Traditions - Camp Tawingo

NOVEMBER 2006
RADITIONS
THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER
OF THE
TAWINGO ALUMNI CIRCLE
SUMMER 2007
Based on the successes of both of
the introductory programs offered
during the full Second Session of last
summer, Camp has decided to continue to offer both of these programs
again in the summer of 2007.
Session 2A welcomes campers of
any age, who are in their first or second summer at Camp and who choose
Session 2A. They are integrated into
regular Second Session cabins. On
Visitors’ Day, those campers may go
home or elect to stay for the last week.
Session 2B campers are integrated
into Second Session cabins but become
members of their own special circles.
Day Camp staff become Circle staff
and lead these two new Circles
(Mohican and Wyandot) for the week.
The age range for Session 2B is 7-10
years and campers are in their first
year at Camp.
Camp looks forward to our support on these continued offerings and
to the growth they engender amongst
our camper families.
The Voyageur Adventure and
Wilderness Journey continues to be
THE INSIDE SCOOP
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TIME PASSAGES AND HOKAHEY
CHAPEL AND WEDDING PICS
CAMP MATTERS: GINNY STRACHAN
TAWINGO COLLEGE UPDATE
THE CURRENT: KRISTIN SIMMONS
ALUMNI WEEKENDS AT CAMP
TLCS 82 UNITE!
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T HE B RIDES W ORE W HITE ...
We were overwhelmed (in the
touching and emotional way) with
some wonderful weddings this fall.
One by one, each of our September
weekends filled up with wedding
plans. In our last issue of Traditions,
you heard about the Mountain-top
proposal for Will Hunter and Krista
Sommerfeld.
Emily Singh was part of her own
‘Eagle wedding proposal’ before the
bended knee of Dave Zymerman.
Pat Birnie chose Cuba as the site for
his proposal to Rebecca Richards but
the excitement rippled all the way
back to Camp once we heard.
Last spring, we also got an anxious
call from a young couple who were
committed to finding a Muskoka
venue for their wedding because they
had met and fallen in love up north.
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We crossed our fingers and waited for
all of the dates to work themselves out.
In the end, we were able to assist with
them all and participate in most.
Our pictures are all back and you
can view the wedding album on the
inside pages of this issue. Many Camp
Tawingo alumni turned out for three
of the weddings. For the fourth wedding, we eavesdropped and helped
out where we could.
TRADITIONS ON-LINE!
AS OF THIS ISSUE, A FULL COPY
TRADITIONS IS AVAILABLE ON-LINE
FOR ALL ALUMNI. ANYONE WHO WISHES TO RECEIVE A PRINTED COPY OF
THIS NEWSLETTER MAY REQUEST IT
FROM THE
ANY TIME.
N
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CAMP TAWINGO OFFICE AT
alumni@tawingo.net
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very popular and following two years
of double VA and double WJ trips
(2005, 2006), we have decided to try
and offer one of each in each of the first
two sessions.
campers wishing to participate in the
program; better ‘visibility’ of the program for girls in First (and boys in
Second); shared programming with
Algonkin and DWNW.
Offering a VA and WJ in First
Session and the same in Second
Session has some definite advantages:
balanced-gender staffing in theses two
sessions; more choice of dates for
We continue to explore other new
and different programming features
for next summer and future summers.
We would love to talk with alumni
about it anytime.
TRANQUIL RAVEN - PADDLES UP!
2006 DRAGONBOAT FESTIVAL - THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES
For the third year, alumni have come to Camp Tawingo during the
summer to participate in the Huntsville Dragonboat Festival. Alumni
stay overnight at Camp, have a hurried practice in the morning and then
spend the day together at the Dragonboat Races on Hunter’s Bay at
Huntsville.This is the story of the 2006 gathering.
What an incredible day it turned out to be!
It was evident that with little sleep the night before and a few boxes
of cold cereal on the drive to the race, that the team needed a little
boost to help us compete. So we donned our very intimidating (yet
stylish) black and yellow shirts and fierce head bands. We started to
stretch for our first race. The competition looked imposing and so did
the length of our race. Our confidence grew stronger when Jorgi led us
in an all-team "Zuni Call". With hearts pumping and minds racing, we
loaded the boat and tried to remember Dan Carlson's counts of "5, 10,
3...reach!!” or was it “3, 5, 10...reach!!"
which placed us 8th overall out of 32 teams. It was a very competitive
class with many teams having trained together for many weeks. The
results were a definite victory in our eyes!!! We all won because we all
had fun!!!
The Alumni Dragonboat is a great weekend and usually takes place
over changeover between Second and Third Periods.The day is open to
all because we are allowed to substitute paddlers from race to race.
A great big thanks to Tawingo for our cabins, and Jorg for his organization, big, wool rug and native drum chants!!!
Make sure you all watch for the date next year so you can be part
of the team - training is optional!
Our first race started with a bang - literally. Just after we had successfully started out, we were side-swiped by another team who had
left their lane and crossed across the other three lanes to hit our boat.
We were very forgiving and understanding - it is the Camp thing to do
after all - and because we had done the exact same thing last year to
three other boats! So back we went to the starting line to regain our
concentration and start again. This time the race was over before we
knew it and we had actually posted a very competitive time of 2:21 and
were placed in the Platinum (highest) level to compete amongst the
best (Toronto Police squad, Sudbury Dragonboat Team, other summerlong trained teams.) We actually had the 6th fastest time out of all 32
boats. This is more impressive considering that our only practice took
place in the Blue Room of the Lower Lodge on the padded benches
there.
Everyone felt much better after the second race and attributed that
to the effort that everyone made to actually settle down and breathe
during this race. Surprisingly our time was a little slower at 2:25, but
still very competitive.
After a lunch at West Side Fish and Chips, we were full and ready
to have our final race.We worked very hard together and paddled harder than we thought possible. Again, we finished with a time of 2:25,
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TAWINGO OUTDOOR CENTRE
September and October was a busy time for us all at Camp...
The Tawingo Outdoor Centre has just
been through a remarkable fall season. We
have had the largest and longest Outdoor
Centre fall ever and we have done it with
one of the smallest program staff teams
ever. Add to that the fact that the group
sizes varied from 10 to 375 people, four
weddings figured into the schedule, and
the most violent storm in living memory
roared through Camp and you can appreciate why we are a little behind in our fall
putaway work.
The Program Staff consisted of two
people: Jorgi and Julie Shilhan (Julie joined
the staff right after the summer after her
summer at Camp Towhee with Leslie
Paterson). In addition to the two J’s,
Katrina Gregson was a solid regular addition to most groups throughout the fall and
Mike Pearse pitched in on many groups
(we have a large number of groups who
use their stay with a view to leadership
development).
The fall would not have been possible
without the availability of almost 20 summer staff who freed themselves up for
leadership on some of the bigger groups.
Colleen Irvine even showed up to head a
one-person fall work crew and help us
with some putaway.
The Property Staff : Randy Clark,
Wayne Allison, and Keith Abbott continue
to hammer, saw, and nail their way around
Camp on some big projects as well as do
storm clean-up, summer shut down, and
winter open up.
The Office is humming with Wendy
Muir, Carol Sportun, Judy Payne, Barb
Jorgenson, Shelley Antcliffe, and Tia
Pearse. The Kitchen is regularly staffed by
Diana Smith and Gaetanne Beaudry.
