8 www.georgianbay.ca GBA UPDATE Spring 2023 HERITAGE ByðAllisonðNeedham,ð UPDATEðManagingðEditor Last summer, my 15-year-old daughter, Ella, set out on a two-week canoe trip through Temagami as part of Camp Queen Elizabeth’s Developing Excellent Leaders (DEL) program. She was anxious about the long hours of paddling, gruelling portages, and most concerning – two whole weeks without a cellphone. Ella wrote me a letter upon her return, in which she told me, “It honestly was a life-changing trip. I had never been so not lazy, and I have so many stories. Get ready for the longest cottage dinner conversation ever.” This was music to my ears. Camp should be a place where kids can focus on unplugging from technology, reconnecting with nature, and making real-world connections within the camp community. Each camp is unique. Some focus on team sports and co-operation; others concentrate on individual skill improvement and competition. Some are religiously affiliated, while others are non-denominational. Some are highly structured, while others offer more choices. It is important to match the child’s needs with the culture of the camp. And every camp has a unique background story;ðin this issue we are looking into Camp Hurontario and hope to introduce you to other camps around the Bay in future issues. Camp Hurontario Founded on the shores of Georgian Bay in 1947 by Trinity College teacher Birnie Hodgetts, Hurontario remains a family-owned and operated summer camp under the direction of Birnie’s daughter, Pauline. Now celebrating its 76th season, Hurontario is like something out of a Hardy Boys book. No land sports, tennis, basketball, or anything else that would have an impact on the land – just like the early days of cottaging. You will not find waterskiing or wakeboarding on the slate of activities; instead, it’s rock climbing, woodworking, sailing, kayaking, and adventurous canoe trips. With an emphasis on an appreciation of the natural environment, there are biological and environmental activities, which in the past included projects in partnership with the Toronto Zoo and Guelph University that involve tagging Massasauga rattlesnakes and tracking Monarch butterflies. Although Hurontario has upgraded its buildings and facilities over the years, it truly provides campers with the opportunity to escape the city and come to a woodsy, disconnected environment for the summer. Dave Freel, managing director for Camp Hurontario, tells the story of how Birnie found the idyllic spot for his camp. Caught in a storm during a fishing trip in 1946, he and his brother Ted sought shelter in a secluded bay not far from their family cottage at Wah Wah Taysee. When they woke the next morning, Birnie and Ted soon discovered they had landed on a beautiful island which was totally uninhabited. Birnie, as the story goes, turned to Ted and said, “This is where I will have my camp.” Birnie wanted to protect the camp from the development that he knew would come to the area, and so he began investigating who owned the island, as well as the surrounding mainland. Through a series of letters, Birnie found that the island was owned by an American woman who was happy to sell. The 175 acres across from the island were not as easy to acquire. They were owned by a Mr. Kingsmill, a veteran who had fought in the Boer War and for which Queen Victoria had Camping Out: Summer Camps on Georgian Bay Remain Steeped in Tradition Foundedð76ðsummersðagoðbyðBirnieðHodgetts,ðCampðHurontarioð remainsðtrueðtoðitsðroots. (L):ðCampersðfromðCampðQueenðElizabeth’sðDevelopingðExcellentðLeadersð programðreturnðfromðaðtwo-weekðoutðtripðthroughðTemagami. (R):ðAðgroupðofðmaleðcampersðatðCampðHurontarioðinðtheð1940s.
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