Geelong Grammar has given me an opportunity unique to any other. Every day I got to wake up and go to breakfast with my best friends. I would walk to class through the most gorgeous campus I have ever seen where my passionate and dedicated teachers were waiting for me. I was able to live with my family of 60 girls and staff who have shaped me into the person I am today. They offered priceless advice, supported me through every endeavour and motivated me even on the hardest days.
Timbertop is a great experience, and I loved it. I became a lot stronger, and I think a lot more mature too. Not having my parents made me become a lot more organised. In hiking, if you didn’t plan everything before, you just didn’t function well, so you just had to become independent otherwise things would fall apart.
The thing I loved most was Unit life, hanging around with friends in the Unit. You make good friends and that’s a big part of life at Timbertop. It’s kind of like a family, you argue, but you are all pretty close.
I enjoyed the hiking too; having all the mountains around and seeing some amazing views, there’s times when you’re not talking, you’re just walking and hearing nature around you, it was pretty cool!
I felt very lucky to be a part of the GGS arts programme that offered access to such high quality resources, like a fully equipped sound studio for my music tech subject, an Arts Studio that provided all the latest Software programmes and Arts tools that I was able to produce high quality Art folio pieces.
I am so grateful that GGS takes the Arts seriously and I was fortunate to have teachers that were so passionate about teaching, and are always coming up with new ideas to encourage us to develop our skills in Art and Design. I loved that I could mix my academics, sports and arts equally in my time at the school.
Might sound a bit simplistic but I just loved being at Corio and spending my days amongst the beautiful buildings and being able to enjoy the amazing grounds and environment and be a part of the traditions of GGS.
Timbertop is a place where you were mentally and physically challenged every day.
Your memories came from the times that were struggling the hardest. You think you’ll get the memories off the times you are laughing and having fun – which you still do – but the biggest memories are from finishing the big hikes or achieving the hard runs, which makes it much more special.
Before Timbterop, I thought pushing myself was a 3km run, and after going through the programme, I know that I am capable of a 33km run – there’s more inside of me than I thought there was.
Geelong Grammar School doesn’t have just a great community, but a community that seeks out the best in each other. I am forever humbled and grateful for the love and support that the GGS community gave me in all my dreams and endeavours.
The musicals, choir, sport teams, debating team, my house, teachers, mentors and my friends, are what drove me to take every opportunity that I was given and engage in amazing pathways.
Without Timbertop, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. It taught me so much about myself; communicating with others, making new friends, and pushing myself beyond what I thought I was capable of. I had always sat on the sideline and never really pushed myself and allowed myself to excel and try new things, but at Timbertop, you’re encouraged to do all of this.
I also became a lot more aware of others from living closely in the Unit. It’s given me perspective and taught me to be grateful for everything I have. Timbertop gave me a deeper knowledge and wisdom around what struggle really is. It isn’t about having to wait an extra ten minutes for your parents to pick you up from school, there are a lot worse things you can go through and Timbertop gave me perspective on how things really are.
I think the best things that came from myTimbertop experience were friendships, independence and memories. I learned that nothing ever is too hard. I never would have pictured myself running up West Ridge, but I did that, and then went into classes in the afternoon, like it was just the beginning of the day.
I definitely grew as a person from my time at Timbertop. You can take away a little bit from a lot of things. It might be a time when you’re running and it’s just you. Or when you’re hiking when it’s you and your group and you need to figure out where you are and where you’re going. It was those little moments that you can take away that add to the bigger picture and the growth that comes from the whole Timbertop experience.
It’s pretty special at Timbertop but it’s also pretty challenging. It’s a life experience that changes you and helps you in so many ways.
It helps you with school, helps you deal with challenges, helps you build relationships. I was pretty shy and nervous before I joined GGS, but it opened me right up and helped me to build confidence, both in myself and in forming friendships with other people. You really feel that you belong.
The other part about Timbertop is that it takes away all the comforts of home. After a run you have to light the boiler otherwise you have cold showers. It really teaches you how to adapt to change, which will be so useful in life.
Timbertop was a bit of a rollercoaster, you’ll definitely have highs and lows but it’s worth it and you feel a lot of achievement at the end of the day.
You get really close with everyone in your Unit and form really strong friendships. That’s what I loved most about Timbertop, you have you’re own little home and whilst you don’t expect it at the start, you do become close. I’m from Melbourne and have never really been in places like Timbertop before, so you definitely get a greater sense that there’s more out there. From the Timbertop experience, I realised that in the future, I can do more, or there’s different pathways that I can take on. It taught me to be more ambitious, because I’ve seen what I can achieve.
My journey at GGS was filled with laughter and friendships.
What I loved the most was the countless opportunities that were available to me throughout my time at the school. Whether in the boarding house, on the sports field, or in the classroom. The broad range of activity programmes and sports that were provided allowed me to step out of my comfort zone, gain unique experiences from participating in new activities, and flourish in the specific fields I was passionate about.
Moreover, the boarding experience at GGS enabled me to develop lifelong friendships and taught me to be independent and responsible, which I believe is the most valuable opportunity that could not be gained elsewhere.