Author: Charlotte Furness
Feeding Frenzy at Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre
Because we are a charity for children, our friends at Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre welcome us free of charge every week. It’s a great opportunity for the children to come and visit and learn all about the local marine life. This week we were lucky to be the only visitors to the centre, this […]
Ever wondered …?
Ever wondered how children are chosen to take part in the amazing Cottage by the Sea programs? Throughout its 130-plus year history, Cottage by the Sea has taken children on referral from those who know the children best. Remaining true to the same mission: to reach those children who need it most, to enhance their […]
Helping the Environment
Our Grade 6 REEFies were back at Cottage for the second time this year and it was a delight to have them back. It had felt so long since the first program. Both kids and the programs team were excited for the week ahead. The REEF program is all about building resilience, learning new skills […]
A Wet ‘n’ Wild Week
The heading says is all, welcome to the first week of Winter! It was wild! Rain, hail and strong winds all week for our program participants. We were not able to get out in the ocean once this week. But, we made sure that the children would still have an amazing week to remember. We […]
Day out on the boat
It was the third day of camp and the Cottage staff had just told us what we were doing for the day, we were going on Sea All Dolphin Swim Charters for a snorkel and swim with hopefully some dolphins and seals. We were so excited! I was anxious because it was going to be […]
A legacy to last a lifetime
Charles Adams was just eight years old when he first encountered Cottage by the Sea. He fondly recalls his time there – and he says it saved his life. For this reason, Charles emphasises the importance of Gifts in Wills to ensure the ongoing financial stability of an organisation like the Cottage. In 2012, the […]
A day full of adventure!
It was the second day of camp and we were already having the best time! The Cottage staff then informed us that we were going swimming at the beach for the morning. Everyone was so excited and could not wait to get into the waves. We first had to line up in height order and […]
Resilience in the rain!
From the moment we arrived in Sydney it started to rain, we all joked about bringing the rain with the us from Victoria. Even though it was forecasted to rain all week this didn’t phase us. Our biggest day of the camp was spent all outdoors, starting at the Taronga Zoo. The ferry ride across […]
Surfs up!
It was day 3 of camp and we had been swimming and body boarding the day before, I did not think camp could get any better and that’s when the Cottage staff told us that today we were going surfing! I was so excited but also nervous because I had never been surfing before. The […]
2022 Winter Newsletter
When we welcomed our Mentors back on site for the first time this year, it was time for them to work together to achieve more. This plan of action started from the moment they walked in. They helped by taking the bags off the trailer, setting up beds and in the preparation and serving of […]
First time away from home!
We arrived at school to a very excited group of grade 2 students. This was their first EVER camp and for most it was their first EVER time away from home. From the moment the children arrived they were literally bursting with excitement, some bursting so much they could only express their excitement by screaming […]
It’s a multi climb kind of day!
Week 2 of the school holidays we took our older Mentor participants for an offsite mountain climbing camp at Mount Arapiles, a rock formation that rises about 140 metres above the Wimmera plains. While top roping, a few participants were very excited to push themselves though another multi-pitch which they had very little experience in. […]
Connecting & learning
Camp this week was all about connecting with others and learning new skills. Our Mentors were completing First Aid and Food Handling courses that would help them gain future employment and build important life skills. The group participating in the Food Handling Certificate and were put to the test the very first day after completing […]
Miss Amelia Chinn, Matron 1906-1928
Researched by Jeffrey Ernest Bergmeier a grand-nephew of Matron Miss Amelia Chinn. The family continued to live at Bass with Grandparents Rosetta and Joseph Chinn helping to support the four young children. By 1868 William had met and married Maria Rogers a scholarly mature lady who had never previously married & was by then 57 […]
What resilience looks like
Recently four of our staff took 22 children on a three-day hike to the Otways. This group of 12 to 13 year olds from suburban Melbourne had never slept in a tent, used a Trangia stove or walked for kilometres, let alone with a full pack on their back. These children needed to show resilience, […]
Quicksilver Surf Day
The tradition lives on. Every year for the last 13 years, Cottage by the Sea and Quicksilver / Boardriders have partnered up to run a surf day for the children attending Cottage by the Sea. This year’s lucky participants came from one of the communities effected be bushfires in 2019/20, who the Cottage has been […]
My First Surf
It was our third day of camp and today was the day we were going surfing! I had never been surfing before and I was so so so excited to try to stand up but I was just as nervous to fall off my board and not be able to surf. We got our swimming […]
Swimming lessons Cottage style
It is always a day full of excitement with everyone buzzing in anticipation of meeting our first year REEF participants. Camp 1 we welcomed 28 wonderful Grade 6 students from the Bellarine Peninsula to start their long and adventurous journey with Cottage from Grade 6 to Year 12. Activity one was a swim at the […]
