Aston “Astro” Wenham

G’day mate!  ‘Ow ya goin?  Me, I’m bonza!  Flat out like a lizard drinkin’, gettin’ stuck into some fair dinkum hard yakka at camp and keen as mustard to be returning for my second summer with the nippers in the scrub!

Translation: “Hi there, friend. How are you?  I’m great, myself!  I’m very busy putting in some honest hard work for camp pre-season, and am very excited to spend my second summer with the kids in the woods!”

My name’s Aston (but you can call me Astro if you like) and I hail from Queensland, Australia.  If you’re not sure, Queensland is the pointy bit of Australia and I grew up in an area that might well be considered the Outback by some…but I can assure you that there is much more ‘Out’ and a massive expanse of ‘Back’ beyond my tiny hometown, Comet…How tiny? Think 80-100 residents, a post-office, a store, a rodeo ground and a primary (elementary) school with 30 students and one teacher…that’s it!  Sound boring?  Not really.  When we were young, my sister, my friends and I made our fun outside; climbing trees, jumping into rivers, fishing, riding bikes, building cubby houses, exploring the bush and getting our feet dirty.  It was an awesome and beautiful place to grow up!  Here are a couple of photos my Mum recently took in Comet…

But by the time I graduated high-school in the nearby (and slightly larger) town of Emerald, I’d lost my love for the bush so I moved away and made a second home in Queensland’s capital Brisbane, where I lived for 8 years.  A whole bunch of my best mates still live there so I visit regularly, though I no longer call it home.

Long story short, I worked all sorts of jobs in Brisbane before ending up in a government office for 4 years where I went insane staring at walls every day…so I sold all my stuff and moved to the desert.  I didn’t know where I was going or what I was doing but I knew one thing for sure…I was going to work outside!  Somehow I scored myself a job as a tour guide leading 3-day camping trips to Uluru (the famous big, red rock) and other, equally spectacular formations…it was AMAZING!  Hiking, camping, cooking on fires, and educating travellers about the landscape and culture…what a way to make a living!  I had finally found a job that inspired me and decided to pursue guiding as a career.

Now I roam Australia and New Zealand, finding the coolest jobs in the most beautiful locations.  Since the desert I’ve worked as a horseback guide in NZ (Lord of the Rings film location tours), quad (ATV) guide on Moreton Island (the world’s 3rd largest sand island – it’s near Brisbane) and a zipline guide in the Daintree (The world’s oldest rainforest).

Besides finding a source of joy and inspiration in my career, I’ve also developed a passion for working with people of all ages and walks of life. Guiding a group through fun and informative experiences, and helping individuals take steps to conquer their fears gives me immense satisfaction and – more importantly – a sense of purpose.

And somehow in all this I ended up at summer camp in America… All thanks to an ex-Augustan I met in the rainforest.  His description of this place gave me a feeling of wonder that stuck with me and grew as I checked out the website.  At some point I realised that Augusta was a place I HAD to go… and here I am for another visit to California and the Wonderland that is Augusta.  Last year I had a blast with the boys of Pine, and this year I’m stepping over to Cedar Village to see what the older crew are up to!

Right: Me as one of my favourite Evening Program characters from last year: Sandy Spektor, a 10 year-old girl fascinated by exploration and Nancy Drew… I definitely got a few funny looks…and a lot of laughs…

Passions I’m bringing  back with me to camp:

  • Poi spinning
  • High ropes facilitation
  • Story writing
  • Game creation
  • Ridiculous Australian accents and sayings…Struth, someone’s nicked me ute! (Oh bother, somebody appears to have stolen my pickup truck!)
  • Costumes
  • General silliness
  • Blacksmithing
  • A thirst for new experiences
  • A desire to learn new skills and arts
  • Helping people discover a love for something new

I learned so much last year in my first summer and am incredibly stoked to be returning for a second to build upon that foundation of skill and knowledge, bringing as much Wish, Wonder and Surprise as possible…also, I can’t wait for the joyful insanity I know will unfold once the kids arrive…

See ya when I’m lookin’ at ya!

Translation: “See you soon!”

Astro

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