Geelong Grammar has given me an opportunity unique to any other. Every day I get to wake up and go to breakfast with my best friends. I get to walk to class through the most gorgeous campus I have ever seen where my passionate and dedicated teachers are waiting for me. I get to live with my family of 60 girls and staff who have shaped me into the person I am today. They have offered priceless advice, supported me through every endeavour and motivated me even on the hardest days.
Not every day is happy and positive, but regardless, I get to come back to my boarding house full of incredible and diverse people and despite being 2000km away from my house, I am home.
Timbertop is a great experience, and I’ve loved it. I’ve become a lot stronger, and I think a lot more mature too. Not having my parents has made me become a lot more organised. In hiking, if you don’t plan everything before, you just don’t function well, so you just have to become independent otherwise things will fall apart.
The thing I’ve loved most is the 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’ve enjoyed the hiking too; having all the mountains around you and seeing some amazing views, there’s times when you’re not talking, you’re just walking and hearing nature around you, it’s pretty cool!
I’m a boarder at Corio. I really like the close friendships that you can make here. You form really close friendships because you live so close together and it is like a family. It’s very much like a second home for me; a place to come back to where there are always people to support me. I did have homesickness, but it really made me feel better to know that there was someone that I could go to.
I live in The Kimberley in Western Australia, so I have been pretty isolated growing up. I really like the fact that I have the opportunity to mix with other students, play sport and have lessons at the school. There is always a lot to do. I try to have the attitude of no regrets. There are so many opportunities to do a lot of things here so I try to have a go at everything.
I started Kinder at Bostock House. I love getting to meet new people and I have lots of friends here.
I love the teachers, they are really nice. Sometimes I’m too tired to get up, but I like coming to school and I enjoy it everyday. I love the monkey bars and I play downball a lot too. I love writing – sometimes I write a full page, or even two pages. It’s my favourite job here.
At Corio, we have so many different people from so many different places. I really like the fact that I get to broaden my friendship group and have that opportunity to meet a variety of people that you wouldn’t normally find in a day school.
Boarding is really fun. I’m an only child and it’s a bit like having a bunch of older siblings. It’s hard to get bored because there is always something going on.
I really like visual art, drama and sports as well. I do rowing which is really good. I like how we have the opportunity to be mixed with older and younger years levels, it’s really fun to have that opportunity to be in crews with different people.
I feel very lucky to be a part of the GGS arts programme that offers access to such high quality resources, like a fully equipped sound studio for my music tech subject, an Arts Studio that provides all the latest Software programmes and Arts tools that I get to produce high quality Art folio pieces.
I am so grateful that GGS takes the Arts seriously and I have teachers that are so passionate about teaching , and are always coming up with new ideas to encourage us to develop our skills in Art and Design. I love that I can mix my academics, sports and arts equally in my time at school.
Might sound a bit simplistic but I just love being at Corio and spending my days amongst these beautiful buildings and being able to enjoy the amazing grounds and environment and be a part of the traditions of GGS.
The thing I like most about Bostock House are the teachers. They make learning fun and they know how to help me. We learn through games, and riddles, and movies, and stuff that I’m interested in. We’re always encouraged to try our best. I enjoy doing drama, PE and piano, and sometimes choir too.
We’re taught compassion in action here too. It means that you are kind to others, and you do it, rather than just think about it. Everyone is nice here. No-one else is better than anyone, no-one brags, and that’s a good thing.
Timbertop is a place where you get mentally and physically challenged every day.
You get memories off the times that you are 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.
Last year I thought pushing myself was a 3km run, and this year, 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 gives me in all my dreams and endeavours.
The musicals, choir, sport teams, debating team, my house, teachers, mentors and my friends, are what drive me to take every opportunity that I get and engage in amazing pathways.
Without Timbertop, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. It has taught me so much about myself; communicating with others, making new friends, and pushing myself beyond what I thought I was capable of. I have 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’ve also become 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. I feel that I have 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 has given me perspective on how things really are.
You’re never bored at Corio, you’re always doing something.
Coming from Cootamundra, NSW, I just really enjoy the activities we do here. After school I play cricket, have music lessons, go for runs and ride my bike, and on weekends they take us out to do fun stuff in Geelong and Melbourne.
The teachers help us a lot and are always there for us – to help us in Prep, or to get to sleep, or just when we need to talk to someone.
I think the best things that come from the Timbertop experience are friendships, independence and memories. I’ve 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’ve definitely grown from being here. You can take away a little bit from a lot of things here. 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’s these little moments that you can take away that add to the bigger picture and the growth that comes from the whole Timbertop experience.
I really like Bostock House. I love how I get to see lots of my friends. And I also get to meet new friends and new people. I like PE the best because I get to do running around and throwing the ball. I wish that we had a Sunday school, then I’d get to play with my friends even more.
Its 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 started, but it has 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 is 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’ve 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 this before, so you definitely get a greater sense that there’s more out there. Coming here you realise that in the future you can do more, or there’s different pathways you can take on. It’s taught me to be more ambitious, because I’ve seen what I can achieve.
I started in Prep. I love it how I know everybody in this school and I like playing with all of them. I like doing drama and sport and maths. At lunch, I play on the basketball court and I play downball a lot. I know everyone here.
My journey at GGS has been filled with laughter and friendships.
What I love the most is the countless opportunities that has been available to me throughout my time here. Whether in the boarding house, on the sports field, or in the classroom. The broad range of activity programmes and sports that the School provides has allowed me to step out of my comfort zone, gain unique experiences from participating in new activities, and flourish in the specific fields I am 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 I will not gain elsewhere.