Hostage taken to the flag pole

I am really at a loss to remember what started this. I know the women at Junior Music Camp were being teased about something...what was it? At any rate the teaser was Martin Vize. In revenge Martin was awoken by a group of women, tied up still in his sleeping bag and taken to the flag pole where he was secured for everyone to see as they awoke.
The name of Debbie Williams is attached to this in my memory, but I might be mistaken.
Are you out there Debbie? Remember this? Who else was in on this?
I have to add that Martin took this stride and was a very good sport about it.

First camp experience

I'm being a bit selfish this morning by posting a Camp Selkirk picture with a family connection. This is our eldest son Jason at the beginning of Junior Music Camp. I think he had been playing a very short time and he is waiting by Ernie Pitt to go "audition". That year the kids, maybe just the younger kids, but they had huge name tags. You can see his blowing in the wind.

At any rate - how young were you when you started at camp? What do you remember? What camp was it? Music, cub, guide, other?

Before Selkirk

This picture actually comes from my wife. It was among some of Wendy's grandparent's pictures. Some of you will know that Wendy is a Kitney - from Argyle/Hamilton Temple (and is therefore related to the Harris', Marriotts and the Evendens). You will find her Dad Norm in this picture. He's on the left side, third row from the front with dark hair and glasses (about 3 in from the left side).

At any rate this picture I think predates Camp Selkirk by a year or two. I know that Jackson's Point camp was originally purchased by the Territory with the plan that all of Ontario would attend it. Camping ministries were so popular that in 1948 the Divisional Commander of the day, Lt. Colonel Joseph Acton, purchased 86 acres from the Hoover family on the shores of Lake Erie and began Camp Selkirk. But for two years prior to that decision, the division rented a camp and ran their summer program there.

I am wondering if this is one of those camps. You can see that someone is holding a megaphone with the words "Camp Erie Heights" on it. (It's hard to see but it is there.)

Were you there? Do you have any information on this?

We would love to hear from you.

From the kitchen

Okay - so what is going on here? More pictures I've been sent. You will have to fill in the details! What is Bev doing?

Award Winners

I don't believe that an official list exists anywhere, but I would be interested in hearing from award winners.

Do we have any reading this?

Let's hear from you - what did you get and when?

Oh - and name the people in the photo. I'll give you this much: that's me with the late Lt. Colonel Bob Slous. The kids are...

Is it all about the boys?

We have posted many, many pictures of the girls but the guys deserve a post too. After all the guys had fun too! Any stories that you can think of?

And of course - name the people!

Post your favourite song

It's campfire time friends. Time to post your favourite campfire song.

For me, I don't think I'll ever get over Fiona Kinghorn screaming her lungs out over "There ain't no flies on us". Maybe I didn't get it...but there isn't any singing to that song! So is it really a song?

And who can forget Greg Eden leading us in..."Second verse, little bit louder, little bit worse"

This is the Pitts

She was the cook! I mean THE cook...and when she wasn't the cook she seemed to be a second Mom to many of the girls. And then there was Ernie! What can we say about Professor Joy! Always willing to help around the camp, and to be involved especially if it meant working with children.
Now come on there, especially those of you who have known these two for a long time. What do you think?

The Smell

J9 reminds us of that lovely aroma down at the beach...rotting fish, seaweed...yuck! And yet at the same time there were times when it was a wonderful place to go.

But for those of us a little older we remember another smell. The ol' dining room, which became the craft hall (or recreation hall) when I was a kid at Camp Selkirk, had a water fountain outside the front door. I needed to take a hayfever tablet (that's another story) and I nearly chooked when I tried to get to the water fountain. Yuck - it smelled like sulfer.

The smell was solved when the then Major Roy Calvert was the DS for Ontario South. Someone will tell me who was the DYS of the day.

Behind the scenes

Those girls on staff they loved each other! Well I think they did! What is she doing?

I remember that hair dying got to be a regular event in the girls dorm - sometimes even on the DYS's deck! More photos from Christine...

