Families Camp Near Home

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30348, 25 January 1964, Page 14

Families Camp Near Home

Many of the families who are at present living under canvas at the City Council’s motor camp at South Brighton are only a few miles away from their homes in Wainoni, Opawa, Dallington, Fendalton and Spreydon. “T.ie camp is full but we have only about 10 families from other parts of the country.” said the caretaker (Mr T. J. Oakley) yesterday. “All the rest are from Christchurch.”

Inquiries among the campers by a reporter revealed a variety of reasons for the popularity of South Brighton. There were the tennis courts, the beach for swimming, the Estuary for boating and fishing, the sheltered sites for camps, and abundance of hot water and playing facilities away from the streets for the children; but everyone insisted the main reason for the

camp’s popularity was its caretaker, Mr Oakley. < “He has made this camp,” said Mrs J. R. Garland, of Opaw’a, who, with her hus- 1 band, five children —“and a 1 number of their friends”— 1 have been living under. canvas there since Christmas. Mr and Mrs Garland have stayed at the camp for their holidays for the last seven years “Mr Oakley is up most of ' the night stoking the boiler,” : she said. “There’s always masses of hot water and the ' toilet and other facilities are kept spotless.” Caretaker of the camp since . 1955, Mr Oakley modestly ad- ■ mitted there had been “a few improvements” during last few years. “When I first few improvements” during the : were nearly choked by scrub i and lupins,” he said, point- i ing towards clusters of tall pines that cast cool shadows i on the well-cut green lawns. I

Mr and Mrs R. M. Coulter, of Fendalton, have been at the camp for a fortnight. “This is really to round off our main holidays,” said Mr Coulter, who goes to his work each day from the camp. Mrs M. F. Judd, of Christchurch. said she had stayed in many camps throughout New Zealand but could not recall one better than the South Brighton camp. Mr and Mrs C. E. Zohrab. of Ashburton, discovered the camp several years ago; They were on their way to Nelson and stopped the night at South Brighton, but they liked the site so much, that they stayed three weeks and forgot about Nelson. On« of the extra services which Mr Oakley provides is the delivery of the daily newspapers—which he slip’s through the tent flaps. “And we don’t even have to get out of our sleeping hags,” said one camper