Three Brighton Grammar School students go missing for four hours on camp
Chaos broke out on an elite all boys school trip — as three students went missing in bushland and sparked a Victoria Police air search.
Three students from an elite all boys school went missing in bushland for more than four hours while on camp, sparking a Victoria Police air search.
The trio of year 9 students from Brighton Grammar School in Melbourne’s Bayside disappeared while on a 12-day “self-discovery” education program near Portland on November 12, the Herald Sun reported on Friday.
The three 15-year-olds got lost while hiking the Great Southwest Walk at Blowholes Rd in Cape Bridgewater, a 20-minute drive from Portland and about 377 kilometres southwest of Melbourne.
Victoria Police searched for the boys on foot before an air wing was called.
“Three secondary school aged boys were found safe and well by police after it was reported they became separated from a group of students in Cape Bridgewater on November 12,” a Victoria Police spokesperson told news.com.au in a statement.
“It’s understood the trio broke away from a larger group during a school activity, in the vicinity of the Great Southwest Walk on Blowholes Road about 11am.
“Police responded quickly and searched the area on foot before the Air Wing located the three 15-year-olds safe and well at a Trewella campsite. The boys were not injured.”
Brighton Grammar School denied claims that the trio wandered away from the camp in search of more food.
A spokesperson for the school, where tuition costs $41,068 per year, said that students on the camp were “well fed”.
“The safety and wellbeing of all students in our care is always our highest priority and front of mind,” the spokesperson told the Herald Sun.
“All students on this program are well fed, with meals both provided and self-catered options.
“No boys purchased or went searching for food, contrary to what has been implied.
“We are grateful that the boys were located safely and extend our sincere thanks to the emergency services for their swift assistance.”
News.com.au has contacted the school for further comment.
The so-called Great South West Journey (GSWJ) has been run by Brighton Grammar School since 2015 across multiple national parks in Victoria’s west.
According to the school’s website, the camp “has become part of the fabric for our School with knowledge and tips being passed down from older boys to the Year 9s, and younger brothers wanting to have the same adventurous experiences as their older brothers had a few years ago”.
“More than just a long Outdoor Education camp, this journey changes who our boys are on the inside; for some they know they’ve changed when they return, for others it may take them a few years to grasp the impact that GSWJ has had on them and that is okay by us,” a description reads.
“What is important, is that these boys have started a greater journey of self-discovery and should feel proud of what they have accomplished.”
The GSWJ itinerary is “deliberately designed to provide a physical and mental challenge”.
“It will be imperative that the boys quickly bond and work as a team over the long days. This will be achieved with the assistance of two experienced group leaders, who will travel with the group and provide structure and guidance when necessary, but step back to create space for the boys to step up and lead when the opportunity arises.”
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Originally published as Three Brighton Grammar School students go missing for four hours on camp
