DO you remember school camp?
If you lived in East Gippsland there's a good chance you might have visited Karoonda Park in Gelantipy for your annual school outing.
Paul Sykes and wife Judi, who run a well-known Hereford stud, have hosted school groups for more than 30 years - something they believe is important as children lose touch with farming life.
The Sykes started the camp school in 1977 after buying an old timber mill site and take school groups of up to 50 students at a time, for 30 weeks of the year.
The primary and secondary school visitors' packed schedule includes abseiling and a ropes course, but the Sykes also try to include lots of contact with farm animals.
Paul is helped by his daughter Lauren, an animal science La Trobe University graduate who is very involved with the Hereford stud, and her partner Lynton Hill.
"I use to think of city schools as the ones from Melbourne, but now most of the kids from Bairnsdale and Lakes Entrance are really town and city kids," Lauren said. "Most have no concept of the difference between dairy and beef cattle."
Paul said he was less able to show his visitors more of farming life because of safety restrictions, having to drop trapping rabbits with them. The kids also experience part of Australia's history in the area, settled before Melbourne.
Paul said educating youth about the agriculture industry was essential "if they want food for the future".
