Camp Reminiscing [Part I]

Let the reminiscing begin!

Glenn and I were recently talking about the importance of summer camp. I figure if I believe it is true, then I should prove it somehow. So, I’ve decided to reflect on my years as a camper and camp employee. I will write about what I learned then and what I have learned by reflecting over those years as time has gone on. Of course, this will require a lot of discussion about people as it truly is others who make the most significant impact on our lives. I am calling on those of you who were there during my years to join me in discussion. I might even try to get updates on some of you – I have lost touch with way too many great friends. I hope you don’t mind being featured here at some point. Thanks for joining me on this journey. I am getting excited just thinking about the possibilities.

I will start by looking back at the summer of 1994 when I was a camp employee at The Salvation Army’s Camp Selkirk, in Selkirk, Ontario. During that particular summer at camp, I spent 5 weeks there as a counselor and spent the other summer weeks as a server in the dining room. Here is a camp staff picture from that year (it doesn't include counsellors though):



The camp directors at the time were Captains Fred and Wendy Waters. They had two young sons, Jason and Philip (correct me if I’m wrong about the number of ls). If I remember correctly, Jason was an avid reader.


Philip wasn’t so much. Instead, when only about 5 years old, he ‘showed up’ the maintenance staff by putting stairs up at a building during their lunch hour. Here are him and Glenn working on the project:



Philip also built furniture for us ladies of girls’ staff (Hoover House ruled!!), and we loved it.


Where are you boys now? I would love to hear from you!

What I learned from Jason and Philip? Although both can be very cute and sweet, two children of the same sex from the same parents can be very different and have very different strengths and weaknesses, and need to be treated accordingly. The Waters did that well.

When I think about "Mama Wawa," my strongest memory is of the night she came over to Hoover House at curfew to make sure we were all there… and then let us all head over to the canteen for late night snacks! Woo hoo! Very cool!

What I learned from Mama Wawa? Loosen up sometimes! The fun moments will be remembered!

Under Captain Waters’ leadership, a long-range development plan was put together for the camp. It was awesome. The ropes course was installed and that part was so much fun. There were all sorts of other plans to improve the camp, and he saw many through. However, he was eventually transferred and gradually over time, the plan was lost (ignored?), until last summer, the camp was sold, for various reasons.

Since that camp is where Glenn and I started dating, and spent many of our dating and engaged years together, somehow to me our son Jonah was kinda made there. So we took him there last summer and had our picture taken by the sign.


That day we walked all over the camp, including back to the ropes course. The course was all grown in – a hazard to use at this point, in our opinion. Near the campfire site, one bridge was entirely missing and the whole area was grown in. It wasn’t the Camp Selkirk we remembered. It had already been lost. It was a sad time for us, and for some people, it was a very, very difficult thing. Let’s not dwell on that here though. On this earth we are to hold things loosely. We have great pictures and great memories of Camp Selkirk.

What I learned from Captain Waters (through no fault of his own)? Dreaming big is good, and even better if you put goals and objectives together, but if you’re going to dream big, and put a plan together, you’re going to have to stick around to see it through.

Were you with me at Camp Selkirk while the Waters were the Camp Directors? What did you learn from them?

p.s. Here is a picture of Captain Waters with some girls and guys in the boys' staff building… I guess he let us get away with a little from time to time…