Here is a run down of our fall fun.
Come to Camp for a sit down (Yes, we do
sit down) and catch up on the details of
some of these adventures – every one of
them is a story in itself:
ALUMNI FAMILY WEEKEND - We were
small but mighty and enjoyed a relaxing
few days here with half a dozen alumni
families. The weather was fine summer
weather and we enjoyed the waterfront
and the sportsfield.
RIDLEY COLLEGE - The entire male population of Ridley College (350 staff and students) arrived for a weekend of programming, male bonding, and leadership. We
held our evening campfire - complete with
a magic fire - in the Council Ring!
FALL CHAOS - It may sound like a
description of the entire fall but it is actually a small group of Adventure Racers
headed by Tawingo Alumni Jay Nash. The
group cycled, ran, and orienteered all
around the property.
HOLLMAN WEDDING - The bride and
groom were not from Camp but their spirits certainly were centred in the outdoors.
They were married in the Chapel, signed
the register on the hull of a canoe, and paddled away together from our waterfront.
CRESCENT SCHOOL - For a solid week,
Ross MacDonald, headmaster of the Lower
School at Crescent, organized a retreat at
Tawingo. It all began with the counsellors
arriving for staff training (Trevor Lowden
Summer Staff at Camp to help out with leadership for Ridley College
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and Scott Fletcher were amongst them).
Over the next few days different grades
arrived until Thursday night when they
were all together for a Birch Beach
Campfire.
TOWN OF MARKHAM - Members of the
Mayor’s Youth Task Force arrived on one
weekend for some great weather, leadership activities, and committee planning for
the year ahead in the community of
Markham.
PAT BIRNIE WEDDING - Although not
part of the TOC exactly, many of us attended the wedding of an old Camp friend to
Becca Richards - also our friend through
her time on the Outdoor Centre Staff. It
counts as another Tawingo match!
THE STORM - On the wedding night we
experienced a huge storm in Muskoka. We
awoke to major trees blocking the front
gate, power out for three days, no phones
for a week. Two groups were forced to
postpone their visit until we had a chance
to clean-up. There is still a lot of clean-up to
do!
PIERRE ELLIOT TRUDEAU HIGH SCHOOL Another leadership group arrived for a few
days. This group had almost as many committee members as participants but they
did a great job leading activities and planning events.
SOMMERFELD/HUNTER WEDDING - Will
Hunter & Krista Sommerfeld (both alumni)
were married in the Joan West Memorial
Chapel in late September. Many staff alumni also joined us for a beautiful ceremony,
wonderful reception, and great baseball
game the next day.
Freighter Canoe Races with Crescent School
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we had a ton o’ fun.
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FERNDALE WOODS - The big, tree-crashing storm bumped this group from
September to late October and we had
snow again with this group. The kids had a
great time and we were really pleased to
welcome a group from Barrie (under the
leadership of Donnie Mills - a Tawingo
alumni - see left).
ISLINGTON UNITED CHURCH YOUTH
GROUP - This was a bit of a departure for us
but it was really an enjoyable time for us to
support this youth retreat that focused on
fellowship and music with outdoor activity
and hiking.
Donnie Mills at Camp
with his school
HILLCREST PUBLIC SCHOOL - Norma
Walter and Ian Robertson are names familiar to many spring staff. Hillcrest began
their 30th year with us during the only full
string of warm and wonderful fall days we
had this fall. The week included camp outs
in the Rangefield.
SENATOR O’CONNOR CATHOLIC HIGH
SCHOOL - We thought Ridley was big (and
it was!) but this school arrived with 375
people (all Grade 9 students). They also
stayed in Boys’ Camp (after Thanksgiving)
in driving snow, and cold, wet rain. What
a crazy couple of days that was…
GRAVENHURST SS MUSIC PROGRAM - At
the same time that we had singing in the
Blue Room with Islington we were helping
a group of music students from Kathy
Brown’s (KB) school over in Laughton Hall
enjoy music development and jazz from
professional musicians from across
Muskoka. It was a great weekend of music.
YOGA WEEKEND - As if that was not
enough, the same weekend saw a Yoga
Retreat hosted at Laughton Hall and Cabin
77 for meals and fellowship. Tia assisted in
the hosting of a group of women who par-
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ticipated in the event. Mike and the boys
moved out of the cabin and took a vacation
at the Taj.
ORILLIA
COLLEGIATE
DISTRICT
VOCATIONAL INSTITUTE - The final group of
the fall was another leadership weekend
displaced by the September storm. We finished up on November 4th just as we were
greeting the fall staff work weekend.
And so it is finally November and we
are just getting around to putting away the
canoes, clearing trails, and setting up
SWAMP Lodge for the winter. We called
on a work weekend and welcomed Will
House, Bobby Crowe, Kelly Giza, Katie
Knowlton, Heather Christie, Dave
Richardson, Katrina Gregson, and Kate
Strachan up for some of the heavy lifting as
well as our ‘the Fall is Finally Over’ Party.
In case you think there is no time for
any fun, we do take pirate raft sunset
cruises, go camping, stalk pileated woodpeckers, catch raccoons in the Kitchen, and
host Halloween haunts.
The winter promises to be equally fun
and equally busy. If you would like to be
part of the fun and try Camp out in a different season just get in touch with Jorgi.
MONARCH PARK SCHOOL - We welcomed another leadership group from a
new area of the province. It was a great
couple of days with hiking, initiatives,
campfires, and a diverse group of students.
OSHAWA CENTRAL SS - These students
were also here for a high energy leadership
event. The group seemed like a misplaced
summer Circle complete with a theme:
Music Genres and activity groups like
“Hip Hop”, “Country/Western”, “the
80’s”. The costume room was raided and
Announcement Time in the Dining Hall is still fun!
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Bobby Crowe, Dave Richardson, Kelly Giza, Heather Christie, Katrina Gregson were part of the
Fall Work Crew.
Preparing for another day in the Program Office
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Professor Graham Mayeda was back at Camp in
2006 as our Woodcraft Director
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ALUMNI FAMILY WEEKEND 2006
The September Alumni weekend was not
actually a weekend - it occurred from the
Wednesday to Friday before Labour Day.
Attendance was lighter than usual but a
great time was had by all. The roll-call
included the Chard family (Jessica Smith),
the Uzbalis family (Jeff Uzbalis). Deb
Turnbull and family, along with the usual
Jorgenson, Sonstenes, Laughton, Pearse
and Milks suspects.
The weather cooperated fully so that
Friday evening featured a roaring bon-fire
in the Alumni Circle where large quantities
of hot chocolate and marshmallows were
consumed.
Saturday's weather was equally cooperative as we had a great paddle out to
Breakfast Island followed by an afternoon
at the dock on the diving board and slide.
Jessica dusted off her skills and impressed
her kids (and us) by demonstrating that
she could still do a back flip off the diving
board.
At about 3:30 pm a sturdy crew was
assembled aboard the pirate raft and we set
sail for Sugar Plum Island. The prevailing
wind pulled us away from the dock by sail
and we joined in carefree song and plenty
of Yo-Ho-Ho’s. Shortly after we pulled
away, Gillian discovered a ‘cute’ spider the
size of an adult hand on the railing of the
poop deck and brushed it into the lake.
Never doubt the intelligence of a spider as
it swam after us to try and get back on the
raft.
