Once again we entered a team in the local netball competition that plays in the Clunes Community Centre on Tuesday nights. This term we had a very competitive team of eight girls who all participated with a great deal of enthusiasm and energy. The results were the best ever, with four wins from seven games. We lost one other game, the first, by only one goal. This was a fantastic effort as the opposition teams were mostly made up of older, more experienced players who were also often physically stronger than our girls. So, congratulations to Sarah Money, Kari Cook, Eliza Black, Leticia Nieuwenhuizen, Myra Spencer, Claire Sullivan, Ruby Green and Hannah Martin. It was a great team effort! Their speed and skill on the court quite often surprised spectators and other players, to the extent that one of the top teams fielded a very young team against us in the first round expecting an easy win. But, we surprised them and eventually won the game by eleven goals. Needless to say, they fielded their strongest team in the second round! To their credit, our girls only lost this game by six goals. What a great way to finish the term!  Julie Baud (Leader)

On last Friday of Clunes seventeen intrepid runners set out to run from the Clunes campus to the Summit of Mount Beckworth, an eleven kilometre run. This band had been preparing for their run with six, eight and ten km runs over the past month, as well as going on copious amounts of morning runs during the week. As the final day came each runner faced the task with mixed emotions, nerves, excitement, and for some a sense of closure about Clunes. The runners set out at 6:45am with 'Marshy', 'Gerns' (a student teacher staying with us for four weeks) running, and 'Dukey' and 'Lou' following on the bus. As the runners approached the Mountain the tension grew. The excitement and dread as the runners then began to struggle up the hill was felt by all; all that hard work finally coming to a conclusion. In the end all seventeen finally made it up, with a few walking a little. The exhilaration felt by all as the tree was touched for the last time was amazing.
From a personal standpoint, I would like to congratulate all the students for their hard work and courage. As a leader it is always one of my favourite moments of Clunes. James Carroll

During week 8 all students climbed Mount Beckworth again. Whilst there were a few groans to be heard on some of the steeper sections the views from the top are always spectacular. For the group who climbed on Tuesday morning the cool breeze provided a welcome respite. After catching our breath all students gathered in a semi-circle at the base of the Lollipop Tree and looked out over Clunes, basking in the sunlight below them. Time was taken to reflect upon the journey that had taken place for each student over the last eight weeks since they first climbed Mount Beckworth. In some respects the Lollipop Tree is like a constant silent observer of the highs and lows of all those journeys. It took very little encouragement to get all the students to give the Lollipop Tree a big hug goodbye.
Rob Grant (Leader) 

Significant Sites.

Group 11’s Group Art Project was based on the idea of place. Exploration of our immediate surroundings locates us in time and place, and enables us to extend from a more secure base into the unknown. As a means of consolidating Group 11’s time here at Clunes, they identified and reproduced images of significant sites in this locality, which anchored their time here and gave them a stronger connection with Clunes. This stronger identity provides a degree of ‘closure’ for their experience, which in turn allows for easier re-integration to Melbourne. Approximately 40 students were responsible for selecting sites around Clunes, photographing them, enlarging them by computer, and transferring them by hand onto canvas boards. Students voiced their pleasure at spending significant periods of time transferring the images and getting to know a building’s details intimately. Each student on campus was then able to paint their own canvas boards, which combine to form an image of a significant location in the town. These images will be placed in each house for future students to enjoy. Basil Eliades (Leader)

On Thursday a group of us went to Maldon. We first stopped at a really cool lookout point at nthe top of this.....thing. Then we were given one hour to cruise around the main streets and do or buy whatever we wanted-with our money. The ice-cream store was really nice and a reasonable amount of money bought you a quite large amount of ice-cream. It was a good way to spend an afternoon and everyone enjoyed it. Jamie L-Z.

Today we took a trip to the small town of Maldon, although not as small as Clunes. We started by going to the top of a look out, and the view was amazing, we could see out for miles! We then had some free time to walk around Main Street. We stopped at the lolly shop and stocked up, there was everything from chocolate fudge to giant lolly pops! There was also an ice cream shop, which we could not walk past. I got two scoops in a waffle cone, one strawberry gelato and one death by chocolate. They were amazing! We soon had to leave and take the 40 minute bus ride home. Everyone was pretty tired by the time we got home. Vashti W.

After a long hard night in front of the big screen, students struggled to arise. The final video shown was the Clunes video which was available for them to purchase. Bringing back the memories of the weeks gone by, stirred up some mixed emotions. After indulging in the nice hot breakfast of toad in a hole, sausages, bacon and bread, the rush was on to get t-shirts and journals signed. At 9am, we all met for our final meeting, where certificates, badges, class photos and videos were presented to students. Final words were said and the final bed time story was read. As parents began to arise, excitement and sadness was in the air. To mark their final departure from the campus, student were delighted to be able to sign themselves out, turn their backs and walk away. The journey of the rest of their lives is on the horizon. Good luck is wished to all.  Louise Brown (Leader)

It was Thursday. The day the students had been waiting for. This was the day the clusters would come together to see who would emerge as the group 11 cluster sports champions. The battle was to take place on the local football ground under the almost forgotten sunshine. The competitive spirit was alive and well amongst cluster as they rallied together and gave all they had to take the converted prize of the couches on the all night movie marathon. It was the underdogs, Cluster 5, which just scraped into final contention that defeated the favourites, Cluster 3, in the grand final. It was the passion, fitness and the team unity that helped Cluster 5 over the line in a thrilling spectacle. Congratulations to all students for enthusiastically participating, and well done Cluster 5 for winning the cluster sports grand final. Stephen Duke (Leader)