By Mikayla van Loon
Two days of bliss awaited the siblings of those with a disability as they embarked on a camp designed to build relationships and offer respite.
Heading to the YMCA Mount Evelyn Discovery Camp on Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 January, the 16 participants were greeted by nature, outdoor activities, socialisation and a dedicated support team.
The Archie’s Club Camp, founded by Oscars100 charity organisers Michelle and Andrew Payne, looks to give siblings aged between 10 and 16, who often find themselves in a caring role, the chance to unwind, make friends and have fun.
“Anxiety and stress is really high in siblings, particularly of those with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), because of the way it presents itself and a lot of these kids are going to end up being carers or partial carers for their siblings as time goes on,” Michelle said.
“It’s quite an isolating life if you don’t have the support and there aren’t supports around. That’s the whole reason we’re doing this because there’s limited to no government funding for sibling programs.”
A Siblings Australia survey in 2019 found 84 per cent of adult siblings of a person with disability reported family stress as an issue during their childhood and 66 per cent experienced anxiety.
Partnering with disability support not-for-profit Aruma, community support team leader Will Labas said with the camp only being in its second year, the main aim was to grow participation.
“We actually had a really overwhelming response. So we had over 75 families reach out and express their interest in total,” he said.
“I confirmed, including the waitlist, 30 at one point, so we had a really nice number where our max was 24. It was a massive increase from the year before of having 10.”
Reflected in those numbers, Will said, was the tendency for siblings to also be diagnosed with anxiety, with at least half of the 75 initial families identifying anxiety in their child.
Unfortunately, some participants had to pull out because of illness and other reasons but Will said it was fantastic to see so much interest and is a positive sign for 2025.
Aruma, funded through Oscars100, will also be helping facilitate free outings throughout this year for siblings to reconnect with friends from the camp or make new connections.
“We’re going to do outings that the charity will cover so they’ll go either to timezone or they’ll go bowling or they’ll do something and there’ll be eight of those that the kids can then come and choose from,” Michelle said.
“We’re just trying to make sure these kids have a safe place that actually continues throughout the year and they know they’ve got the camp, and then they’ve got their outings and then they’ve got the camp and we’re hoping this is how it’s going to build.
“We’re really just trying to build a program that just maintains relationships throughout the year, not just for one camp once a year.”
Michelle said for many siblings being able to invite friends over or getting to do family activities is not a reality, depending on what their brother or sister can handle because of their disability.
“If you’ve got a sibling who has a disability, you might have to miss out on things or you get told ‘we’re going to go and do this’ but ‘I’m sorry, they’ve had a massive meltdown, we can’t go today’.
“So you’re consistently disappointed. They might lash out at you. Then your world is not a typical world.”
But by meeting other siblings going through similar situations at home, Michelle said it can make all the difference to their self esteem, confidence and feeling like they’re not alone.
For Mooroolbark local Karen Fleischer, who has two daughters, one with autism and one without, this was the second time her daughter Mia, attended Archie’s Club camp, and Karen has been blown away by the service.
“Mia absolutely loved Archie’s Club camp and came home a different child. Not only has she made new friends that understand exactly what she is going through but she also came home with more understanding of ASD and her sister’s experiences,” she said.
“I have been searching for a program that supports siblings of ASD children for years. Often, it’s the siblings that take a back seat and because of this, I constantly battle internally with ‘mum guilt.’ I am so thankful for Archie’s Club and all that it offers.”
Initially starting Oscars100 in 2014 after their son, Oscar, was diagnosed with autism in 2011, Archie’s Club stemmed from recognising the challenges that then presented for their youngest son Archie.
The main fundraising event for the charity is the ultra marathon trail run Hut 2 Hut, which takes place at Mount Buller each year. This year the event is scheduled for the weekend of 16 to 18 February, with three categories to choose from; 100km, 50km or 10km.
More information can be found at hut2hut.oscars100.com.au
To find out more about Oscars100, visit oscars100.com.au. To inquire about joining Archie’s Club, go to aruma.com.au and search for Archie’s Club.
