Live, Learn & Play - "Summer of 09" Camp Report

On Friday the 9th of January 2009, over forty guys and girls from all over Sydney and some from as far as the Blue Mountains, Canberra, and even Brisbane, converged on the FAMSY centre in Punchbowl to embark on an adventure never before attempted.

Most participants were university students, some were about to enter university, others had just finished their degrees, and there were those who had just joined the workforce. But all were equipped and ready for a three day challenge of their mind, body, and spirit, well nearly all of us; naturally some forgot to pack the essentials, like shoes.

The camp was a breakthrough on a number of levels. It was the first time in a while that FAMSY had held a camp for participants over 18, the first time in a decade that FAMSY had involved sisters in a camp, and also the first time FAMSY had combined guys and girls at a camp. Al-Hamdul’ilah the camp achieved all of its breakthrough targets without any hiccups.

The physical activities like, kayaking, rock-climbing and the High-Ropes challenge had everyone grasping for breath and some praying that they didn’t fall, but everyone put in the effort, even if it meant facing a fear of heights.

On the spiritual level, our guest speakers like Dr. Zachariah Matthews and Sh. Haisam Farache, managed to highlight and enlighten our minds in crucial areas like marriage and “being a Muslim in Australia”.

Live Learn & Play “Summer of 09” was made a success by the exemplary behaviour of all participants. This was highlighted by the comments of the staff at the Berry Sport and Recreation Centre, who were greatly impressed by the character of all camp participants.

As President of FAMSY-NSW, I’d like to thank all our camp participants who made this event a success, to our special guest’s, Zachariah & Faiza Matthews, Riyad & Oela Qasim, and our guest speakers Dr. Maher Magrabi and Sh. Haisam Farache.
Finally to all the FAMSY volunteers and camp leaders; Heba Shaheed, Aysha Rafik, Tasnim Saeid, Sarah Sungkar, Alac Alkhateeb, Alia Moussa, Fayez Moussa, Talal Hibatullah, Taher Magrabi, Ahmad Hamodeh, and Siddiq Soeker.

Sponsors are crucial for any event and we at FAMSY are indebted to our proud sponsors, Muslim Aid, Australian Islamic Mission, and Alpha Omega education.

Abdulah Zayied

President (FAMSY NSW)