Thanks to a grant from the Huon Valley Health Services Advisory Committee (part of the Department of Health and Human Services), the LBT was able to deliver a healthy eating program alongside the On the Water Program during the last school semester of 2011 to students from Huonville High, Cygnet Primary, Geeveston District High and Dover District High Schools.

We (instructors, teachers, parents and sometimes the students themselves) had, at times, noted an association between poor nutrition choices (processed foods, snack foods, packaged foods) and poor concentration and/or lack of stamina during the four hour OWP sessions over the last two years.

The grant enabled the LBT to employ a cook (Jilly Archer) with an interest in healthy eating. A healthy breakfast was prepared for the students when they arrived for the OWP; for example porridge, muffins, scones and a healthy lunch was also delivered; wraps, salad rollls or sandwiches, soups etc.

Meals were chosen as being simple to prepare as well as being sourced from local ingredients where possible and cost was a major factor in the choice of foods. They were invariably cheap and easy to prepare meals. Students were given information on the food types and the ease of preparing as well as the benefits of the food choices and the need to eat well if engaging in strenuous outdoor activities.

One of the unexpected benefits of the healthy eating program was that of students, teachers and instructors sitting down together to eat a meal (instructors and teachers pay for the privilege) as it truly engendered a pleasant and cooperative environment, which only assisted the later activities on the water.

Feedback received thus far is that the program was an overwhelming success, certaily it was delivered on budget, thanks to the hard work of Jilly Archer and her volunteer assistants, Ninka Koc, Jane Walduck, Helen Shevels and Barbara Smith.

Questionnairs were circulated to all students at the beginning and the end of the program and the results of the first questionnaire is available here Results of 1st HEP questionnaire.pdf.zip. (zipped pdf 463Mb).

A second questionnaire has been circulated and is still being compiled. The questionnaire is available here. Second questionaire .pdf.zip It is also available as an on-line form here.