ABOUT THE CAMP

DO YOU WANT TO COME?

FOR 2008 CAMPERS

Camp preparation

While you are waiting for the Camp to begin there are a few things you could be doing:

1. Browse the Forensic Manual a few times until you have a fair idea of what is in it. I don't mean that you must know and understand everything in the manual, just be aware of the sort of things that are in it. You will be amazed, when you are at the Camp, how much this general awareness of the Manual will help the crime-solving process.
2. Read carefully all the stuff concerned with the Law. While you are crime-solving, you must work within the Law and to do this you must know the Law.
3. Once you have been notified of your courtroom role, spend some of your idle time reading about the courtroom procedures and imagining how you will play your character.

Special food requirements

We do our best to cater for Campers who have special food requirements. If you are one of these please email me ASAP and explain your needs (forensiccamps@bigpond.com). Please be sure to include your full name.

What do I bring?

The camp provides all accommodation and meals for students. Campers will need to bring:

• Personal clothing for five days. No clothes washing facilities are available. As Armidale winters are brisk, it would be advisable to bring warm clothing, such as long pants, jackets, and jumpers.
• Toiletries (eg toothbrush, comb, soap, shampoo etc.)
• Clothes suitable for physical recreation (indoor and outdoor), such as sandshoes and a loose top.
• A pillow will be handy if you travel on the Forensic Coach. Beds at the camp do have pillows.
• A quilt or dooner (beds have sheets, pillow slips and blankets but Armidale is cold so you may need something extra)
• Writing equipment (pens, pencils, etc).
• Swimming gear - swimming will be available as a supervised recreational activity.

You should not bring

• Valuable items which may be lost, broken or stolen.
• Electronic equipment such as electronic games, DVD players, iPods .
• Excessive pocket money.Are you a Future Controller?

Do you want to be a Controller at the 2009 Camp?

During the Camp all members of the Management Team and Laboratory staff watch how Campers behave, focus on the job, cooperate with peer members, come up with thoughtful suggestions — all the qualities that are needed in a good Controller. During the Camp and after you leave we discuss our observations and come up with a list of Campers who we believe would make good Controllers. It is usually a very long list because the Camp is full of very capable people.So what happens then?

The next step is up to you. If you want to be a Controller email me (Kel Hardingham) at forensiccamps@bigpond.com before August 25th, asking that you be considered for the job. I will be away from home (at the Atlanta camp) during the period leading up to August 20th, so I won't be able to respond to enquiries until then. If your name is on the short-list and if your email is impressive you will go onto a very short list from which I shall choose the ten 2009 Controllers.

What should you write in your email?

If I have to tell you that, you aren’t Controller material. So give it careful thought and write what you think I would want to know about you.
Here are a few essentials for any Controller

I need people who:

1. Can type fairly rapidly and accurately.
2. Can spell very well and aren’t afraid to use their ‘spell-check’.
3. Take pride in the quality of their work.
4. Have adequate computer facilities at home (not at mum or dad’s work or only at school).
5. Are prepared to work with an assigned partner until they become a productive team in which each listens to and respects the views of the other, but is still prepared to fight for their own ideas.
6. Can take on this demanding role and still maintain (or improve) their school grades and still do the chores around the house that are expected of you.
7. Are prepared to accept my word as LAW for the duration of your role as a Controller.
8. Have a burning desire to present the 2009 campers with the best ever Forensic Camp.

NB: Your parents must be supportive of you taking on the Controller role.

A few facts

1. The role of Controller is a valuable and unique educational experience. It is not a job.
2. I will pay each Controller a TOKEN amount of $100 plus an $80 travel subsidy if you live outside Armidale and a $60 subsidy for phone calls, internet and email use.
3. Controllers begin their Camp three days before the campers arrive, it takes three days to set-up for the Camp. They don't leave until the day after the campers leave, that is when the School has been restored to the state it was in before they arrived.
4. The Controller Managers and the Camp Secretary for the 2009 Camp will be chosen from the Controllers at the 2008 Camp.