Welcome to Camp Selkirk Days blog!

We are pulling people in from all across Canada and now Bermuda! (Hello Major Betty Ann Lewis) Since beginning this blog on February 4th we have had over a thousand hits and almost 7000 page views. Today our total was 86 hits alone. Word is out on Camp Selkirk Days blog!

Hello to all the former DYS's as well as those who worked at Selkirk! People are forwarding photos at an alarming rate, but I will try and get them up as we go. Keep putting out the word on Camp Selkirk Days blog!

Oh - one more thing for those of you who are looking and haven't commented yet - hit the comment button below and let us know you are out there!

Here's a few that came from Christine (Morrison) Gedcke.

Once again we issue the challenge: can you name the faces below? can you put a year to them?

Selkirk Faces

1995 Girls Staff pictures

So from Janine Elvin come these pictures of days gone by...lots of recognizable faces here, but it isn't up to me to name them. So let's here from you. Start from the top and work your way down! Got to love those blue uniforms! I hope someone kept them when the camp was sold!

About the DYS

(1987 Kitchen Staff)

Love them or loathe them, the role of the DYS was an extremely important one at camp. For those of us on camp staff, leaving our parents for the whole summer usually for the first time, the DYS's became surrogate parents for us. As campers, they were part of the whole picture that made camp fun.

I remember several DYS's throughout my time at Selkirk, the Piercey's, the Young's, the Waters's (although I didn't spend much time at camp in their day), it was Captains Doug and Betty Ann Lewis who had the biggest impact on my life.

My sister and I had applied for and been turned down for jobs at camp in the summer of 1987. Captain and Mrs. Lewis couldn't find enough workers for their early weekend camps and they heard that because of construction at our school, our school year had ended in May, so we we were available for work. We were hired for the weekend camps and both ended up getting hired for the whole summer. We were pretty excited.

I remember at the beginning of the summer, Mrs. Lewis told us that if we were ever in trouble we should buy her a Diet Coke from the canteen and come and talk to her about it. I'd hate to guess how much money I spent on Diet Coke that summer.

Several years ago, as I was working as the Youth Director at my corps here in Windsor and was on faculty at Camp Glenhuron music camp, now Majors Doug and Betty Ann Lewis came to visit Camp Glenhuron in their new roles at Ontario West DHQ (before the amalgamation). I was one of the first people Mrs. Lewis saw when she got to camp. At least 12 years had gone by since we had seen each other, but she still greeted me with a warm hug. She introduced me to whoever she was with and said, "This girl worked really hard for me at camp, but her sister caused me all kinds of trouble!" Now, I could have let that go, but in respect of my sister's honour, I had to correct her and say she had gotten us confused.

No matter what I did, or how many consecutive early curfews I had, I knew that the Lewis's loved me. I was surprised when they hired me back the next summer and they were surprised when I got there the second summer and worked really hard for them! They are great people of God who loved all of us on their staff and every camper who came through the gates.

Who was your DYS and what memories do you have?

It is all about people

Selkirk people - what happened in terms of buildings or program, in the end it was all about the people. Here's a few faces from the past!

Where are they now?

Cabins sold

I've been waiting to post this picture because it comes from just about this time of the year. In 1992 we began a discussion at DHQ around the difficult design of the cabins. They had been retrofitted and it was not a good design for a children's camp. As well we had a desire to make the camp a year round facility and the cabins of the day would be unable to be winterized easily.

The decision was made to create a new design and a meeting was held at the local Blue Water Inn with Architect Bruce Fair to see what could be done. Following a camp walk-about, we met with lunch and Bruce began to create some optional design ideas. A common room was needed, washrooms, a staff location, dorms that would hold no more than six children and a large covered porch for moving gatherings outdoors if desired. Of course we wanted to create a handicap access so we agreed there would be no steps coming to the cabin, rather a ramp up on side meeting the large covered porch.

In February of 1994 I met with a man who was interested in buying all the old cabins, and it was agreed upon that he would remove them from their locations. As they were sitting on blocks it was an easy process and within two days all the cabins were gone and the field sat empty. It was a strange sight.

