After overwhelming expressions of interest in attending January 2015’s iThirst Pathfinder Camporee, Adventist Youth leaders have announced a change of venue to the much larger Toowoomba Showgrounds, approximately two hours west of Brisbane.
When more than 11,000 Pathfinders and their leaders from Australia, New Zealand and around the South Pacific region said they planned to attend the event at Stuarts Point, NSW, camporee organisers initially responded by announcing strict quotas that would have halved the number of Pathfinders in attendance. Meanwhile a scramble began behind the scenes to find an alternative venue that would come closer to catering for the unexpected surge in interest.
“The change means so many more young people will get to experience camporee,” said Litiana Turner, associate director of Adventist Youth Ministries for the South Pacific Division (SPD). “I really take my hat off to our volunteers, who have already done so much planning and prep work for our activities. Now they have to start some things again, but once the decision was made everyone supported it.”
A camporee bringing together Pathfinders from around the SPD only happens once every eight years, making it a once-in-a-lifetime event for many Pathfinders. The Toowoomba venue is closer for people attending from the Pacific, many of whom have to fly through Brisbane and will be staying in Caboolture before and after the event.
“This decision was thought through very carefully and we believe God led in the decision,” said Dr Nick Kross, director of Adventist Youth.
