"SOMERS' BOYS"

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 54, 7 March 1929, Page 18

"SOMERS' BOYS"

LUCK OF" EIGHTY LADS

"GET TOGEtHER" CAMP *

In 193 Xan anonymous donor in England offered-£IOOO. a year for .- five years to carry out aiiy experi- -. ment with the object of bringing •. together Public 'School boys and

boys of a similar age working in ' industrial concerns. "The Duke of York's Camp" was tho result. This year in Australia, Lord Somers, Governor of Victoria, held a similar camp. Will the idea spread to New Zealand? ■■

About this time six weeks ago eighty youths from colleges, offices, factories, and other'walks of life "got together" in Australia at Anglesea, Victoria, for a week's camp. They lived in uutrammelled companionship for seven days surfing, eating, singing, ragging, and being ragged, competing in camp tournaments, and generally having "the time of their young lives." These lucky lads were "Somers' Boys," otherwise the boys chosen to take part in what was really a social experiment arranged by Lord Somers, his camp being run 'on much the:same lines as the i>ulce of York's camps in England, and with a view to helping the boys t*o value others in lesser or better social walks of life and to find an interest in theii points of view. v

Judging by all that was written in Australian papers at' the time, and from which this'article is compiled, the success of the camp was assured from its inception. Organisation and co-oper-ation, those two great and always necessary qualities .when.any task of magnitude is undertake", were present from the start, and in the carefully chosen staff, tho'boys read aright tho spirit of the adventure and truly lived up to the only rule of the camp— "Play the game." . . V . ; ■ ■ CAREFUL ARRANGEMENTS. Each boy was assigned 'a group, a section, and a number, and this system greatly • lessened the routine duty of the camp. It eased -the usually trying transport arrangements, because when the : baggage was sorted..the carriers; simply pileil it according-to .label —light blue, "green,; red, etc.—the two sections in each ,group being; -further distinguished by letters. Each of the '"ten piles therefore contained the luggage of eight boys •and was* consigned to a separate hut. >Boys went to the pile for their own group, and section, toofc their gear away and had ;tlio: assembly ground' clear in a minimum 1 of time! Air assemblies were made by the group, system, and the seats iv tho open-air auditorium were banded with colours to facilitate gatherings and to keep the boys in the intended grouping together of public school and industrial representations. Once tho camp was under way, howover, no such scheme was necessary to ensure that Lord Somers' wishes in tins direction were honoured. • UNUSUAL ACCESSORIES. The camp site, itself was. very pleasant,and boasted such attractions as a totem pole lamppost .surmounted by, a horse's skull' fantastically decorated, and with tlie skull of a dog with pennies for eyes. • Native spears and other trophies likely to catch the eye of interested youths decorated the' walls of tho moss hut v aii'd administrative buildings, and tho council fire was also suuounded by gaudy totem poles and other emblems which are the outnaid and Msiblo e\pies^ions of the oij- i ginahty of the Boy Scouts, to whom tho tamp belonged A piopoily dedicated open an chapel was proMilod and Holy Communion celebrated theic Immediately behind tho tamp un the lrvei, and hcic was a landing stage, boatsheds, diessing sheds, springboaids, and other filings useful to the aquatic ally inclined. Oil tho uistiuc tive side, the Chief of the nAii Staff (An-Commander E Williams) lectuied on aMdtion, sliowng a. senes of cinema togiaph films; demonstiations ot" life living weie given by the South Bt Kilda, champion hfti saving team ot \ictoua; Mi. D,i\e Matliews, field natuialist, took paities for lambles tluough tho fotcbt, and in these! and vanous othei wajs, the bojs occupied their time, leaining and enjoj ing "BOYS AGAIN." Lord Somers visited his camp on oc\cial ocCiisions, and special guests included the PienucL (feu Wilh.im M'PheiE>on), Sir John Monash, tho Loid Mayoi (Mi. Luxton), and scv^ial leadeis of, industry and labour. One and all responded to the jouthiul spirit ot the assemblage. Loid Someis played handball with the boys and jumped over and ciawled under the table atter meals in the appioved camp manner, and Sir John Monash joined them in games and sujiing. While the boys invented new war cues daily and tuod them out as j>oon as tho padie had finished giace at broakfast, the staff did all'that was expected of them m the way of diess Padic E F Coopei appeal oil one night in a gaiment lesembling a Eoman toga, decoiatcd with a spiay of,impos sible wattle acio&s tlte bieast, and with a somnolent Kangaiooi behind ■ A blan reminiscent ot lcppaid like ,hot uatoi bottle covois lay acioss Ins shouldeis. Squidion Leadci MacNuinaia, VC, donned ficice pnatical gaib, and otliei members of the staft helped along the tun with assoited raiment A tamp maga/uie, "Summci 's Times," kept a lccoid of .iIP activi

ties and doings, and a very sensible booklet ■ giving all necessary information regarding transport, daily routine, "what to bring," etc., was issued to each boy before ho started for camp. Altogether the camp proved most successful and quite justified Lord Somers' faith in his experiment, for the Governor made himself financially responsible for this first annual camp of youths from all stations of life. His guests left reluctantly at tho end of the week, but singing "with heart and voice" tlio last lines of.. their camp song:— "JJighty strong we'll march to glory Till we're old and bent aud hoaiy, Shouting still the same old story, Somers' boys are we."