Mercy Leadership Formation Camp
The 2026 Prefects recently embarked on an enriching leadership camp at the College's campus in the scenic coastal town of Torquay, where they had the opportunity to enhance their leadership skills, collaborate with peers, and immerse themselves in team-building activities that will shape their role as student leaders.
The camp, designed to develop core leadership qualities, featured a series of workshops and outdoor challenges that encouraged the Prefects to think critically, work together, and inspire others. Facilitators led the group through sessions on communication, decision-making, conflict resolution, and motivating peers. These practical skills are essential as the Prefects prepare to lead the school with integrity and confidence in the coming year.
Our 2026 College Co-Captains Fadzai Bako and Amellie Ellerton have provided a reflection on the experience.
From Tuesday to Thursday this week, the 2026 prefects went on camp to Torquay to bond and learn about leadership. On the first day, we left the College and took a bus to the Torquay house, reminiscing about the fun memories we’ve had there. After we unpacked, we learnt more about Catherine McCauley and did some team bonding beach games. Everyone had so much fun playing beach soccer and high-stakes tic-tac-toe, and we were laughing the whole time! We learnt more about Catherine’s leadership style, and discussed how we could implement her teachings in our prefect roles. The first day was really fun, and set us up well for the rest of the trip. On the second day, some of us woke up early to complete a circuit workout with Declan before we all headed out to participate in some teamwork and leadership skills activities. This challenged us to work on our communication and listening skills, and think out of the box to complete difficult tasks, resulting in some of us getting drenched with river water. Later that day, we had another leadership session with Ms Bloomfield, where we started brainstorming ideas for our initiatives and planning for future events in 2026. After dinner we grabbed our snacks and popcorn to watch Pitch Perfect, singing along to all the songs. On the last morning, we all went on a group run/walk along the beach, and enjoyed the picturesque scenery. We finished with one last leadership session, before packing our bags and heading back to school. Throughout the stay, we had so much fun and became closer as a prefect team. We especially bonded over many games of Imposter, Mafia, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, and Uno, often resulting in raised voices and heated arguments as to whether people had to pick up ‘nonsense’ cards or not. A big highlight was playing Imposter with Ms Bloomfield and Declan. The camp was very enjoyable and cherished, and helped us to become a stronger team heading into 2026.