guys made a bonfire which would toast a pile of marshmallows later in the evening.

As promised earlier in the day, Paul Dwyer ran a quiz after dinner to test the group's memory of the day's events. The cadets were divided into 2 teams and all were asked about 30 questions relating to the places we had visited.

Sunday started with an early morning surf for those interested. A nice wave was running up at Point Louise where the group paddled out for about an hour and a half session. Exhausted and with a few cut feet from the reef, we headed back to Jurien for a quick breakfast and to pack up.

We made our way back down to Wedge where we hit the beach looking for some more surf. After a few trips up and down the beach we settled on a spot sheltered by the island where the cadets again hit the water for a few waves. This spot was much friendlier for those learning to surf and most managed to get the hang of it while a late lunch was prepared. After some sandy chicken rolls and a drink we again packed into the cars, left the beach and headed home.

The feedback we have received from the camp has all been extremely positive and no doubt we will do it again.

Of course these camps don't just happen. I really need to acknowledge the input of Greg Mickle who arranged and provided the accommodation as well as providing all of the local knowledge needed to run the trips, and to Andrew Walker for running the training session and helping out with all other activities. Thanks also go to Christine Darragh, Paul Dwyer and Guy Olver for assisting with transport and helping out over the weekend. Finally, thanks Murray for the wirebrush - it was a lifesaver!

I look forward with great anticipation to the next one!

- Phil Green

See more photos from the weekend here

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