Today's speaker, Adam Wake, joined Cottage by the Sea in June 2019 after 11 years managing the Lions Village Licola. He found a love of working for children in need when moved from commercially based camp programs to the not for profit sector. His passion continues to be working to provide better life opportunities for children.
Located only a stone’s throw from the beach, Cottage by the Sea is a charity for children in Queenscliff, Victoria since 1890. The professional programs receive no government funding and rely solely on the generosity of your donations.Cottage By The Sea's mission is to enhance the lives of more children by providing inspiration, fun and opportunity within a holiday environment.
The Take a Break program emphasises inspiration, fun and opportunity. Camps encourage children to be active, healthy, confident and respectful. This program also includes relief camps offered to children from areas affected by disasters such as bushfires and floods. The Take a Break program gives children opportunities to experience a wide range of fun and inspirational activities that challenge (like Surfing), or encourage team building (like the low ropes course), or experiential learning (like rock pool rambles).Children are usually in grades 3-6 (ages 8-12) and stay at the Cottage for up to 5 days.
Children are referred to Cottage by the Sea by schools, welfare agencies, government health departments or council services.
The REEF program is an experiential learning program beginning in grade six. The two-year program follows a group of participants through their final year of primary school and their first year of secondary school. The young people attend camps based at Cottage by the Sea or offsite in a range of outdoor environments. While participating in outdoor adventure and group activities, participants are encouraged to have fun while taking calculated risks. Camp activities are designed to help young people develop skills that will open up opportunities now and in the future.Over the 2 years, participants attend 10 camps that vary in length between 3-5days.
Cottage by the Sea approach schools within an identified area who then recommend participants who will benefit from the Cottage by the Sea REEF program.
Throughout its long history, the Cottage has provided short term care within a holiday environment for children in need. Over time, the circumstances of the children attending the Cottage has varied, from convalescing children, children affected by war, fire, famine, flood, or simply disadvantaged in key life areas.In December 2020, Cottage by the Sea officially opened the doors to a bright, modern renovation. When children, and visitors alike, first arrive at the Cottage they are greeted by the grand façade of the original 1930s building, sympathetically restored to its whitewashed coastal glory. Through the welcoming double doors, the children’s eyes are drawn immediately to the multi-coloured spiral slide that leads down from the dormitory floor to the colourful, sunny foyer.
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he slide encapsulates so much of what the Cottage means to the generations of children who have come here over 130 years and will come through for many decades to come. First and foremost, the slide is fun. It is adventurous. The journey through it is longer than you might imagine. When the children tumble gently out of the slide onto the soft landing mat at the bottom, they are filled with a joy that they share spontaneously with their peers and adults alike. This sense of bonding and belonging is immediate. The experience of the slide shares so much with all the activities the children take part in while at Cottage: ocean swimming, boogie boarding, long walks to the light house, the low ropes course and the many team building games organised by our programs team. All these activities are aimed at building confidence and engaging children in a fun way.
he slide encapsulates so much of what the Cottage means to the generations of children who have come here over 130 years and will come through for many decades to come. First and foremost, the slide is fun. It is adventurous. The journey through it is longer than you might imagine. When the children tumble gently out of the slide onto the soft landing mat at the bottom, they are filled with a joy that they share spontaneously with their peers and adults alike. This sense of bonding and belonging is immediate. The experience of the slide shares so much with all the activities the children take part in while at Cottage: ocean swimming, boogie boarding, long walks to the light house, the low ropes course and the many team building games organised by our programs team. All these activities are aimed at building confidence and engaging children in a fun way.As the children leave the reception area, the excitement builds with stunning views of the water and Port Phillip Heads. From the dining area, water views can be seen from all angles. The use of a large servery window and glass splash back in the kitchen allow the children the comfort of seeing who is making their meals while the delightful smells of nutritious food fill the Cottage.
The dining room and back deck allow the children a full view of all their play areas – ropes course, sand and fire pits, basketball court and large open grass area for various activities that connect the Cottage to the beach that appears to be within arm’s reach.All elements of the redesign have been carefully orchestrated to meet the many needs of our children, including tackling the issue of real anxiety that some children feel on arrival in a new environment. Every element of the redesign has been focussed on generating happiness and providing a sense of security. This forms the very basis of the work we do to help enhance children’s lives.
The modern extension is evident with the use of the Cottage colours on the bottom deck area; bright and light, evoking happiness and optimism. Grey cladding blends with the recycled bricks seamlessly transitioning the new and the old, connecting our 130 years of history to the new and inspiring opportunities of the future.
Adam Wake joined Cottage by the Sea in June 2019 after 11 years managing the Lions Village Licola Inc (LVL). Prior to this, Adam held management roles in outdoor education in Australia and internationally.
In addition to a valuable career in outdoor education, Adam holds a law & business degree, has experience in finance as a fund manager and training in mental health first aid, childhood trauma, child protection and a range of professional studies.