I have failed to mention that the back-up
engine was not working but Jorgi was able
to work his magic with the sails so that we
arrived at Sugar Plum purely on wind
power. We discovered that with a northeast wind sailing close to the wind in a
square rigged sailing craft continues to be
problem and heading back to Camp was a
little more challenging. Barb Jorgenson
had been charged with the task to check in
with us and she came out in the motor boat
on cue to ferry the kids back to Camp in
time for supper.
That left only the dads to swim the raft
back to Camp. No, really - we swam the
raft back to Camp - No, really...
(Fortunately there were few witnesses to
question our story.) We all arrived back on
terra firma in time for supper with some
great stories to share and store in our
Tawingo album.
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After breakfast on Sunday morning we
were all fairly perky so we had a great hike
up Eagle Mountain. (see above and below)
We returned down the Mountain
Adventure Trail and had several good
laughs along the way as we had quite a
workout.
The temperature was about 23 C so a
great swim was the perfect way to finish
the weekend. Many thanks to Jorgi for his
tireless enthusiasm.
The Blue Room was host to the Alumni
talent night that offered a very wide array
of singers, dancers, a ventriloquist and
dummy, and some great skits.
It was a wonderful three days and I know
that I am looking forward to the next alumni weekend in February. Plan now to join
us and sign up soon for your own cabin in
the snow.
After a full day, Tawingo was pretty
quiet by 11pm. (Jessica was also complain-
Bill (Milker) Milks
More children and friends at the Fall Alumni Weekend pause for a
picture on the route down the mountain.
Carter Chard and Jorgi became good friends at the Fall Alumni
Weekend
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ing about a sore back for some reason.)
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HOW DO WE HOLD 50 YEARS?
The 2005 Camp Tawingo Reunion
celebrated 45 years of tremendous
activity and memories. Those of us in
attendance know that it was a great
success and a ton of fun. It was a wonderful way to see old friends, exchange
memories and sing a few songs. It did
not take long before people were
reflecting ...and anticipating the next
big milestone in Camp history in 2010.
We have been pondering all of the
things that we could do to celebrate
the 50th anniversary - sometimes we
get a little carried away! We thought it
would be fun to get you dreaming
about Camp with us…
Of course there will be Camp
events and we expect a series of year
long events and happenings to meet
everyone’s needs and schedules. There
will also be Alumni Circle projects as
well. We feel that we need to include
everyone in some way or another people who can make it to Camp, people who cannot, former staff, former
campers, current staff, current
campers. We think there should be
events at Camp and events elsewhere.
What do you think?
Should we write a book (another
one!) full of anecdotes, pictures and
history? Should it be a DVD or a
Podcast? If we created a coffee table
book of the last 50 years at Tawingo what would be in it?
What would you put in the book?
Would it be one author or many?
Changes to programs and facilities
through the decades? Small anecdotes
from lots and lots of people? Mostly
pictures? Mostly stories? Would you
want to write for the book? Do you
have a story to tell? Let us know your
thoughts about what to include and
we will put it all into the Reunion Mill
for consideration by Camp and the
Alumni Circle. Send your thoughts to
Camp or to alumni@tawingo.net.
2ND ANNUAL TNT DAVEATHLON
VITAL SIGNS
ON
Drs. Deb and Rich Trenholm, our friends (across the lake near
the O’Hea’s cottage) were once again the hosts of the Trenholm 'n'
Tawingo (TNT) Daveathlon. This special community event is a
triathlon with a twist ... and a mission. Our goal is to raise money
in memory of a wonderful man and surgeon, Dr. David Allan,
who died suddenly of a heart attack last summer. After a very
successful event last fall, we decided to make it an annual event.
This year's Daveathlon saw an increased number of athletes
and involved a few minor twists. Participants were asked to register for a specific event: the swim, the bike, or the run. However,
teams were not established before the race began. Once the swimmers arrived at the Trenholms' beach after a lake swim of about
700 metres) they drew a cyclist's name from a hat. Firstly, however, the two teammates were required to a sponge and bucket relay
from the lake up the beach. Once the water reached the "full" line,
the cyclist took off to complete the 20 km route.
LAKE VERNON
tained her lead on the course. Mike's help was invaluable as he
moved 18 canoes, 3 BBQs, and manned the pirate raft for the race.
Tia's work on the project started in the summer and continued
through to the event.
Afterward, we enjoyed a BBQ, beverages, and a Silent Auction.
The auction took place at the cottage with gifts ranging from a
round of Golf at Mark O'Meara to a 2nd Session of camping at
Camp Tawingo!
With 17 teams participating in total and numerous volunteers
helping along the way, we were able to raise $8,000 for the Dr.
David Allan Health Sciences Bursary - a fund that will be used to
help students from Huntsville pursue careers in medicine.
The transition procedure was similar for the cyclists when they
arrived back at the Trenholms'. A runner's name was drawn and
then the three teammates completed a balloon game before the
runner took off on a 6 km run.
Once the runners were back, the team of three climbed into a
Tawingo canoe and paddled around the pirate raft, which was
parked about 10 meters off the shore of Sugar Plum Island.
Jeff Laughton and Nicky Adams both took part in the event as
cyclists. Nicky had just returned from a three-week biking trip in
Montana so Jeff was disappointed but not surprised that she main-
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Uncle Brucebo got a sound technician (Emily Firko) to assist with his
last morning storytime in the Dining Hall. It was hilarious.
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staff
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ll
a
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it
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w
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in
v
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ct
w
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noticed s return I’v
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can't
y enjoys in
that he
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per - I
hings th ked!”
t
m
a
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“... he reall e role model”
c
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b
a
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e
h
m
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as
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compas
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t was w
re are
sionate re patient an
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“...The the waterfron
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ken bur
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PERS
“...
D THE CAM
The Alumni Circle
O NOMINATE
NOTES FR
PER
OM CAM
FILES
FROM
TS
perienc
(and Roly Raccoon - our
celebrity spokesperson) say
thank you to everyone who
P
contributed to the Tawingo
HI
S
ER
MP
Alumni Campership Fund
CA
over the past year. Thanks
to your generosity, three
campers enjoyed a wonderful session at Camp this
summer. These children were recommended and
then selected to come to Camp – two girls (in Odawa
and Oneida) and one boy (in Cree). Thanks to you
they scrambled off to interest groups, paddled away
on out trips, jumped into circle activities, ran around
the Sports Field, participated in Council, rose each
morning to a Thought for the Day, jumped into Lake
Vernon at General Swim … and the list goes on.
You may continue to contribute (or contribute
for the first time,) by using the form included with
this newsletter, a standard camper summer registration form, a donation form from the Internet or one
we send you (contact us at alumni@tawingo.net)
Every dollar adds more colour to the Tawingo
T’s on this page. Each column represents a camper’s
career at Camp. Help us secure the dollars needed to
carry these campers through to 2014.
The Tawingo Alumni
Campership Fund Committee
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NOTES FROM A
PAREN
LUMNI WH
..
This camper.
g way”
in an amazin
ed
it
ef
en
b
“...
rated
ncy and invigo
ou
b
as
w
..
“.
love it!"
and said, "I
she
cked her up,
“... when I piy things to tell me
had so man
and show me”
e
y proud of th
“... I was trulents - an amazing
accomplishm
”
thing to see!
es,
the cabinmat
“... loved alland all the activities”
counsellor
fast
t believe how d
an
“... I couldn'
y
b
ne
had go
this session
n she had”
fu
h
uc
how m
eless
rience is pric
“...The expe impossible to
and almost
’s
someone who s
describe to
ow
kn
he
Now
never been.
