From those who were attending the Annual Children’s Burn Camp for the sixth time to those who were a bit nervous as it was their first experience, around 35 burns survivors from all over New Zealand gathered at Willow Park Christian Camp at Eastern Beach on Friday.
The five-day camp, hosted by the Burn Support Charitable Trust, started with Pakuranga MP Simeon Brown reaching out to the young and enthusiastic burn survivors who were looking forward to making new friends and finding their own voice.
Instantly taking up to Brown, there was a lot of banter as one of the teenagers asked the MP: `Will you be participating in Dancing with the Stars this year? We will vote for you’.
Another six-year-old offered him lollies from his secret stash.
The yearly camp Awhi for burn survivors aged 7-17 provides a secure environment to nurture and raise the self-esteem of young burn survivors.
Supported by the Howick Local Board and Lions Foundation, Camp Awhi got off to a flying start as survivors headed to the beach and had a fun experience with jetskis and ski biscuits.
