
Monday Memories – Camps Part 1

Camps have been an important part of GFS from early in the last century.
Miss Emmie Holmes, who has been mentioned before in Monday Memories, was keen to help GFS continue its outreach through camps and in 1948 she donated a block of land in Gooseberry Hill to be used as a camp site for GFS. It was in a beautiful position but could not be used for a camp immediately because the area did not have roads, power or water.
GFS hoped to be able to eventually use the site as a camp, but it was a long time before the area was opened up and in the meantime many camps of a high standard had been set up in the hills and were available to youth groups. The land was sold in 1982 and the proceeds invested. The interest was later used to help with GFS office expenses and branch work.
In the 1950s one of the popular camps for GFSers was at Bickley, although the venue was nothing like the luxurious accommodation provided there now.