Jonkershoek Nature Reserve

Experiences at the Okkie Jooste Camp

The camp at Okkie Jooste was an amazing experience. I learnt to appreciate the beauty of nature that surrounds me. There were lots of activities that we did that were both educational and fun.

First day of camp was relaxed. We got to play games as icebreakers to get comfortable with our group members. The hoola hoops were fun and reminded me of my childhood. We went off to set mammal traps using peanut butter and oats mixture as bait to capture small mammals. We had a Biodiversity talk and learnt more about the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve. After that my allocated group, Blue, was on supper duty. At first I thought it would be a drag preparing food for so many people yet it was fun working with my group members as well as the chefs that were with us. The meals were all delicious!

The talent show on the first night was a great way to end off the first day of camp. The performances were all entertaining. The highlights were Enrico and Odwa’s performance, Kholo’s singing, Majola’s dancing, Mango and Sam’s poem and Daylon’s act from the Sound of Music.

The days that followed after were enjoyable. We learnt about river ecology where we observed different organisms that are found in fresh waters as well as how to test the pH, concentration amongst other factors that help us identify whether or not the water is healthy. We chilled by the pool and took lots of picture. We went star gazing which was both relaxing (listening to the frogs and the flow of the river close by) and interesting to learn about the different stars and see the different star signs (Scorpio, Leo & Capricorn).

The hike was tiring yet interesting at the same time. I learnt about the different Protea species and how they germinate after fires as well as observed different plant species. While hiking we captured different insects which we identified later on using a Dichotomous Key method.

The frog talk we had grabbed my attention the most as I had always thought of frogs as disgustingly slimy animals. Learning about frogs as well as the different calls that they make was super cool. Listening to the calls played for us was fascinating as I always thought that there was one call for all frogs.

On the last night we had to present as the Blue group on all the activities as well as talks we had during the camp. This was nerve wrecking for me as I get stage frights at times. I enjoyed it none the less.

Overall being at the camp was a memorable experience especially since I am studying Biotechnology. I learnt a lot of things that broadened my knowledge on nature. Burning in the sun, making food for people and taking down all those notes made being at the camp worthwhile.