'Western Australia Young Salesians' conduct
Sumemr Bush Camp
PERTH: 17
January 2012 --
The 'Western Australia Young Salesians' group is an excellent
example
of how a Salesian presence can be extended by young people
themselves,
especially in the absence of a fully-fledged Salesian
community.
Western Australia, some 3,400 kms from other Salesian
communities in
the east of the country, has in recent years had one resident
Salesian
(earlier we had two parishes), and a Salesian confrere, the
new Rector
at Salesian College, Sunbury, Vic., who regards himself as a
West
Australian since that is where his family settled after they
migrated
from Burma. Fr Will Mathews returns there for his
holidays. We will
let Will (also the SC Delegate for the Australia-Pacific
Province) take
up the story from here.
"The summer camp in
Western Australia was in full swing from 8-13 January, 2012.
About 30
campers gathered together with 12 capable leaders at Nanga
bush camp
site, near Dwellingup in WA.
Nanga Salesian summer camps have been running regularly over
25 years.
It used to be led directly by Salesian priests and
brothers. Now it is
totally run by lay leaders many of whom are young teachers,
university
students and active members of Catholic parishes.
The camp started on Monday 9th January with various
ice-breaker activities.
Fr. Clayton Mitchell, a diocesan priest from Perth and Fr.
Will
Matthews SDB, a Salesian priest from Melbourne concelebrated a
Mass for
all campers and leaders in the evening on the first day.
It has been a fun-filled week in the spirit of Don Bosco for
this group of young people at Nanga".
