Day 1:

Last Wednesday afternoon saw Bailey Skinner, Lyhkan King Togia, Lily Schloss, Claudia Child, Bailey Rathmell, Cody Wenham, Molly Hartwig, Hannah Pattison, Mr Lincoln and forty other students and staff from Dalby SHS, Chinchilla SHS and Miles SHS depart for the annual Arrow Energy / Brisbane Broncos Emerging Leaders Camp. Day one was an exciting day as we were travelling to many different places and taking part in various activities. The first destination was Mt Coo-tha Lookout, a beautiful location overlooking the city of Brisbane. We were off on the bus again and arrived at the QLD Museum. We were fortunate enough to be able to view the NASA exhibition which was amazing to be apart of, because it was the 50th anniversary of the man first landing on the moon. The exhibit included many different objects that had been to the moon, which was crazy. After we finished at the museum we walked to the State Library for a brief tour. This included learning about the access granted to any library members throughout QLD, the importance of certain areas in the library and all the rare, exceptional and unique information available. After the tour when headed to our hostel to get organised and prepare for the Broncos vs Bulldogs game at Suncorp Stadium. When we arrived at Suncorp Stadium, we took some photos of the player statues, visited the activity stalls outside the ground before we were taken to a special part of the stadium that overviewed the playing field while we ate dinner. A tour of the inner sanctum of Suncorp Stadium followed as we headed to the Media Room where past players Scott Prince and Justin Hodges spoke to the group. We also were able to watch the players warm up inside the dressing sheds before being taken onto the playing field which was the best part of the evening as the players continued their warm up. Mr Cuskelly arrived just in time to attend this part of the night. We were returned to our seats and enjoyed watching the Broncos dominate the Bulldogs to record a 28-6 victory.  

Day 2:

On Friday morning, the group went to the Clive Berghofer Centre, (Broncos Headquarters) at Red Hill. The morning involved listening to the Arrow Energy CEO and Broncos Game Development Manager Paul Dyer talk about leadership. Key messages were the traits of a good leader (perseverance, teamwork, resilience, respect and hard work). All students were encouraged to work on their personal brand, their health and the power of choice they have over their lives. Paul Dyer and Michael Hancock took us out onto the training field where we learnt proper stretching technique. The group was split into two, with one group working on ball skills and the other on modified game play. The morning concluded with a tour through the gymnasium, the Broncos recreation area and the video analysis room. The players had just completed their recovery session and were available to sign autographs and chat to staff and students. Dalby’s Andrew McCullough and young gun Xavier Coates were great to talk with. Lunch followed across the road at the Broncos Leagues Club before we started our journey home. Unfortunately the bus had to be evacuated at Jindalee (more sickness from one of the Miles SHS boys). After the quick stop we were back on the road arriving in Dalby at 5.00pm and sadly that was where our trip ended. One of the best experiences of the camp was making new friends with the students from Chinchilla and Miles. Thanks to the Brisbane Broncos and Arrow Energy for providing this opportunity.

Hannah Pattison & Molly Hartwig