.”
nd
ha
first
-METER
Oneida
11 Yrs
Odawa
12 Yrs
Cree
11 Yrs
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
?
Roly needs your Help to bring the colour of a
Tawingo summer to our Alumni Circle campers.
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Will and Krista
September 30, 2006
Pat and Becca
September 23, 2006
Mara and Andrew
September 16, 2006
Emily and Dave
September 16, 2006
Mara and Andrew, although not Camp alumni, were married in true Camp
style. Here the best man delivers the wedding canoe to Lake Vernon.
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Will and Krista’s wedding rehearsal. Accompanying them here: Matt Enright,
Meredith Bell and Angela Sommerfeld.
Michelle Black (left) and friends gave a beautiful, musical background to the
Sommerfeld-Hunter wedding in the Chapel on September 30, 2006.
Will & Krista’s wedding reception. The bridesmaids kick loose on the dance floor.
Erica Vandenburg (left) and Meredith Bell are in front.
Will and Krista’s guests included Mike Pearse, Brian Valve, Scott Smith, Paul
O’Hea, Andrew Jones, John Jorgenson, Liem Vonguyen, John O’Hea, John Delfin.
Stephanie Allen, Junko Nozawa & Becca Richards worked together in the Tawingo
Outdoor Centre. Junko flew from Japan to be at Pat & Becca’s wedding.
Pat Birnie (centre), his brother (left) and Jorgi strike a pose for the cameras while
waiting for the bride to signal the wedding ceremony.
Sabrina Stanlake, Nicky Adams, Tia Pearse, Emily (Singh) Zymerman, Laura Simon, Carly
Cooper-Edwards, Hayley Gratto, Mike Pearse, John Jorgenson, Barb Jorgenson.
Emily Singh is escorted up the outdoor aisle at her wedding in the Guelph
Arboretum. Her father, Dr Ranjit Singh, was by her side.
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2006 W EEKEND
MY JOURNEY, SUPPORTED
On September 9 & 10, 2006 I embarked
on my second Weekend to End Breast
Cancer. Participants in the weekend register up to a year in advance and commit to
raising a minimum of $2000 for Princess
Margaret Hospital breast cancer research.
We then walk 60 km throughout the city of
Toronto over two days, camping out
overnight in between. I’m so happy to
report that I walked every step and raised
almost $6000 (I have the blisters to prove
it)!
As some of you know cancer has devastated my family. Breast cancer took my
mother, her twin sister and my Aunt
Margaret. My Aunt Margaret was very
special to me because she looked after us
while both of my parents were battling
cancer in 1979-80-81. We lost my dad on
June 28, 1981 (if that date sounds familiar
it’s because it’s the same day Terry Fox
died). We lost my mom on May 10, 1999.
She beat breast cancer twice in the 80’s but
eventually it came back in metastasized
forms.
I started as a camper at Tawingo in
1979. Camp provided a welcome respite
from a stressful and sad home environment – probably the darkest days of my
life. In contrast my first contacts with the
camp were incredible: I will be forever
grateful to my friend, Vanessa Bradden, for
bringing me to camp; my first counsellor
was Sue Braham; my first new friend was
Jill Delahey in cabin 51. My life took a dramatic upswing the day I rolled through the
Camp gates.
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ALUMNI - MARY BETH FURNEAUX (AKA, BETH BOURKE)
and later continued in various non-counselling roles. What I find truly amazing is
that we are all still in touch with one
another: getting together socially, going to
the alumni weekends, attending the
reunions and endeavouring to stay in each
others’ lives. Some of my best friends in
life are Camp Tawingo contacts. When it
came time to fundraise for the Weekend all
it took was one email and the donations
came rolling in. You would be amazed to
see all the familiar names from the
Tawingo family on my fundraising page.
This is an incredible example of what
we can achieve simply by knowing each
other, caring about each other and staying
in touch. Of the 96 donations I received, 22
were from Camp people.
I know we all have finite funds and we
get asked again and again to donate to
dozens of great causes. To a degree I think
we all suffer from “donor fatigue”. That’s
why I am so honoured to have walked for
you. You chose me. And by choosing me
you helped to put an end to a disease that
really hurts families.
The blisters are healed but were borne
with pride. My gratitude to the following
friends whom I acknowledge with pride
as well:
Roy Allen
Ingrid Ambus
Vanessa Bradden
Ali Chambers
Jen Chambers and family
Mary Cranston and family
Karen Murray and family
Sean Coleman and family
Mary Liz Gambrill
Christie Halpenny, Jamie Boyes & family
Brian Jantzi
Jennifer (Jake) Kyles
Jeff Laughton and family
Cam Lille and family
Kristie Lille
Andrew Mackie and family
Gord Mitchell and family
Julie Netley
Sue Rayner
Geoff Simonett and family
Heather Strome
Stephanie (Wait) Little and family
John Watson and family
www.endcancer.ca
Betty’s
Blisters
Mike and Barrie take a quiet spot for a chat wherever they can find it - in this case, on the golf cart behind the
Kitchen by the Dumpster.
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Like you, I enjoyed my summers at
Camp so much that I became a counsellor,
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Brucebo never misses a chance to personally
supervise the Kitchen procedures and personnel.
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T R E AT - T A W I N G O S T Y L E
OR
Have you ever wondered what happens at Camp on
Halloween night? Where do Lila Jorgenson, David and William
Laughton, and the Pearse boys go to trick or treat?
Several years ago when the children were younger, we decided to trick or treat around Ring Road – stopping at each available
residence along the way. A wonderful tradition of Halloween at
Tawingo began and - true to form - it has grown!
This year’s ghoulish evening began with about 10 kids gathering in front of Cabin 77. (The idea is so fun that a few other neighbourhood kids now join us...) The first stop was Nicky’s Cabin 75.
We found a note, from Hermione Grainger whcih alluded to
Aragog, the King of the Spiders, having stolen the kids’ goodie
bags (ARGH, those arachnids!) and spun them into his web. Lo
and behold, there on the front lawn of 75 was a giant spider web.
Each trick or treater had to follow one strand through the web
until s/he got to his/her candy bag…no easy feat in the dark…
At the Laughton’s home (Double Vision) young David directed us to a sarcophagus (one of the Blue Room benches), and asked
us to knock gently. King Tutankumanopolis rose from the dead
and proceeded to give the trick or treaters a task. Each child was
issued a doll and a roll of toilet paper and instructed to make a
mummy out of the doll by fully wrapping it in toilet paper. When
the mummified doll was safely placed into the sarcophagus, each
trick or treater claim his/her treat!
The scene at the Jorgenson’s Chapel House was like something
out of a Mohawk version of Ogniwat! Picture a giant wool rug
spread below the swing set frame and a white parachute draped
overhead so that it looked like a giant tent. On a pedestal in the
centre of the rug was a carved pumpkin. Picture a hammock at the
very apex of the tent. All in black was…you guessed it…Jorgi! As
the kids gathered under the tent, a voice suddenly spoke from
above (although the kids didn’t have a clue where the voice came
from…that part was hilarious as they looked all over the place for
“the voice”). Jorgi led them in a leader response poem…or at least
tried to…the kids kept beginning the repetition of each line before
he had a chance to finish it…but, in true Jorgi fashion he was still
able to hold to the rhyme scheme! The poem finished with them
chanting , “Hal-lo-ween, Hal-lo-ween, Hal-lo-ween”. Suddenly, a
magic fire lit up the forest beyond the Chapel House (on Turtle
Trail)…The voice told us to follow the light and there find our
goodies.
