Year 12 students at top Adelaide private school sent home from camp due to domestic disturbance

Staff from a top Adelaide private college made the call to go home from Belair National Park at about 8.30pm after an “altercation” marred their stay.

Year 12 students from a top Adelaide private school were sent home from their camp in the Adelaide foothills following a domestic disturbance between other campers on Wednesday night.

Immanuel College students were taking part in an outdoor education camp at Belair National Park when, about 8.30pm, police responded to a domestic disturbance.

In a statement to The Advertiser, Immanuel College said the decision was made on Wednesday night by college staff “to return home due to the disturbance and the resulting activity at the camp ground”.

The “altercation” was between other campers, not related to the school, and in a separate part of the park, the school said.

“The police were called and managed the situation and there were no further issues for our students,” the statement said.

Belair National Park. Picture: Tara Nash

“Our students were not involved in the incident and are safe and well.”

It continued that “key staff debriefed students” on Thursday and “have provided appropriate support for them”

“As always, our students’ welfare is our highest priority.”

The statement said the event was “a minor camp to prepare students for a longer camp next term”.

“The students have not missed any crucial learning opportunities”.

A South Australian Police spokeswoman said responding officers spoke to all parties involved and the matter has been finalised.

There were no reports of injury during the incident.

The latest SA Police statistics reveal a significant increase in the amount of family and domestic abuse-related reports in the first quarter of 2024 compared with the same period last year.

In the first three months of 2024 there was 3455 family and domestic abuse-related incidents reported to police.

In the first quarter of 2023 there were 2960 incidents.

The domestic incident at Belair National Park which interrupted Immanuel College’s camp comes as the school continues to look for a new permanent principal after John Tiver quit before he was set to start a five-year term in the role in January.

Mr Tiver resigned from his previous post at Marryatville High School in October 2023 and was recruited to replace Immanuel’s longstanding principal Kevin Richardson, who retired at the end of last year.

Immanuel’s former head of middle school Paul Wright was appointed as interim principal, a post which he still holds now.

Immanuel College chair Kym Wallent said Mr Wright would serve in that role “for at least a semester and quite possibly the full 2024 school year”.

Located in Novar Gardens, in Adelaide’s southwest, Immanuel College has more than 1000 students from its Early Learning Centre to Year 12.