Written by Mr Lee MacMaster
Ski-Trip Coordinator
It gives me a great deal of pleasure to write this final blog entry for our recent Joeys Japan Ski Trip. As you will have picked up by now from reading the other blog entries during our time in Japan and directly from the boys who attended the trip, we had the most amazing time in Japan and for many of us the skiing, snowboarding and culture of Japan is very much embedded in our hearts now.
The journey to Japan began twelve months ago when I approached Mr Ross Tarlinton our Headmaster about another overseas ski trip for the boys at Joeys. Mr Tarlinton was open to the idea and from this point I pursued some quotes for our proposed trip. Having skied myself in Niseko in 2005 helped me feel a certain affinity with the area, and knowing the quality of the snow conditions and the ski terrain, I knew we were on a winner if we could pull it all together.
Early in my investigations a current parent of Joeys boys, Catherine Mancuso from CCM Travel at Crows Nest came in with a great quote for our travel. Catherine worked her travel magic behind the scenes and the quote was accepted by the College. We advertised the trip to all boys and parents and from this point the level of interest among the boys and parents grew rapidly and our numbers increased from week to week. Our target of 30 boys was easily reached and our final quota of 33 boys and 4 staff was perfect for our travel and accommodation requirements in Japan. I wish to sincerely thank Catherine from her expertise in arranging the travel requirements for our trip and her willingness to listen to our needs and respond in such a positive way. Working together with the ground operators in Japan, Travelplan, our Joeys Ski Trip was superbly organised.
It is important to thank Mr Tarlinton and the College Executive for their support in running ski adventures like this one. As we all know, skiing / snowboarding are quite dangerous activities. To allow trips like this to take place means accepting the risks involved. It also means allowing the boys to grow as young men and develop a keen sense of responsibility. I am sure Mr Tarlinton sees the great advantages gained by allowing these trips to take place for our Joeys boys. I sincerely thank him for placing trust in me and my fellow teachers to care and guide the boys throughout the trip.
Joeys Ski Trips do not take place without the support of teachers willing to accompany the boys. I have been extremely fortunate to find three other staff members to accompany me on these trips who are wonderful men, great mentors to the boys, keen skiers (excellent skiers!) and willing to give their precious time to be with the boys. My sincere thanks to Danny Sidgreaves, Mark Conlon and Andrew Drewitt-Smith for their outstanding contribution to the Japan Ski Trip. I could not have run this trip without their great support and expertise in a range of areas. We have formed a great team and certainly enjoy skiing with each other! We are not as fast as the boys, but we are competitive!
The previous blog entries, the videos and the photos from each day in Japan certainly depict our amazing trip. My thanks to Danny for his endless hours getting the blog prepared each day, and to the staff and students for taking some amazing photos on the slopes and in the village around Niseko. We have some great memories of our trip, and I for one will always look back on the blog for constant reminders of the great time we all enjoyed in Japan.
The overriding reason for organising ski trips like this for the boys is to take them away from their ‘comfort zones’ – away from their families, away from their normal surroundings and away from their usual pre-occupations and into quite challenging environments. I encourage at the outset that all the boys to take on the challenges of travel and the alpine environment and terrain. For me personally, it is great to see how well so many of the boys adapt to life away from home in sometimes cold and wild environments. I wish to congratulate the boys who took on these responsibilities and grew as young men throughout our trip to Japan. To the few that struggled to keep pace and found life tough in these conditions, I urge them to learn from their experiences and grow in taking on responsibility.
A few more thanks are in order – thank you to the parents and carers who supported their sons to take part in this trip. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and I hope your son has thanked you more than once for allowing them to take place in this amazing experience.
Thanks to our hosts in Japan at Pension Berg in Niseko – we were spoilt with our meals and their willingness to assist us wherever possible – ‘arigato gozaimasu’ (thank you very much) to Miwa, Mako and their family and staff.
Thanks to the boys who took part in the trip and who in most situations throughout the trip were respectful, considerate and responsible. It is a privilege to take groups of students away – you learn so much about each boy. Thanks to each boy for taking on the challenges – they are all better young men for the experiences they have had on this trip.
Finally, the most common question asked towards the end of the ski trip was, “When and where is the next Joeys ski trip?” At this stage nothing is planned for July 2011 and some preliminary ideas are being considered for January 2012. Mr Tarlinton needs to be consulted in the first instance and then I will be better able to answer this question. Stay tuned!
![Group Shot - 1 Group Shot - 1](https://blogs.joeys.org/niseko/files/2011/01/Group-Shot-1-500x326.jpg)
Photo 1: Andy Cooper (Year 11) and Louis Collins (Year 8) wait for the shuttle bus to take them to Niseko Village
Photo 2: Will O’Connell (Year 8), Daniel Calvetti (Year 9), Harry Dodd (Year 8), Jackson Haynes (Year 8), Jordan Lewis (Year 7), Dom Maurici (Year 8) and Ben Sutherland (Year 8) have a break from the slopes at lunch time.
Photo 3: James Costigan (Year 10), Nick Chow (Year 10), Tom Mencinsky (Year 10), Paul Fortuin (Year 10), Andrew Mulligan (Year 10), Hayden L’Estange (Year 10), Lachlan Rush (Year 10) and Kieran Tate (Year 10).
Photo 4: The staff take a bit of a break from the slopes.
Photo 5: Just one of so many beautiful scenes in Niseko.
Photo 6: Our whole group together outside out lodge before farewelling Niseko.