Most Year 11 students never look after children 24/7, but students at Canberra Grammar School spent four days this week caring for kids with special needs. They provided fun, entertainment, and love, and gave them the time of their lives – and came to appreciate what parents of people with disabilities go through every day.

Seventeen “campers”, children aged six to 12 with special needs, attended the Sony Camp at Grammar from 3 to 6 December. Each “camper” was paired with two “incredibly enthusiastic” Year 11 student “companions”, backed by a team of 25 volunteers: adult staff, nurses, doctors, and parents, Graeme Lendrum, Assistant Director of Student Development at CGS, explained.

A number of the “campers” were on the autism spectrum; some had global developmental delay (a general intellectual disability); others had physical disabilities. A few could not speak; they used sign language or picture cards to communicate. Many were Canberrans, but some came from as far as Bateman’s Bay and Cooma.

Campers and companions stayed together in a Grammar boarding house, and ate in the school kitchen. On campus, they went swimming, played African drums and danced in the gym. They sailed on Lake Burley Griffin, thanks to Sailability ACT, and floated over Canberra in hot air balloons. The camp ended with a Christmas party and a visit from Santa.

“Some of the stories that the campers gave are priceless – how much fun they’d had,” Mr Lendrum said. “Some had never ridden in a hot air balloon before, or sailed before.”

Many of the campers had never had a night away from home before, either; in some cases, it was the first time they had been away from their parents overnight, and the first time their parents had been able to go out to dinner in 10 years, or even go Christmas shopping, Mr Lendrum said – “to do something for themselves without having the responsibility for caring for their own kids for those few days”.

“Little things like that are very special for the camp,” he said. “We’re delighted we have the facilities and people who are willing to give up their time in order to create this opportunity for these kids. … It’s another way of our school reaching out to a local community and making connections.”

The Year 11 students were exhausted by the end of the camp – many of them had been up during the night, because some of the kids did not sleep particularly well – but they had also been extended, challenged, and become role models, Mr Lendrum said.

One student realised how hard it is to care for someone and concentrate on someone for so long; they developed an appreciation of what the parents go through every day.

Another how fortunate they were to attend a school like Canberra Grammar that offered these facilities; as they cared for these kids, they realised how special this campus was – something they had taken for granted before.

“Many of the kids on paper had certain disabilities,” Mr Lendrum said, “but when the students got to know them, they realised they can forget the labels. The kids often did things they never thought they’d be able to do. It opened the students’ eyes to never underestimate kids with special needs – they will surprise you every day.”

In many cases, the Year 11 companions will maintain contact with the campers, Mr Lendrum said; they might write, or catch up outside school. He knows of one camper and their companions who still keep in touch 10 years after the Sony Camp. “There are some beautiful relationships that develop.”

Many companions come back and help out on campus when they leave school: as volunteers, swimming lifeguards, or as members of the Sony Camp committee.

Sony Camps have been run across Australia since 1998; students at boarding schools and universities care for kids with special needs from local communities, at fun camps. In so doing, parents can take a break – get a respite – from full-time care.

“A really welcome break just before Christmas,” Mr Lendrum said.

Grammar was the only school in the ACT that offered the camp this year; only CGS and Canberra Girls Grammar School have boarding houses, so not many schools in Canberra can offer a live-in camp, he explained.

CGS has held the Sony Camp since 2011, but this was its first camp since 2019, due to bushfires and pandemic restrictions.

“It’s been an absolute delight to be able to get back into it again,” Mr Lendrum said.

The camp was supported by Canberra and NSW South Coast communities.

“We really appreciate the willingness of people in Canberra to give up their time, energy, and expertise to help support the camp, and to support kids in general with special needs,” he said.