Interested in becoming a Camp Leader?
Being a Toc H Camp Leader is a rewarding and fun experience. If you would like to become a leader you can apply on our website - simply click 'Camp Leader Application' under 'Activities'.
For more information, please contact Mary at the Toc H office.
Refugee Camp
The second camp for refugee children will be held from Monday, 4th to Wednesday, 6th October, and leaders are needed for this special camp.
If you would like to be involved in this camp, please complete an on-line application form, or contact Mary at the office.
Report from the Winter 2010 (July) Kids Camp
This year's winter camp was held from Friday 9 July to Monday 12 July. We had a healthy thirty-one children and nineteen leaders on this camp. Everyone participated in and had fun doing many organised indoor and outdoor activities (when the weather permitted).
Arts and crafts activities included decorating photo frames and treasure boxes, creating treasure maps (singed and tea-stained to look authentic), designing and painting posters for each of the four groups of children and making juggling balls.
Sports activities included the 'minilympics' (egg and spoon race, three-legged race, quoits, ten-pin bowling and an obstacle course), riding bicycles and scooters, making sand castles and playing lots of ball games (including basketball, volleyball and a sensational soccer match).
One of the highlights was the variety night on Sunday in which each group of children performed a 'fractured fairytale' they had written themselves, followed up by an amazing magic show by our resident magician Corinthian! The children also enjoyed some free time, a couple of movies and a trip down to the playground at Victor Harbor Primary School.
The 'Crazy Crabs' store caused a lot of excitement as usual. At the store, children can trade tokens they have earned through good and positive behaviours for a wide variety of toys and gifts that they can keep and take home.
Of course, none of this is possible without the time and effort of our inexhaustible leaders (in no particular order): Tanya Brain, Ben Cooper, Jess Byrnes, Corey Newcombe (aka Corinthian), Stacey Roberts, Timothy Hoare, Chris Shiers, Helen Wadham, Courtney Harriss, Jess Halligan, Anna Williams, Bonnie Morgan, Cat Morgan, Eliza May, Clare Smyth, Annabel Heyward and Monica Hoare.
Special thanks also go to our friendly caterer Jenny Mason for supplying delicious food, Roydon Ellison for his help and presenting us such a well-maintained campsite, Mary Burford at the office for helping organise everything, Darrell Hamlyn for his advice and Genesis Tour and Charter (and their patient drivers) for providing transport to and from the camp.
We would like to congratulate Corey for reaching the five camp milestone! Also, congratulations to Ben, Helen, Jess H, Anna, Bonnie, Eliza, Clare and Annabel for attending their first camp.
This camp would not have been possible without the support of the following organisations who sponsored the camp: Kiwanis Club of Brighton, Kiwanis Club of Modbury, Kiwanis Club of Rostrevor/Campbelltown and Rotary Club of Henley Beach.
Cheers,
Daniel Roberts and Patrick Korbel (Camp Coordinators)
Toc H Victor Harbor Campsite & Camping Program
For the past 70 years, Toc H South Australia has provided camping programs for children in need. Our camps not only provide families with much needed respite, but just as importantly, provide children between 7 and 11 years with the chance to engage in activities that they would otherwise not have the chance to experience.
The children who attend our camps have experienced or continue to experience extreme hardship. They are referred to us by school counselors, and agencies such as Anglicare, and Families SA.
Most commonly their families have faced:
"We may think that needs exist only for those children growing up in war-torn, impoverished, countries where parents are too exhausted, too depressed, too deprived to provide their children with even the basics of food, clothing and shelter... even in the most privileged societies of the world, children are neglected, malnourished of body and soul, and abused... they miss out on a childhood full of adventure and experimentation and fun... many of today's children need to be re-introduced to the very concept of play".
- Christina Noble
Of particular concern to us, is the increasing demand being placed on foster families in South Australia, who are becoming more and more stretched to meet the current demand. Caring (parenting, foster parenting etc) can be physically and emotionally exhausting. Breaks from caring can help to relieve the stress and exhaustion carers may feel.
"Adelaide is desperate for foster carers... Anglicare has recently advertised for foster carers due to the shortage... On any one night Anglicare has around 600 children in foster care situations... and has about 200 carers to cope with this... the families are becoming increasingly stretched to meet the demands".
- Liberal Human Services spokesman Dean Brown 23 Feb, 2004
Toc H camp leaders are all volunteers committed to supporting children to form positive relationships with their peers, to make healthy choices, to build self-esteem, and to develop positive community attitudes. Our volunteer co-ordinators and leaders organise, plan and implement a creative range of activities for the children.
At Toc H Camp, we support kids to:
Toc H Camps give kids:
At Toc H, we believe that every child has the right to a happy and positive childhood. Toc H members and other community service organisations (such as Kiwanis and Rotary) sponsor the camps. We receive no government funding, and find it a continual battle to provide this service at a minimal cost to the families ($25 for a 3 or 5 day camp). This cost is often further subsidised for the family by the referring agency.