Big Day Out in the Country ‘unforgettable’

Volume 7 Number 8 August 15 - September 11 2011

The University of Melbourne pitched in at Wedderburn’s Saturday sporting events as part of its Loddon Shire project to assist Victorians affected by January’s floods
The University of Melbourne pitched in at Wedderburn’s Saturday sporting events as part of its Loddon Shire project to assist Victorians affected by January’s floods

On Saturday 23 July,  70 University of Melbourne students from across all year levels, faculties and backgrounds travelled to Wedderburn in North Central Victoria to take part in ‘The Big Day Out in the Country’. The day formed the launch of the ‘Loddon Shire Project’ which is the University’s initiative to assist Victorians affected by January’s floods. Patrick Miller, Student Leadership and Community Programs Co-ordinator Academic Enrichment Services, was there.

The focus of the day centred on the Saturday sport activities in Wedderburn – generally the heart of country towns’ coming together. The Big Day Out was designed to create a carnival atmosphere around the sporting matches by lending our skills and enthusiasm to entertain and engage the community.

After a frosty departure from Parkville and a much-needed coffee stop in Kyneton, two busloads of students arrived at Donaldson Park in Wedderburn. For many of the international students taking part, this was the first time they had set foot beyond metropolitan Melbourne and there were many looks of amazement at the open fields and clear blue skies.

The students set to work with extraordinary enthusiasm, pitching in at everything from serving in the canteen to running salsa dancing classes.

Many ran wonderful activities for the local children that focused on multiculturalism and face painting was particularly popular. There were regular science demonstrations that introduced some basic physics and chemistry in spectacular fashion. A superb performance and workshop by MUDancesport brought glamour and heels to the netball courts at half time and the MU Touch Football club presented possibly the first example of their sport to ever appear in the shire!

The students were also quick to engage all over the sporting arena. Two of our international students took control of the footy ground scoreboard to great acclaim with many locals noting the unusual accuracy of the tally. Some helped on the interchange bench or along the boundaries with everyone receiving an unusually hands-on introduction to Aussie Rules.

After a hard day’s work students and locals teamed up to present a ‘multicultural feast’ for dinner. Tray after tray of Plush Fish’s finest sushi was consumed at an extraordinary rate followed by a delicious steak with vegies supplied by Chalmer’s – Wedderburn’s justifiably famous butcher. The meal was concluded by the finest crepes ever seen in the north-east, cooked by our own student/staff team. The evening was brought to a riotous close with a Bush Dance brilliantly organised by the Melbourne University Overseas Students’ Society.

The ‘Big Day Out in the Country’ was an unforgettable experience for students and locals alike. Most powerfully, the program demonstrated a new model for University engagement whereby our students were able to engage, educate and inspire simply by taking a little of our University life to a different community.