Figure 1.--
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Figure 1.-- |
Both the Boy Scouts and YMCA have important summr camp programs in Australia. We do not know about the Boys' Brigade. Presumably there are also a number of private camps. As in New Zealand, there are also school camps.
An Austrlian reader has provided some of his personal camp experiences a both a YMCA and a high school camp.
I have been on a couple of camps with the YMCA here in South Australia. Camps and the YMCA are great places to really particapate in life with friendship'sports and freedom to be a boy on the move and burning off energy which we needed to do because we were young and
athletically great.
In my first camp we were at the YMCA hall. I was 10 and we had to dress up as Children of the World and I scored the German ticket and the Lederhosen which I hated. I wanted to be the American or an English child. A friend laughed at me but he picked the Greek ticket and I had the last laugh. At least I never scored the Scottish ticket because it was really windy outside the hall for the first half hour and I don't think I would have enjoyed the wind in the willows and the kilt flying up to reveal my underwear to the gathering of the World watching me. If we were to dress as what our original family nationality I would have copped the kilt.
The YMCA figured big in my boyhood because I loved to hang out with good people who did not care if you were from a poor background. I loved the trampeline and had lots of go's at gridiron via a Morman elder taking me out to a nearby park and showing me a puntkick and more about the basics of this particular sport. He did not try to convert me and I respected him for that because he was 18 or 19 years old at the time and needed a time out freom his Morman duties and I was about 12.
I also attended a YMCA camp in 1976 aged 15 years. I was asked to go on a Cchristian style camp that year. Mum said no but I rang my dad to ask for permission to attend and he said ok as long as they do not try to convert you into some sort of religious saint. I went and they accomadated everyones religious beliefs be it Anglican or Catholic or whatever. This did not bother me because I think of my Anglican brothers as being the same as my Catholicism. The only differance is that the priests are married with a wife and children which I reckon is a lot better because I can relate to a real father figure in the true sence.
I had my Beatle hairdo early on in the camp but got it cut short back and sides which at the time worried me to death. But I think that was my best boyhood photo because I did look ok. A married priest's nice wife had cut it because my fringe was in my eyes and plus my dad liked me with short hair better. A fellow boy camper a Morman
thought I was crossing over to his religion because of my conservative appearance, but I told him a nice lady cut it because of the annoying fringe and plus it was not a school time for three weeks.
We wore jeans scoop style cotton shorts in lots of plain colours and floral designs like Hawaiian board shorts. I wore jeans, tee shirts, gymboots, and tennis shoes. I had a pair of bone coloured scoop leg shorts with elasticised back snap and fly front which was simular to my old grey school Midfords that I had worn a year earlier but I only wore these because the nice lady wanted me to fit in with the younger boys which with my shorter hair made me look about 12 or 13 years old.
The camp was held at Mylor in the beautiful Adelaide Hills of South Australia. We travelled arround by bus (not a traditional American old Yellow school bus) to lots of good places from mountain
climbing, swimming, tennis, soccer (which I really loved), footy, gridiron, walking and cycling, and lots more.
I have fond memories of this two week camp and because of it I now respect peoples religious views which my friend James does. We slept in dorms, did plays, sang hymns, chased sheila's (girls), sang arround camp fires, did cleaning and cooking, and slept out under the stars. I sang on stage in tallent contests which I actually won but gave the two dollar prize to an English boy who had no pocket money like me.
I also went on a high school camp with my Saint Mark's College friends to the very beautiful Port Lincoln which is a lovely seaside town in lower South Australia. I came second in the Limbo contest which our fireman sports coach gave me a proud smile and patted me on the back saying he was really happy with me putting in a very good effort. I wore shorts most of the time because it was 1978 and I enjoyed life at this camp'it was a Catholic Retreat camp where you think about life and how God figures in it. I accepted the religious side of it because I love singing and writing songs so I was not peeved being made to be a saintly Bible-thumping goody two shoes boy.
We collected razorfish and abalone on the large white beach and I had to run arround in a pair of grey preppy shorts because my cousin ripped my soccer shorts and my other shorts'jeans' dress slacks and dress shirts were hanging out to dry because a sticky bottle of Coca Cola leaked all through my sports bag (Glenelg Tigers footy bag' black and yellow) and clothes were sticky too. Yes my cousin did it because he was a bit better off moneywise and loved the big put me down. I had to collect lots of soda bottles to get money to from the local store so that me and my brother could get sweets and soda drinks like all the other children. My best friends Kym and David shouted me a cream bun or a sandwich which I really did appreciate. Once back at school I used to help Kym with our Anciant History classes. I felt that seeing that he was kind to me that I should be kind to him by helping this
lonely boy with this subject and he thanked me.
One day one at camp a teacher told me to wear shorts, but I let out a swear word and had to wear those grey preppy short trousers which were woolen and made me look like I was lost from the 1950's'I had to chew on a bar of soap too and serve as an alter boy in one of those alter gowns which were maraun with the white lacey over skirt tunic. Yes I hated it and can't remember those particular hours because I spent that part of the time in a seething mood bitting my lips and moaning to myself when I was supposed to be praying.
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