ADAM DeMamiel was driving back to camp.
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He had dropped off a young boy at the airport who he had just spent the past five days camping with as part of the Boys To The Bush program.
All of a sudden with tears welling in his eyes, he was overcome with emotion and needed to pull over to compose himself.
As the tears ran down his cheeks, it suddenly dawned on Mr DeMamiel that the Boys To The Bush was more than "just a camp."
It was life-changing.
"Every camp we hold, there is heartbreaking stories that the boys will share," Mr DeMamiel said.
"One of the most heartbreaking happened whilst I was taking a 12-year-old boy back to the airport.
"He told me how he was forced to take drugs by his parents, had been living in a motel for five months and how many times he had been suspended from school.
"He seemed like a tough kid at the camp who had not shown much emotion.
"As we reached the airport he started crying, pleading he did not want to go home and wanted to stay longer.
"As heartbreaking as it was, I told him he had to go back home but he was welcome back anytime his case worker would send him.
"It was at that moment I knew that Boys To The Bush was having the impact on kids that we had hoped for."
The not-for-profit Boys To The Bush program was inspired by three Border teachers Mr DeMamiel, Richard Leahy and Tim Sanson.
From humble beginnings two-years ago the Boys To The Bush has made tremendous inroads and gives hope, life skills and real life experience to disengaged boys.
Mr DeMamiel and Mr Sanson have run boys education programs in their own time for almost a decade.
For several years they took a handful of boys to Mr Sanson’s family farm at Lake Cargelligo for a week of hands-on farm life.
"We'd been doing a boys education program for 10-years in our job and saw the positive effect it had on a lot of the boys," Mr Sanson said.
"We thought to ourselves why not try and do this with more boys?"
"He told me how he was forced to take drugs by his parents, had been living in a motel for five months and how many times he had been suspended from school.
- Adam DeMamiel
Enter Mr Leahy.
Mr Leahy arrived at Albury High School in 2013 and shared the same values and saw the benefits of boys education programs.
Armed with a business background, Mr Leahy sowed the seed for Boys To The Bush becoming more than just a school program.
He registered a business name with insurances and funds the next step.
Stephen Bowler from Crowe Horwarth was consulted and a board of directors was formed with Boys To The Bush forming as a Not For Profit Organisation.
Fast forward almost two years and the Boys To The Bush has a board of 10 directors which oversee all aspects of the business.
More than 20 camps with in excess of 250 boys attending have been conducted.
Approximately 60 per cent of the boys are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and more than 85 per cent from Out Of Home Care living arrangements.
Boys travel from Queensland, South Australia as well as all over NSW and Victoria.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Camps are based at Howlong, Lake Cargelligo with Forbes the latest addition.
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.
"At the start of a camp we are warned that the boys cannot survive without their phones," Mr Leahy said.
"By the end of the week the boys have forgotten all about it.
"Many of the boys that need medication to help them sleep, fall asleep before we are able to give them their medication.
"It's giving kids a connection. Many of these kids are now attending our camps regularly and are staying in contact with both staff and other participants."
As a board it was decided that Boys To The Bush needed to grow in order to offer their services to more youth that are in desperate need.
Last week it was announced that Mr DeMamiel would be taking leave from his full-time teaching position to help grow the organisation and its programs.
"I'm passionate about this program and I am proud of what it has already achieved," he said.
"We are hoping the community can get behind us and see the value in us helping as many boys to better themselves in the future.
"We aim to provide a number of new programs locally to assist our youth with the multiple issues they face including mental health education, financial literacy and some old school values."
For more information or donations go to the website boystothebush.org.au
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