Events, News & Newsletters
Macclesfield High School Students : Conservation Trip to Indonesia!
20 Macclesfield High School students from Years 11 to 13, accompanied by teachers Paul Martyn and Rebecca Lucas, undertook a scientific expedition and conservation trip to Indonesia during the summer holidays. This was with the international organisation, Operation Wallacea. Everyone enjoyed the trip of a lifetime and found themselves pushed way past their “comfort zones”. But they ended up feeling very proud of what they achieved. They had no running water and only three “scoops” of water per day during the second week! They were up at 5.30 am most mornings and had an action-packed timetable to follow.
During the first week, our students lodged with local families and found the Indonesian people warm, friendly and very welcoming – willing to share the little they had with the newcomers to their village. The students undertook habitat surveys where they contributed to the protection of the tropical rain forest. They also practised tree canopy access training and civet tracking. The civet is a type of wild cat which lives in the Indonesian rain forest. It is larger than a domestic cat, but not as big as a cheetah. The students also went on a bird walk and stayed overnight at a camp in the middle of the jungle, called Lapargo.
In week two, the students stayed on Hoga Island, where they experienced dive training, looked at coral reef ecology and went snorkelling. They discovered secrets about life-threatening marine life and learnt many words in Indonesian. During this time, they were on an idyllic coral island living in wooden huts next to the beach.
Coming home, they slept overnight on a large wooden boat called the “slave ship”. It took from Wednesday to Saturday to reach home, indicating what a remote region of the world Macclesfield High School students had been privileged to visit. Ms Lucas said everyone found it very sad to say goodbye to one another at Manchester Airport but they at least had the consolation of having hundreds of photographs between them to remind them of their amazing experience.
The students, staff and parents held a reunion this week where they were able to reminisce and swap stories about the expedition. It was a terrific evening and a celebration of their achievements. The students said that this trip has been a life-changing event for them and they all said that they have been very fortunate indeed to have had such an unforgettable experience. Operation Wallacea assists school groups and others to plan and carry out international expeditions which combine real scientific research with the opportunity to live alongside local people.
October 2009