History of Camp Mockingee

Learn About Camp Mockingee
HISTORY OF CAMP MOCKINGEE
 
In the summer of 1949, the Windsor Rotary Club transformed an empty field and forty acres of land bordering Lake Mockingee into Camp Mockingee. Three members of the Club, George Bartlett, Thomas Aiken, and Arthur Parsons led the project that acquired the land and oversaw the construction of eight buildings, the development of the playing fields, and the waterfront. The total cost of the project was $9,000, which would be over $100,000 in today's funds.
 
All of these buildings still form part of the Camp complex. The first dining hall is now the Redmond Building; the convalescent cabin for crippled children is part of the Kirk Building, and the six cabins stand in their original location
 
                                   

First Rotary Club Camp - 1949 - At Mockingigh Lake (photo donated by Carl Carmichael) This is the earliest Camp Mockingee photo we have found and so far we only have a photocopy. In the photo left to right: Jeff Boudreau, Earl Smeltzer, Skip Hatt, Perry Whynott, Weldon Brown, John Fogarty, Charlie Murdock, Doug Fredericks, Carl Carmichael, Normie Fredericks, Garth Leighton, George Wilkins, Freddy Wilkins, Bobby Spicer, Donnie Marshall, Jimmy Sawler, Donnie Blenkhorn, Cecil Paris, Sammy MacDonald, Gerald Bonang, Brudsie Blenkhorn, Bobby McLeod, Timmy Burbidge.

Since its establishment in 1929, the Club had been very active in sponsoring summer camps for the children of Hants County. Camp Mockingee provided an excellent location to carry on this community service and the Club continued to provide camping programs until 1985. By then, many other local organizations such as Scouts, Guides, and Cadets were willing to run programs, so the Club changed its role to providing a facility for other groups to us.
                                                

Mockingee Youth Camp around 1951. The following list of names came with the photo. Back rows - left to right: Harold Mitten?, Jim Macdonald, Colin Taylor, Clary Wood, Ted Harris?, Doug Morton, Judy Smith, Tracy Bond, --------, Ira Lohnes, --------, Swen Ball, Dan Murray, Ralph Parsons, Ralph Loomer, Ralph Holmes, Lefty MacCoy, George Bartlett, Gordon Loomer, Vic Aylward, Ezra Parsons, Neil Dow? ------, Mike King, George Cole, Tom Aylward, Al MacKenzie, Owen Keddy? Ben Alexander, --------, Jim Blakney, Harold Anslow, Charlie Manning, Foster Gill? Ralph Dimock, Colin Stephens? Frank Lawrence.

 
In 1968, a new kitchen and dining hall were built and the Redmond Building was converted into a recreation hall. In 1985, the wash house was added. Hiking trails and campsites were added in the wooded areas. These efforts provided a complete warm-weather camping facility. As time went on, there was more interest from the community in cold-weather camping and the government introduced higher standards for buildings. The Club responded to these challenges with an extensive development plan.

In 1996 the first phase of the Camp's transformation into an all-season facility began. A heated kitchen and dining hall were constructed on a full basement. The old kitchen was moved to a new location to await further development.

Thanks to a generous bequest from the estate of Shirley Woods in 2002, the Camp acquired an additional 35 acres of forest, bringing the size of the total property to 75 acres.

Also in 2002, the Club expanded and transformed the Counsellors Building into a four-season lodge accommodating 24. This building was placed on a full basement and provided with washrooms and showers.  It was renamed the Kirk Building, to recognize the work of Rotarian Andy Kirk for the Camp.

Most recently, the old kitchen was completely renovated into a 24-bed heated dormitory, completing the transformation to an all-season facility.  In 2007 this building was named Vale House in recognition of the many thousands of volunteer hours provided by Rotarian Ted Vale and his wife Marion.  In 2005 Marion was awarded a Paul Harris Fellow in recognition of her dedication to planning, constructing, and finishing buildings and the grounds at the camp.