As a recipient of the Year 10 Best All Rounder Award in 2018, I was given the opportunity to attend the ‘Rotary Health of The River Forum 2019’. This camp was held in Week 3 and was a week-long camp. I participated in a variety of activities that were both informative and fun.

The purpose of the camp was to show how much of an impact the river has on the local environment, how the river system allows for the community to thrive and what a career in ecology can look like. 

On Tuesday we completed a branching activity which is where ‘Hop Bush’, a native woody weed, is removed and the cut branches are then arranged on the flood plains. This experiment is to see whether the branching improves animal habitat, plant growth, topsoil and soil moisture levels. We also surveyed Black Box trees to see how healthy the trees were. This was done by looking at the crown cover of the tree and how dense the leaves were. This grading of the tree was used to determine when water needs to be pumped into sites to water the vegetation.

On Wednesday morning we conducted pit fall trapping. This is were buckets are dug into the ground and a small fence runs over the middle of the buckets. This allows small animals to fall in. We found Geckos, Mallee Dragons, Breaded Dragons, Scorpions and Spiders. This was one of my favourite activities. In the afternoon we went on a cultural aspect of the river walk and saw canoe trees and lots of other amazing cultural places. We were also filmed by the ABC news crew.

Thursday, we went to Lock 5, Paringa paddock and Olivewood. We were told all about how the river system influences the town and how the salt is damaging the environment.  We also saw two koalas in the same tree at Paringa Paddock.

During the camp we had delicious food made by a ‘Chef Andy’ whose boss is George Calombaris from MasterChef. We made presentations to the group on what we learnt and also participated in Rotary activity’s at night like talent contests, quizzes and a circus performance.

This camp has improved my leadership skills massively and it has given me more confidence. I believe this is due to being put in an unfamiliar environment and not knowing people. Being put in this situation forces you to talk to people you don’t know which leads to you making new friends, working as a team and stepping up to meet challenges.

I would highly recommend the camp for anyone who has a passion in the environment or is looking for a career in ecology. It really opens your eyes to how important it is to think about the impact we are having on our environment and why we must preserve our river for future generations.

Rachel Humble - RHS