It was a terrifying sight too, for I knew that the camping season was not far off, and we would need to be ready within 16 weeks to re-open.

The End of an Era

The Senior Music Camp 2004 final program was the last official event to take place at camp. I hadn't been to a final program in years, so I decided I'd go.

It was a typical music camp closing program with performances, awards, chorus singing and inside jokes about events that took place over the course of the week, that left the visitors puzzled and the camp participants laughing.

 

One highlight not typical of a program was a slide show of camps over the years. Many of us viewed it through teary eyes. There was also a final flag lowering ceremony.

I've heard several rumours over the last few years. Does anyone know the true fate of the camp?

Thank you Camp Selkirk for 56 years of memories!

Awaiting the terrifying audition

I was making way through across the grounds on the first day of Junior Music Camp checking on things were when I stumbled across these fine young men outside the auditorium awaiting their audition. They seemed in good spirits, glad to be at camp and when I picked up my camera to take a shot they all wanted to be in one shot!

The year was_____? And they are_________?

Camp Selkirk Music Camp Song

I wondered how long it would take for this to come up?

Greg Riman raises the question: Are these the right words?

"Come and give a cheer for SMC,
It's the place we love to be (we love to be there)
With music in the air and joy is everywhere,
We love you SMC.
With our leaders and our bands so great,
Serving God in constant faith,
There's music in the air and joy is everywhere,
We love you SMC! RAH!"

The name is HOOVER

The Old Hoover House which went through many uses is an amazing structure. It had a small creek that ran under the western foundation, which allowed the family to have water year round. An elaborate hand pump in the basement was used to move water into the attic. Thus the house had running water from the water pressure coming from the tank at the highest point of the house.

One of the children who grew up in the house returned in the summer of 1992 and gave us some interesting history of the home.

Did you know that the exterior walls were 12 inches thick - poured concrete - and exactly 40 feet one half inch in length. The basement had a fireplace which was used for boiling sap to make maple syrup and there were many rooms in the basement which were used to dry and preserve fruit from the many fruit trees that grew on the property.

The house had, at one time, used natural gas for heating, directly from the floor of Lake Erie. Natural Gas bubbles up through the lake floor in several places, and the Hoovers taped into it.

The foundation of the original home the Hoovers lived in was directly north of the old house. When we arrived it was covered in refuse that had been dumped there, and was over grown. Using money from a Canada Works Program we cleaned up the site and discovered the old foundation.

You can read about the history of the Hoover family here.

But from the pages of Camp Selkirk history comes this picture from within the house! Thanks J9!

Sunday School Camp

I'm not sure what year this comes from. It was Sunday School (seems I'm stating the obvious) and was in keeping with the Territories' theme of "Say YES to Sunday School". The division saw some great growth in Sunday Schools during that campaign.

Here's the challenge - can you name anyone in the photo?

Girls staff 1994

In 1994 we began to re-organize the buildings around the camp. The DC's cabin became the new hospital, the hospital became the new girls dorm, and of course the new cabins were built.
For a time, the girls had to exist in Cedar Lodge until we could make some changes to the ol' hospital. The advantage to putting the girls into the old hospital (in case you guys never figured it out) was that it would put them across from the DY's accomodation. (Not that we didn't trust you, it was for your own protection!)
At any rate, from the days in Cedar Lodge Carla has provided us with a picture of the staff girls skipping in the common area. I think I see Carla second from the left.

Let's sing it again

Here’s a group shot of Senior Music Camp 1985, special guests Len Ballentine (instrumental) and Glenda Crawford (vocal) in the centre of the first row on either side of then DYS Captain Charles Young.

Does anyone remember Captain Charlie Young's insistence that the Divisional Commander of the day join in on the actions of a song he was leading for the final program of Junior Music Camp? We must have sung that song 7 times...and at the end of it he would say: "Now the DC is not doing the actions...so we will sing that song again so he can join in. He didn't. A year later we had a new DYS. :)

Camp Romances

Ahhhhhh yes this topic had to surface sooner or later didn't it ... camp romances! Natalie (Hann) Silke sort of alluded to this briefly in a previous comment.