At the White House, three of the Landed Loon Staff (Diana,
Jessaca, and Ricki) and Julie Shilhan (a fall TOC staff) had set up a
yellow brick road on the walkway to the front door. Dorothy gave
three teams the task of following a clue that would lead them to
one of her friends. Only by bringing back her friends to her would
they get their goodies. And so, off to see the wizard they
went…each team…one found the Tinman at the flagpole, one the
Cowardly Lion, and one the Scarecrow tied to a tree. The costumes on each character were unbelievable – worthy of a Meghan
Irvine/Katie Knowlton musical!
At Westgate we were greeted by our two new teachers – Molly
Nugent, and Leigh Fettes, both in great costumes, and treated to
some home baking and “hot toddies”!
Barrie and Carol came to the door completely decked out in
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outlandish costumes (picture clown noses, wigs and big feet)
Amanda King brought wee Monica to the door to show us her first
pumpkin on her first Halloween!
One of the parents put it aptly, “How can we ever just take our
kids to a regular neighbourhood after THAT??” Let’s hope they
never have to…
FROM
THE
CHAIR
KRIS BIRCHARD
This message will find you as you are celebrating some part of
the Holiday Season. It is a time of family and friends and giving
and sharing. What a great time of the year.... and how similar it is
to the environment we all shared while at Camp. Imagine if the
spirit of Christmas and Camp had infected the whole world! I
know John Lennon already wrote about this, but we who have had
the benefit of the camp experience, are uniquely positioned to be
leaders and lead with the lessons and attitudes we learned at
camp.
There is a new way to be involved in sharing camp memories,
and it can be found at www. campmatters.com, check it out, and
share a memory of your own. Share it with a friend who attended
camps. (See the article later in this issue)
This month sees us welcome Carly Cooper-Edwards to the
Advisory Committee - Traditions editor. Emily Singh has moved
on to co-chair membership. Welcome Carly. Thanks to both you
and Jorgi for this latest issue.
Take some time to decide if you and the family want to attend
one of the many weekends that Camp makes available, especially
the TAC weekend of February 16-18. These weekends are a great
way to introduce your family to a special place and renew old
friendships.
May the new year bring you and your family health and happiness, and as Pete Seeger likes to sing.... Well may the world go!
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TIME PASSAGES
He is now the new Principal of the Middle
School at St.John’s-Ravenscourt. The
school is over 180 years old (est. 1820) and
has phenomenal facilities including 4 soccer fields, 3 gyms and an Olympic-sized
hockey rink. He is in charge of grades 6-8
(220 students) and around 30-35 staff.
Laura and Mike
Duggan
It marks a significant change in housing
prices, winter clothing and work day
responsibilities. Doug and his wife, Cheryl,
are parents to Rebecca.
TERRY (GEOFFREY) PENNEY
WORLD NEWS
MIKE DUGGAN
to visit Tawingo again some time in the
future.
I have had your Birthday Card sitting on
my office desk for some time now. The
card came a few months after I missed the
45th Reunion celebrations. Amazingly
enough, I was in Canada during these celebrations, however, could not fit them into
my quick visit to Canada. I now live in
Brisbane, Australia and my trips to Canada
are few and far between.
Mike and Laura were married in Maui, Hawaii in
June 2005 with family and friends from Canada, UK
and Australia. Laura is a Special Education Teacher.
Mike is the Managing Director of a sustainble home
sales, building and consulting company in Brisbane
and work extensively in furthering education for sustainability in Australia. Mike taught environmental/outdoor education and Grade 7 in Australia prior
to going into business for himself.
About 12 months ago, I was faced with
some hurdles in order to bring my business
to the next level and was searching for
what I could do to motivate myself and my
team to meet our goals. I was struck one
day by a memory of achievement from
days gone by and asked my mother to send
my Camp Tawingo blanket to Australia,
Eagle Crest and all. After some months
wait, I received the treasure and it now has
pride of place on my office chair. Since that
time my business and my associated businesses have grown at an exponential rate
and I attribute this, in part, to the accomplishments that emerged in my summer
months spent at Tawingo - the character
and the lessons that were instilled during
these years.
I (and my business) are focussed on the
future and I believe that many of my inspirations stem from the respect for our environment and world community that many
years at Tawingo instilled in me. Your contribution is invaluable to children and
adults worldwide. If I could replicate that
gift which you provide in Canada here in
Australia I would do it. I value the contribution to my life and the lives of the many
youngsters who have passed through
SWAMP Lodge, Crestwood, Boys/Girls
Camp, etc. I would relish the opportunity
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WEDDING NEWS
Krista Simonett and Jim Redmond
September 9, 2006
(celebrating with them are their children
Tessa and Cameron Dowell and James
Redmond)
Emily Singh and David Zymerman
September 16, 2006
Pat Birnie and Rebecca Richards
September 23, 2006
Krista Sommerfeld and Will Hunter
September 30, 2006
EDUCATIONAL NEWS
DOUG PALM
Doug has completed his Master’s in
Education Admininstration & Leadership
at the University of British Columbia.
Doug was also watching for job opportunities within the Canadian Independent
School system (he was on faculty at
Collingwood School in North Vancouver)
and put his hat into a few of searches.
Earlier this year, he was short-listed for one
of them was flown to Winnipeg.
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My family and I are still talking about the
reunion day that we spent at camp. I am
currently teaching French at two elementary schools. In January, I begin the B.Ed.
program at Niagara University to qualify
officially as a high school teacher.
Our two daughters, Olivia and Liza, are 11
and 9. They are into basketball, hockey and
soccer. We are hoping that they will be able
to experience a Tawingo summer this year.
We are all looking forward to another visit
to camp. (My husband, Duane, would like
to see me fall off of stilts one more time.)
I still sing camp songs to my students and
have translated several to French!
Merci Beaucoup!!
HANNA SMITH
When
Hanna
Smith
didn't
have her nose
buried in a textbook last semester, she was
working
part
time for an
online
music
journal called
Critical Studies
in Improvisation
and in the children's department at the
Guelph Public Library.
While enrolled at U of G, Smith played
water polo, co-hosted a Sunday-evening
radio show called Return to Soulsville on
CFRU 93.3 FM and worked for the annual
Guelph Jazz Festival as co-ordinator of an
on-campus jazz colloquium.
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GERRIE AND MARY BAYCROFT
Gerrie and Mary have retired from home
and work in Kitchener-Waterloo and settled in Nova Scotia (Malagash) on the
Northumberland Strait. They are located
right at the shore on a quiet dirt lane that
leads to the ocean..
Both of their children (Tim and Jill) graduated from Mount Allison University. Jill is
teaching French in Moncton and Tim is a
professor at the University of Sheffield in
England.
Gerrie and Mary revel in spending time
with their grandchildren (Emily, Thomas
and Victor) as well as a blend of gardening,
music, golfing curling, rug hooking and
bridge.
