My journey with BGS and Pepperina Hill began early April 1978. I was interviewed on a Thursday, offered the position then and there, and asked to arrive the following morning for a Monday start. The expression baptism of fire held true. The first bus of students arrived at 10am carrying some 30-odd Year 8 boys, three Year 12 Prefects and the Form teacher.
Some 8,500 boys passed through Pepperina Hill throughout my 29 years there. I spent over 500 nights camping out in the open, clocked hundreds of climbs to the surrounding summits, and hiked thousands of kilometres across the terrain.
Those years we punctuated by many inspirational moments. Frequently, boys would discover a hidden treasure in themselves - often in the form of overcoming challenges they had previously perceived as impossible. These self-discoveries were not measurable or scalable. There were no scores, no passes, no fails, no wins, no losses. I am hopeful that those who experienced Pepperina Hill hold positive, lasting memories which they reflect upon with pride. The gleeful expressions on their young faces when they achieved the unachievable remains with me today.
An outdoor centre such as Pepperina Hill can only prosper as much as its people believe in it. I was extremely fortunate to share my nearly three-decades with a most outstanding group of people. Now that fifty years have passed, and with the growth of the facility, I am sensing that the next fifty years will be its most rewarding yet.
- Jim Johnson, Former Outdoor Education Teacher