On 30th of November 2019 Polish group of friends celebrated St Andrew’s Night, at Polana Camp, Healesville.

On the night of 31 December and the morning of 1 January, people were gathering at Polana Camp to ring in the New Year with musical celebrations.

Our Hungarian friends visit Polana Camp several times a year. This time Mihaly Geiger, the Consul of Consular Office of Hungary in Melbourne was present at the event. Mr Geiger is on the left on the picture above.

For many years, the holiday resort Polana Camp near Healesville has served the Polish community in Melbourne, offering not only beautiful surroundings, interesting events and tasty food, but also – and perhaps above all – a unique atmosphere of Australian bush. In this environment both adults and children feel good, who continue to regularly spend their holidays at Polana.

In January, as well as many times in previous years, members of the Polish Association in Melbourne associated with this place prepared a Summer Camp for older youth (from 12 to 17 years old) and Summer Camp for younger children (from 7 to 12 years old). The organization of the event was taken care of by members of the Board of the Association with its president Zofia Dublaszewski, putting a lot of effort and commitment in the preparation and implementation of the action. The care of participants was entrusted to supervisors who used their experience in this work.

The program of weekly stays was varied and adapted to the age and interests of children, as well as to the weather. Children will surely remember the wonderful trip to the Funfields Water Park in Whittlesea, where they enjoyed all the attractions for several hours without being discouraged by the hot weather. On warm days, they were provided with “cooling” games, such as a water slide, portable pool, water guns, and – on a “green night” – a battle of water-filled balloons. Thanks to this they endured several days of heat very well.

Colder days abounded in other entertainment such us: bonfires, hide and seek, baking cakes, sports competitions, discos, a trip to the Healesville Sanctuary,

Other attractions include meetings with the local possum, who, according to his habits, watched the Clearing at night, as well as colourful parrots arriving each morning to the bird feeder. The children watched the animal life with interest, both in natural conditions and in the Healesville Sanctuary.

Activity-filled days strengthened the appetites of the participants, so, delicious meals disappeared in the blink of an eye, often asking for seconds. It would be nice to remember Polish dishes consumed with an appetite in Australian bush, such as chicken broth, krupnik, ground chops or potato cakes, completed with desserts, which consist of fresh fruit and ice cream.

For all participants, staying at the Polana Camp was an opportunity to have fun and spend free time with a group of children of a similar age and to develop skills such as independence, cooperation with others and life in a group. It was a challenge especially for those children who went on vacation without their parents or grandparents for the first time. Admittedly, they did really well – their parents and they can be proud of themselves.

Holidays at the Polana Camp also gave the opportunity to learn Polish in play and everyday conversations. Not only did children from families with Polish roots benefit, but also children from families of other nationalities who eagerly integrated with the rest of the group.

The organizers did not forget about the parents, for whom two evenings by the bonfire were prepared. Nice evenings were spent talking over sausages, which ended with a tasty breakfast in the morning.

At the end of the stay, to commemorate the adventures and attractions of the holiday rest, the children made a very impressive, collaborative drawing which measured about 5 – 6 meters long on the theme: Camps at the Polana Camp, which expressed their emotions and commemorated the memorable events of the holiday for them. Parents picking up their children willingly admired this collective “artwork”, familiarising themselves with the details of colony life at the Polana.

Despite missing their parents, rested and satisfied children ended their adventure at the Polana. Perhaps during the school year they will miss this charming place and will come back next summer….

Summer vacation at the “Polana” is a good offer for children and youth, as well as adults. All can rest here, eat well and breathe away everyday hardships surrounded by the natural bush.