RACHEL WEVRICK
Rachel lives in Edmonton with her husband Joe Casey and their two children
Sierra Kaitlin (age 11, born in California)
and Adam Jasper
(age 8, born in
Edmonton ). The family loves the west and
spends many winter weekends in the
Rockies downhill skiing. In the summer,
they head back to the mountain parks on
holidays to hike in Alberta and BC. The
canoeing is not as inspiring here as it is in
those wonderful Ontario lakes - but we do
get the west coast and out to the ocean
often too.
Rachel, Sierra,
Adam and Joe
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After finishing Ph.Ds. in Toronto, Rachel
and Joe moved to Stanford, California to do
more training in medical research. They
discovered a love of the mountains and
rediscovered the outdoors after (too many)
years in Toronto.
Rachel and Joe are both Professors at the
University of Alberta over the past ten
years. Rachel does medical research on the
genetics of brain development in children,
focusing on genetic diseases that affect
learning, behaviour and obesity.
BRENT STRATTON
Brent is currently
working as a carpenter apprentice in Kelowna,
BC.
Although
he's earning his
living doing carpentry his true
love
at
the
moment is snowboarding
so
when it's social
time he spends it on the Mountains!
HEATHER STROME
Heather is currently a high school math
teacher with the Ottawa Carleton Catholic
School Board in the east end of Ottawa.
VANESSA BLAGRAVE
Vanessa recently got married in the Spring
of 2006. Congratulations Vanessa!!!
KELLY JONES
Kelly is currently enjoying her first year at
Lakehead University in Thunder Bay.
She's a long way from her Waterloo hometown - but is loving every minute of it school and play! Good Luck with everything Kelly!
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STEPHANIE MCKINNON
Stephanie graduated from the University
of Guelph in May with a B.Comm in
Marketing and is currently working as a
Leadership Development Consultant for Pi
Beta Phi Fraternity for Women (she will be
travelling to the States visiting schools and
helping the Pi Beta Phi chapter there).
Happy Travels Stephanie!
GAVIN MAHER
Gavin is currently
working
towards
his
master's degree
in environmental studies at
York University.
Most of his time
is spent studying; however,
Gavin and his
girlfriend,
Leanna, have been splashed all over the
pages of 2: The Magazine for Couples. They
had a very fun opportunity to have a
makeover and holiday in Punta Cana courtesy of 2 Magazine to relieve some student
stress.
HAYLEY GRATTO
Hayley is currently touring as one half of
The Black Roses who are "a nefarious folk
duo that combines acoustic song with lively banter". Hayley's talent and humour
(well known to several years of Tawingo
campers and staff) have been put to good
use and paid off. The Black Roses have
been nominated for the Tim Sims Award at
the Cream of Comedy Awards Show produced by the Comedy Network. The
Awards show will be aired in January.
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THE CURRENT:
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A CAMP LIFE BEYOND
CHECKED IN WITH A CURRENT STAFF MEMBER:
“WHAT
DOES
CAMP
Emerald is a small mining town where
Brendon's sister and brother-in-law are
currently living. We had planned to be
there for Christmas and decided we would
stay if we found some jobs. My original
goal was to do as much teaching as I could
but my Queensland teacher certification
took a little longer than expected so I managed to find some other part-time jobs to
keep me busy.
Just eleven short months ago I was packing up my bags preparing to leave home.
"T-shirts - check! Tank tops - check! Pants check! Bathing suit - check! Sleeping bag check"! I felt anticipation, excitement and
of course a little bit of nervousness. But this
time I wasn't packing for a summer at
Tawingo. I was preparing for a trip around
the world traveling Australia, New
Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand,
Germany, Switzerland, France, Scotland
and England. I left on December 12, 2005
with my friend, Brendon Currie to start my
adventure in Australia. After a few days of
exploring Brisbane we flew one and a half
hours north-west to Emerald, Queensland;
the place I would call home for the next
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I worked at the outdoor pool teaching
swimming to school groups. I also taught
dance in the evenings and worked at the
local bar during the weekends. I even had
the opportunity to be the international
judge for Emerald Idol…but I played the
role of friendly Canadian judge. Then the
supply teaching started to pick up and the
"Never Can Tell Clubs" never got old with
the Australian students. We had some fascinating discussions about Canada. The
stories I told about bears especially captured their interest!!
After our time working in Emerald, the
"real" travelling began. We were never in
one spot for more than 5 days. Always on
the move, it was not unlike an extended
out trip around the world: Instead of using
bright yellow canoes as our mode of transport, we had a medley of transportation:
our beloved 1991 Ford Falcon (that we
bought in Australia), rental cars, tour
buses, city buses, subways, airplanes,
trains, tuk-tuks, and taxis. We "portaged"
our packs to a new destination every few
days to "set up camp" for the night.
Just like Camp, we had a new set of challenges to face every day: fixing an overheated Ford Falcon in the middle of what
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CAMP GATES
MEAN IN YOUR LIFE OUTSIDE OF
four months.
KRISTIN SIMMONS
C
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CAMP?’
seemed to be nowhere - compare mending
a worn gunwhale in the Kipawa; battling
Dengue Fever and missing home - compare
encouraging a camper who was "missing
home"; navigating through a new city compare searching for a portage as night
falls.
But each challenge yielded many more
rewards: seeing my first wild 'roo and
koala - compare keeping a tally of loons;
trekking into a hill tribe village in Northern
Thailand - compare hiking up Eagle
Mountain; watching the sun rise in the
Australian Outback - compare watching
the sun rise on the last day of WJ '04.
As Camp has taught me, I faced each new
challenge with a positive attitude and
appreciated every special moment. Every
child and camper learns these skills.
Now that the trip is over, the bags are
unpacked and I feel very similar to how I
felt when returning home from a summer
at camp. I don't feel like I have left home at
all. But I do know something truly amazing
happened and I have changed in some special ways. It seems to be a sweet dream in
my mind. I had remarkable experiences
and have created memories that will last
me a lifetime.
And where will the next big adventure
take me? Perhaps a move to Calgary, to
start my career in teaching. Perhaps something else new and exciting. No matter
where I travel or where I end up, I know
that Camp will always play an important
role in my life and my attitude as it
unfolds.
If you are interested in reading more about the trip and the
places we visited, view: onesweet-world.blogspot.com
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SPRING STAFF 2006
Many of the 2006 Spring Work Crew gathering to take a break from canoe sanding, wood splitting, and cabin painting to participate in a staff Adventure Race
HOKAHEY
FUTURE CAMPERS
TAWINGO CAMPERS
THE NEXT GENERATION
AVA Anne Helen LAUGHTON
February 4, 2006
Peter and Shanna Laughton
We want to start our alumni families off on the
right foot. When a baby is born and we hear about it
within three months of the birth, Camp sends the new
camper their first Camp Tawingo T-shirt right away.
Be sure to let us know at alumni@tawingo.net
We are also thrilled to hear about other ‘instant’
ALUMNI
BORN TO
JAMES GERAGHTY
April 1st, 2006
Pam (Morton) and Frank Geraghty
families (through adoption, marriage and special cir-
ADELAIDE NASH
June 7, 2006
Jay Nash and Dianne Verhoeven
Sister to Julia
cumstances)
Help us spread the news with the particulars you
would like to share with your Camp family. Just send
it along to alumni@tawingo.net
COLE (7) & EDEN (4) BAUMGART
July 7, 2006
Jim and Victoria Baumgart
WILSON GEORGE SIMONETT
June 20, 2006
Geoff Simonett and Tracy D'Cruz
Brother to Rye
COLE and CHARLES JURCHUK
August 3, 2006
Andrea Johnstone and Gervais Jurchuk
COLE EDWARD JOLIAT
October 10, 2006
Paul and Amy (Herringer) Joliat
Grandson to Sharyn (Bell) Joliat
Nephew to Michelle Joliat.
