Shoreham Beach Pictorial Heritage - 1840 to 2011

YMCA Camp Buxton - Part 2 - 1952 Visit

1952 Jan 13.outside our tent. From left Ken, me, Walter!

1952 Jan 13 - left Dad, Maurice,Walter (sitting), Ken (top), Mum, my brother

1952 Jan 13: left sitting - me, Ken, my brother; left rear Dad, Maurice,Walter

Jan 12 1952 Walter and Ken at Flinders Memorial WHAT WE DID AT CAMP BUXTON! We were transported to and from the Camp in converted furniture vans, which started and finished at the YMCA Victorian HQ in City Rd, Port Melbourne. We sat on stools in the van, and arrived at the Camp in the afternoon. On arrival, we would be divided into groups of three similar-aged boys, allocated our tent, given straw to make up our mattresses, and given a kerosene lantern for each tent. Straw and kerosene would not be allowed now, in case of fire, but there were no accidents then. When I was there, there were 60 boys in camp, in 20 tents. The tents had previously seen service for army training on the site during 1941-1943 and were army issue canvas, with flaps, on wooden floors. They were stifling hot, as it was mid summer, invaded by insects. We had to do kitchen duties, washing dishes, peeling spuds, and waiting on tables. After breakfast, there was sport on the oval: cricket, softball, basketball or other activities. Toilet facilities were at the bottom edge of the property (still there in 2011!) and a water tank on a high platform and windmill were adjacent (also still there!) The Hall and Camp Manager’s Residence were near the entrance gates and were the first features seen on arrival, with the tall Flagpole prominent at the front entrance. A small tuck-shop was in the hall, where boys could purchase snacks, drinks and other items. Boys were not permitted to have actual cash – they had accounts in a “Camp Bank” which had been set up by their parents or guardians on arrival. We were not allowed to go outside the confines of the Camp – all excursions were in the company of trained camp leaders. The only exception to this was on Sundays when families and friends were allowed to visit the camp and we were permitted to accompany the visitors outside the camp to the bushland and beach areas. My mother, father, and younger brother, with a family friend (the  driver, in his 1948 Ford Prefect sedan reg. no SS806!), visited me at the camp on Sunday January 13, 1952. We walked down the track to the beach, explored the rock pools and took some photos. EVENING ENTERTAINMENT The evenings were exciting, roudy and noisy, mainly in the Hall! Each group had to do a charade – these were what we would remember as “Shadow Plays” with the action taking place behind large back-lit white sheets, in front of the entire assemblage of boys. There was much laughter at these performances! There were sing-songs, a piano, films, slideshows, jokes, hymns, pantomines, vaudeville acts, but radios were not permitted! A song I remember was “The Quartermaster’s Store”, popular even now in the scouting movement. It started: “There were mice, mice, eating all the rice In the stores, in the stores There were mice, mice, eating all the rice In the Quartermaster’s`store “ Then there was Ten Green Bottles.  ”There are ten green bottles hanging on the wall,  and if one green bottle should accidently fall, there’ll be nine green bottles hanging on the wall” This went on for many verses, with a green bottle falling each time! At the end,  “There was one green bottle hanging on the wall, and if that green bottle should accidently fall, there’ll be no green bottles hanging on the wall.” These songs were also popular heard on long bus trips for younger kids. Other songs we sang included John Brown’s Body, Alouette, many immortalized within the scouting movement, some derived from wartime tunes. I learned a lot of things about life at the Camp. I learned to play tennis there for the first time – Ken and I would grab racquets and balls from the main office and go over to the porous court nearby. The remains of the court and adjacent concrete cricket pitch and oval are still visible next to the property. I might add that this was a “Boys’” camp – girls belonged to the Young Womens Christian Association and attended their own camps! Our ages ranged from 10 to 14. Each group of three boys had a Mentor, an older trained youth leader who looked after our well-being, and made sure that everything was OK with us. Each Mentor had to look after four tents. All meals were taken in the hall, which doubled as the canteen. At age 12, we had become teenagers and were starting to see the world from a new perspective. The lack of female company was a continual problem, but that was the sacrifice we had to make!   DAYTIME ACTION We were encouraged to take part in a range of guided outdoor activities, such as tennis, swimming in the nearby beach, hiking in the adjacent forest and on the beach, badminton, cricket, basketball and baseball. The Oval was used for many of those activities – this is now owned by the local council and is within the adjacent Bushland Reserve and has now become a waterlogged lagoon! The afternoons were for swimming, either on sea-weed-soaked Shoreham Beach, or if we pleaded with the leaders, we would go to the Point Leo surf beach, about 3 km to the north. During the time I was there some overnight hikes were offered, but only a few boys went on them. One was all the way to Arthurs Seat, usually over two days, sleeping out overnight. A second hike was to Red Hill, sleeping out on one night. A third was a day trip to Flinders, which I attended on Thursday January 17 1952- we came back by bus . We used to enjoy camp fires, strolls, late at night on the foreshore. We always had a Sunday church service in an open air chapel, with a stone Pulpit and stone benches. Jan 13 1952 Beach Walk to Pt Leo - Walter with camera 1952 Jan 12 Flinders jetty, our beachwalk 1952 Jan 12 Ocean Beach, Flinders, our beachwalk 1952 Jan 12, our beachwalk, Flinders view 1952 My postcard I sent to my mother! 1952 Picture side of my postcard with view of Flinders This is a Rose Series postcard I sent to my Mother, after we had returned from our beach walk to Flinders of Jan 12, 1952. It was actually posted in a special post box at the Camp Office, and was not mailed until several days later!   This is what I wrote:   Dear Mum, I got this card at Flinders when we went on our hike on Thursday. I spent 1/6 there. The postcard cost 4d. We came back in the bus. Friday -  Robert" Interestingly, the postmark on the card is 19 January 1951 - this was a mistake made at the Shoreham Post Office - it should have read 19 January 1952!   The picture side of the card shows a view of West Head at Flinders.