The Mount Isa bush camp was our first big event. We took 12 young fellas out on country for three days. No phones, no internet — just the bush, the fire, and each other.

Day one was hard. Some of these kids had never been out of town before. They didn't know how to set up a swag, didn't know what to do without their phones. But by the second night, something shifted. They were helping each other, sharing stories around the fire, asking the Elders questions about country.

We had Uncle come out and do a Welcome to Country. He told the boys about the old tracks, the songlines that run through this area. You could see it clicking for some of them — this connection to something bigger than themselves.

The camp wasn't just about getting kids out bush. It was about showing them they can do hard things. Some of these boys had never spent a night away from home. By the end of it, they didn't want to leave.

One boy told me afterwards: 'That was the best three days of my life.' He's now one of our regulars at Tuesday gym. That's the ripple effect.