04 December 2025
From Sunday 28 September to Tuesday 30 September, the SPSC Boarding House became the home base for a remarkable collaboration between 16 St Peter’s College boys and 16 Wilderness School girls as they embarked on the 2025 SONY Foundation Children’s Holiday Camp. This annual initiative is dedicated to offering meaningful respite to families of children with disability across Australia, and our program continues to be the only SONY Foundation camp held in South Australia.
Across the three days, students participated in a wide range of activities designed to bring joy, fun and comfort to the visiting children. Camp guests enjoyed arts and crafts, swimming sessions, movie nights, sports, and a special visit from SA Police, including their police dogs. The final day featured a vibrant carnival full of face painting, hair colouring and an exciting petting zoo with a variety of animals – even a cow.
The camp once again offered families a much-needed break while providing students with a powerful opportunity to serve, connect and learn through meaningful, hands-on care.
Sony Camp presented various challenges associated with caring for a child with additional needs. Bedtimes proved to be difficult at times, as winding down after an action-packed day mixed with fears of being in a new environment would leave some children overwhelmed. Additionally, many volunteers learnt that setting clear boundaries proved to be an essential factor in the success of the camp to balance fun and freedom with staying respectful and safe.
By pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone, the challenges that we faced helped us all to grow both in our own ability and appreciation of the daily love shown by the children’s families.
Some highlights from the camp included campers getting out of their comfort zone by singing during the Sony Blue and White and developing a keen enthusiasm for the swimming pool.
The teary goodbyes were a sure sign of the impact that the camp had on not just the campers, but also the students who volunteered. On behalf of the entire student group, our thanks go out to Mr Mittiga, Ms Foster, Mr Ruediger, Ms Firth, the nursing team, support teachers and everyone else who helped to make this camp possible.
It is experiences such as Sony Camp where lasting memories are formed, and students can truly make an impact in the life of another.
John Lucas and Will Foreman
Year 11 Students
