Adam DeMamiel has run bush camps for boys for the past two years.
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He knows how good it is to put away the mobile phone, go fishing or yabbying, maybe help out on the farm fencing or feeding stock, and then roll out the swag for a good night's sleep.
So in the most recent school holidays, DeMamiel brought the Boys to the Bush program back to Forbes, where he grew up.
Boys To The Bush is a program aimed at giving life skills and real-life experience to disengaged boys by getting them back to the basics.
The program, inspired by former local Adam DeMamiel and Richard Leahy and Tim Sanson from Albury-Wodonga, has grown to have regular camps at Howlong and Lake Cargelligo.
The kids all had a ball and the people involved were outstanding.
- Adam DeMamiel
More than 250 young men from up and down the eastern seaboard have jumped at the opportunity to be part of 20 camps so far.
But DeMamiel described this camp, back at home in Forbes, as outstanding - one of the best camps he's organised.
"The kids all had a ball and the people involved were outstanding," he said.
Adam said he would like to thank the Cowan, Tyack and Maguire families as well as several local businesses for supporting them.
At the camps, surrounded by the sounds, sights and smells of nature the boys tackle fishing, yabbying, cooking, wood-cutting, basic mechanics, animal husbandry, basic welding and fencing and more.
April, with its fine weather, was the perfect time for the group to get out and enjoy nature.
They are looking to return to Forbes with another Boys To The Bush camp in the September to October school holiday period.
With generous offers of a number of possible locations, DeMamiel said there's a possibility they will have multiple camps at the end of the year.
To help the Forbes community engage with the program, they are planning to host a community information day before the next camp.
Adam hopes this will help community members and businesses get to know what the program is about.
Their aim is to help boys become better sons, better dads, better mates, better employees and better blokes.
For more information about Boys To The Bush, to donate to support the camps or to get involved, visit https://boystothebush.org.au/