Amy, Cole and Paul Joliat
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We will happily include a photo of your own
precious bundle of joy. Just send it along to
alumni@tawingo.net
Clockwise from Roly Raccoon:
The September storm flipped canoes,
ruined the slide and toppled many trees
around the site.
Wendy Muir was assisted in the White
House by another alumni: Virginia
(Schuett) Diemert in Third Session.
Ross MacDonald celebrated 25 years of
programming with Crescent School this
fall.
Andy Church (1975-79) dropped his son,
James, off at Camp in First Session 2006.
Many alumni meet at other times of the
year. Buffy (Nobbs) Knowlton, Barb
Jorgenson, Jim Knowlton and Kathy
Brown enjoy a Thanksgiving
ramble.
IF YOU
HAVE NAMES OR
STORIES TO ACCOMPANY ANY
PHOTOS IN THIS NEWSLETTER,
WE WANT TO HEAR THEM.
ALUMNI@TAWINGO.NET
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Barrie Laughton
We are delighted that three new teaching staff have joined our
64 students for the 2006-07 academic year. Molly Nugent is our
Grade 1/2 teacher and comes to us after several years as Director
of Camp Rotary in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Leigh Fettes is
leading our Grade 7/8 class. A graduate of Griffith University,
Brisbane, Australia, she has a rich background in camping at
Camp Manitou, Camp Wabikon and Canadian Adventure Camp
(Temagami). Mar Hogue, our Outdoor Education and Art teacher,
has done field research work for the Canadian Wildlife Service,
Long Point Bird Observatory, Bird Studies Canada, Canadian
Heritage Rivers in the Arctic, Parks Canada, University of
Queensland, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and
Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service in Australia. A
talented artist, her work has been featured in six published children’s books.
Nicky Adams (JK/SK), Roger King (Grades 3/4), Jeff
Laughton (Grades 5/6), Tia Pearse (who began the year as the
Grade 7/8 teacher has now resumed her role as the Drama
teacher), Mike Pearse (Student Parliament) and Barrie Laughton
(Principal) round out the current teaching staff at the College. As
you might have noticed, we deem camping experience to be an
important criteria in the selection of our teaching staff. The
Tawingo College program melds many of the summer camp experiences into our overall curricula. Some 14 of our Tawingo College
students, last summer, enjoyed time, as well, at Camp Tawingo,
including Carson, Tyler and Christopher Pearse and Lila
Jorgenson.
We have had an extremely eventful fall at the College:
and numerous booths in Laughton Hall were enjoyed by all.
Our Grade 3/4 class was honoured forproducing the “Most
Creative Pumpkin”.
·CRAZY/WACKY HAT DAY – organized by Mike Pearse and the
Student Parliament. The students and staff created some very
imaginative head-toppers.
·The Grade 7/8 Art class completed three engaging designs on the
basement floor of the College – BARREL OF MONKEYS,
INSECTS, AND K-PAL BLOCKS. All the students and staff
continue to enjoy their efforts.
All classes have participated in FALL ADVENTURES including
hikes and lunch-outs on the property. Of special note was the
Photography Field Trip organized and conducted for Grades
5-8 by Jeff Laughton and Leigh Fettes. The students were
invited to take pictures in various categories –
People/Animals, Abstract and Nature, and the top photo was
selected to hang, with others from former years, in the main
hall of the College.
The Grade 5/6 class participated in an interactive presentation on
drug and alcohol abuse prevention called “RACING
AGAINST DRUGS” in Bracebridge
The Grade 7/8 class attended a multi-media presentation on the
hazards associated with alcohol and other drugs, entitled
“FREEDOM CALL” at the Algonquin Theatre in Huntsville
Again this year in late November, we will enter a TAWINGO
COLLEGE FLOAT in the annual Santa Claus Parade on
Huntsville’s main streets. Our students and staff hope your
Holiday Season brings good health and happiness to last throughout the New Year. See you in the summer of 2007.
The TERRY FOX RUN at Tawingo which raised over $1600.00 for
cancer research
Two CROSS-COUNTRY RUNNING MEETS at Bracebridge and
Huntsville with a number of superb individual and team
results, including a Bronze Medal to Tyler Pearse
A visit to the HUNTSVILLE CENTENNIAL POOL allowing us to
assess the swimming abilities of our students for our outings
and spring outtrips
The JK/SK visit to a VEGETABLE FARM AT MILFORD BAY
and our Grade 3/4 class exploration of a quarry at Dwight
after a unit on Rocks and Minerals
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD - filling shoe boxes with gifts
for needy children around the world
A Luncheon for our families followed by our HALLOWE’EN
FAIR at the school. The Haunted Castle at SWAMP Lodge
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HAVE TRACKED DOWN A FORMER STAFF MEMBER AND ASKED:
"WHERE
Currently I am living in Monterrey,
Mexico, teaching 2nd grade at the
American School Foundation of Monterrey
(ASFM). I've been here for just under 4
months, and I've committed to staying at
least two years. After a whirlwind job fair
last February (where I was considering job
prospects in countries ranging from
Bahrain, to Japan, to Colombia), I decided
that ASFM was the best school for me.
ASFM is a huge school, with 8 sections of
each grade level. It starts at Nursery and
goes up to 12th grade. The school has over
100 foreign-hired teachers, so there is a
strong community with many people who
understand what it is like to move to a new
country, and become immersed in a different culture and language.
My August arrival in Monterrey was in
many ways similar to the Staff Orientation
Week that happens at Tawingo each summer. The schedule was absolutely packed
with classroom time, curriculum sessions,
and social opportunities for the 30+ new
foreign-hired staff. The returning staff had
worked hard to put together a week that
would help us begin to adapt and acclimatize to our new home.
As this is my first year having my own
classroom, the experience of figuring out
how I could best prepare myself was similar to way back in 1998 when I was a counselor for the first time, in Cabin 41. I
remember all the questions I had and
things that were running through my head.
And though, in both situations, I knew I
had a huge support system around me,
there are so many things about working
with kids that you just need to figure out
for yourself. The only way to do that is to
go through the experience once.
This holds true for the experience of
moving to another country - no matter how
much you try to prepare, you can't truly
know what you are in for until you get
there and slowly feel out your new surrounding.
Since arriving, I have experienced many
things I never would have seen myself
doing. I've rock climbed and rappelled at
the Huasteca Canyon near Monterrey. I've
done a river walk with water up to my
shoulders. I've been woken up in the middle of the night by a Mariachi band playing
outside my apartment. I've even been to a
rodeo in the hot Mexican heat and cheered
on the Monterrey Tigres with 50,000 other
I remember Orientation Week at
Tawingo being full of sessions for programming, dining hall procedures, and
out-trip prep. In between, of course, there
were the opportunities for an early morning swim, a hike up Eagle Mountain, or a
dance in Loon Lodge. ASFM Orientation,
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and as I'm quickly learning, the entire
school year, is set-up in a similar "work
hard, play hard" fashion. While we spent
many hours trying to get a handle on the
curriculum we need to teach, and on the
procedures and logistics necessary for such
a big school, we also had the time to hike in
Chipinque, the mountainous park a tenminute drive from my house, shop at a
local market, and have a BBQ/Pool Party
at the Director's home.
