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Decije Letovaliste- Camp
Kalenic 11th-17th of January 2009
Saturday
the 17th of January, 2009 marked the end of yet another successful
children’s camp at the New Kalenic Monastery in Canberra. The camp, for
children aged 7-12 years, lasted one week, with over 20 children participating.
Blessed with beautiful weather all week, the monastery grounds were covered
with little footsteps that just couldn’t get enough of the sun!
Each day
started with a morning church service at 8am, followed by the raising of both
the  Australian and Serbian flags and the singing of each national anthem. Breakfast
was then served and after a short break, camp organisers treated the kids to
either a lesson by one of our spiritual leaders or an activity like making
prayer beads or colouring in pictures of bishops, priests and deacons.
Following lunch and even more activities, the children and their counsellors
headed back up to the church for the evening service.
Tuesday the
13th of January proved to be quite the celebration! Counsellors-
with the help of Father Seraphim- spent hours decorating the dining hall and
blowing balloons as a surprise for New Years Eve. After a delicious meal, guests
were treated to the vocal talents of camp Kalenic, singing ‘Tamo Daleko’ and
‘Idem Preko Zemlje Srbije’. The children then spent all night dancing to our DJ
Aco’s tunes, as well as showing the kolo skills that they had learnt during
their time at camp.
 The
children went on several excursions throughout the week- the Reptile Museum,
Cockington Greens, Questacon, and the most memorable- the walk-in Aviary.
Children were able to see snakes shed their skin, go on a virtual
rollercoaster, and interact with many different species of birds. A big
thankyou to Father Seraphim and Father Sasha for accompanying us on these
excursions- we know you had just as much fun as we did!
The
culinary skills of all of the women in the kitchen ensured that everyone
returned home with a few extra pounds- soups, salads, goulash, fresh fruit
between meals…what more could anyone want? Thanks go out to all of you for the
delicious meals we ate all week!
While at
the camp, the children were blessed with a visit by Vladika Irinej, who, along
with his exceptional dancing and singing skills, demonstrated a genuine desire
to teach our children and help them understand not only what happens within our faith but why. We also had the honour of attending the baptism of two
campers, carried out by our Vladika, which was an experience that will never be
forgotten by those who attended.
Many thanks
go out to all of the men and women who helped out with the camp- both the
counsellors and the children appreciated the time and effort you put in
throughout the week. This was my first time as a camp counsellor and I was
completely blown away by the attitudes and the potential of these young
campers. As a community, we should be proud that our future, and that of our
faith, lies in the hands of these young children who demonstrated a clear
thirst for knowledge and who made it their aim to understand every aspect of
the Serbian Orthodox faith.
Milica Popovic
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