If we're all honest with ourselves here folks, did we really work at camp to earn a bit of spending money or to gain some valuable "work experience"? Did we really go to Senior Music Camp to improve our theory, vocal, or instrumental skills?? Did we really go to camp to get more serious about our relationship with God??? Well of course not!!! Face it people ... we all just wanted to hook up! HAHA!

On a more serious note though, camp for some did end up being that place where a friendship developed into relationship, and that relationship later lead to marriage! For others (like me!) camp romances just turned out to be a dismal case of heartbreak hotel, LOL. There were even those who predicted that such and such a couple would never make it long term, and Sherri (Sturge) Lavender has a neat little example about this.

Did that exciting camp romance of yours eventually lead to a wonderful marriage?! Will your story of love keep us oozing for more? We want to hear about it!

Here is a picture of two friends from the summer of 1994 who became a happily married husband and wife! Who ever would have predicted this one?! Can you name the couple? Shout it out!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Who will ring the bell?

A note & photos from Natalie Silke:
"Hi there! It was such a great idea to create a Selkirk Blog. It's so nice
to hear that although Selkirk is gone, it'll live on! So, who's going to
start planning the reunion? Wouldn't that be such a great event? Sign me
up for the planning committee :)"

Ah, the bell. Remember the sound of the bell? If it rang three or four times it was the call to a meal. And then there were the line ups to get in? Some creative counsellors made their cabin members sing to get in the dinning hall. But what if the bell rang and rang and rang...what did that signify?

And then there were the logs. This was a feature of our time. They came from the Utilities Company in Brantford, and were used to keep people from driving their vehicles across the grounds. Not everyone appreciated the reason behind that. For some reason there were always people who felt that the campgrounds was kind of like going to the mall, and they should be able to park beside their cabins. The thought that this was "a camp for children" seemed to be lost on them.
We had so many logs that we used them for a variety of things including seating around the campfire.

From Lynn Baker

The year is 1963 and the Students are L-R: Brian Burditt, Bruce Whibley, Barry Haskell, Ross MacDonald
Instructor: Norm Kitney

Thanks Lynn!

From Krista Lavender

Senior Music Camp pictures from 1992 and 1993. Can you identify the guests for each year - they are in the picture. Thanks for the photos Krista.

Camp Wedding

"I love the Camp Selkirk blog!

I found this picture that I thought would make a great addition to the site, if you're interested. The picture is of staff members from 1987-1988 and it was taken in July, 2002 at the wedding of Sharon Jones, now Captain Sharon Dannock serving in Australia.

Pictured are Cynthia Eden, Krista VanHiel, Sue Haskell Titcombe, Lynn Haskell Baker, Roger King, Sharon Jones Dannock, Majors Doug & Betty Ann Lewis, Debbie Oseil (not sure of her married name), Karen Hollman Allington and Shelley Oseil. I'm not sure of the spelling of all those names.
This was the first wedding ever conducted by Major Betty Ann Lewis and she dropped one of the wedding rings in the grass at the outdoor wedding! It was a great day and we loved all being together again."

God bless,
Sue Titcombe

Does anyone know of any other weddings that took place at Camp Selkirk?

Holiday Camps

After Junior Music Camp the schedule turned to five excellent outreach camps. First there were two "Mom's and Tot's" camps, then three Holiday Camps. During our time Ruth Teakle led the Program on these and did an outstanding job of providing care and counsel to some wonderful children.
There were some challenges too...but those we won't put into print today.
These children with their counsellors are back from the pool and getting ready for the next activity.
Can you name the counsellors?

Professor Love

First he would explain in a very scientific way, how God's love worked. Then Professor love would show us how we could have love for God. He had a formula for love, and he measured the amount of love in you with his hand held "love meter".... No one ever had as much love as God did. God's love was amazing we learned from Professor Love.

Remember who this is?