Having spent the better part of 13 summers on the shores of Lake Vernon, I can
truly say that my experiences and memories of Camp Tawingo are held very close
to my heart. Even now, several years after
spending my last full summer at Camp,
Tawingo continues to be a huge part of
who I am.
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CAMP
HELP YOU GET THERE?"
excited fans at a soccer game.
Although the language barrier has had
its downsides, I've managed, through
interpretive action and beginning Spanish,
to have clothes hemmed, order deli meat
and make appointments for pedicures. I'm
also actually starting to get used to the
extreme weather changes Monterrey experiences - going from a chilly 10 degrees in
the morning up to 30+ by the afternoon. It
reminds me of third session at Camp
where you often went from shorts and
tanks to hats and mitts in one day.
The time has just flown by, as did most
summers at Camp largely because everyday is a little bit of an adventure.
Living in Mexico has so far proved to be
a very enriching experience. I am at a
school that challenges me everyday; I am in
a city and country that forces me to make
attempts to communicate in another language; I am immersed in a culture that is,
though in some ways similar to home, very
different and this forces me to question my
expectations and beliefs.
I'm finding time to travel around Mexico
and discover that it is an incredibly diverse
country, offering so much more than the
all-inclusive resorts that people often think
of.
While there is so much that is new within my life right now, I'm finding that all the
experiences I had at Tawingo, have served
to prepare me well for this great growing
experience.
To Read More of Ginny's Experiences Visit:
http://ginnyinmexico.blogspot.com/
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www.campmatters.com
The heart of the Camp experience is not
the J-stroke or the reef knot. If you have
ever been to camp, then you know that it is
not making the wake jump or mastering
the handspring. It is not perfecting the tap
dance or developing the computer program.
The heart of the Camp experience is in
the heart and mind of the camper at Camp.
Memories and lifelong impacts emerge
from living in a caring community under
the guidance of caring adults who provide
program and attention that are designed
intentionally to develop, enhance and
strengthen life skills of each camper in that
community.
Camp is a place where a camper learns
about honesty, trust, responsibility and
sharing. At Camp the making of an honest
effort earns as much applause as the success of that effort. It is a place where a
camper discovers what is going on inside
while they try things outside. We can try
and we can try again without worry about
sarcasm or scorn. It is a place where selfreliance, self-awareness and self-confidence is grounded in a supportive, caring
network of friends and staff.
The big question is how much of any of
this truly lasts into adulthood. Do the
memories and benefits of those long hot
days of summer camp fade away in the fall
and in the intervening years or does something stay with us?
"What I Learned at Summer Camp" is
an invitation to any adult who has enjoyed
the summer camp experience to reflect on
their own memories of Camp that linger,
recall the wisdom from Camp that shapes
their daily lives today and the importance
of Camp to defining themselves or others.
Post a page about yourself then and
yourself now. You will join many others
who have their own collection of camp stories.
Go to the website and make your entry.
Encourage others in your work place or
neighbourhood to do the same. It does not
matter what Camp they attended or where
it is located.
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Camp directors can begin to use this
site to talk with people who are trying to
understand the difference that Camp can
make in the life of a child. They can begin
to appreciate that when all is said and
done...
CAMP MATTERS
O NE F AMILY ’ S J UNK IS C AMP
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COSTUMES
PHOTOS
Do you have any costumes lying
around, games (complete with all the
pieces), children’s puzzles, etc. for us to
pass along to summer camp? You may
not recognize them as costumes. They may
be your precious bell bottoms, prom dress
or first suit coat.
Do you have any photos of Camp
over the years? We are looking for the
snapshots and special memory photos.
What about birthday cards from various
eras. Old Staff Shirts, sweatshirts and other
Camp Paraphenalia.
Camp appreciates these kinds of
donations to help with their retrospective
musical revues, Aliens on the Mountain
Programs and Library Tournaments. Send
them along to Camp at anytime.
Our displays are not complete. We
would like to digitize or photograph your
mementoes and complete our collection.
Bring them with you to the next alumni
weekend, or send them to Camp anytime.
Sandy (Sonstenes) Young even found a
few old Tawingo postcards on E-Bay.
GUITARS
GAMES/BOOKS
Do you have any musical instruments that you can spare? We have a huge
resurgence in interest for music, musical
instruments and instruction. It takes us
back to Jan Gillin’s Ukelele Club! The
Music Department is now offering a daily
Interest Group option of everything from
guitar lessons and drumming circles to
dance routines and choral work.
The Library continues to be the place
to be during free time. Tournaments
galore, cabin Jenga challenges and the onligatory game of cut-throat Risk are offset
with comics from the Archie shelf and
other more sophisticated reading (my
favourite is Nancy Drew...)
Camp will put any decent instrument
into action for these sessions as well as
musical meals and the musical itself.
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When all is said and done, this site is
more than a place for Camp people to reminisce. It is a place to communicate the
powerful messages and guidance that
Camp can give a camper or leader to people that just don’t getit. These people have
trouble equating playing in the mud or
sleeping on the ground or dressing up in
costumes as worthwhile or as helping their
children reach a goal in the ‘real world.’
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We value any and all light reading
books as well as oversize and picture
books on any topic. Tawingo College is
also always pleased to consider your donations.
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TLC ‘82 - 25 YEAR REUNION
LAST YEAR WE RE-CONNECTED WITH TLC’S OF 1981.
THIS YEAR, THE TLC TRADITION CONTINUES...
If you remember your TLC Time with Ronald Reagan still
serving as President, Britain defeating Argentina in the
Falklands, Princess Grace dying in a car crash, the Islanders
sweeping Canucks in 4, Italy standing triumphant over
West Germany 3-1, movies like E-T/Tootsie/Gandhi coming to the Box Office, Michael Jackson’s Thriller shooting to
the top of the charts...
GET IN TOUCH WITH US AND LET US KNOW ABOUT
YOUR AVAILABILITY. WE HOPE THAT YOU CAN COME
TO CAMP THIS FALL AND WE CAN REMINISCE SOME
MORE ABOUT ALL THOSE GREAT THINGS PAST PLUS
THE CHANGES IN OUR LIVES SINCE THEN...
If there were other important things happening at Camp
while you were thinking about leadership ... we create the
Hemlock Room (and hang all the VA/WJ paddles there),
there is a Fourth Session at the end of the summer, Barb and
Jorgi get married (and we hold a reception at Camp that
Thanksgiving)..., then this year it is time for ...
YOUR TAWINGO
TLC 25 REUNION!
WE
alumni@tawingo.net
WANT TO CYBER-HEAR FROM YOU!
We would love to double check your e-mail address to keep in
touch with this newsletter and more news about Camp.
Send it along to us at alumni@tawingo.net
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Prepared/Written: Tawingo Alumni Circle Steering Committee
Newsletter Editor: Carly Cooper-Edwards
Layout: John Jorgenson
Camp Tawingo
1844 Ravenscliffe Road, Huntsville ON P1H 2N2 CANADA
Telephone: (705) 789 5612 - - - Fax: (705) 789 6624
alumni@tawingo.net - - - Website: www.tawingo.net
This newsletter was printed on recycled paper stock
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