Lord Somers Camp, or "Big Camp", is an annual week-long camp for boys and girls held in Somers,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia. Founded in Anglesea,

, in 1929 by The 6th Baron Somers, the then

Governor of Victoria The governor of Victoria is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria. The governor is one of seven viceregal representatives in the country, analogous to the governors of the other states, and th ...

, the camp has been running continuously since 1929, excluding the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

years of 1941-1946 when the site was occupied by the

RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

. The 2021 camps have both been postponed due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

. There are two camps, one for young men and one for young women, typically taking place in the 2nd and 3rd week of January each year.

History

The original camp was set up in 1929 by the then

Lord Somers Baron Somers, of Evesham in the County of Worcester, is a title that has been created twice. The title was first created in the Peerage of England in 1697 for Sir John Somers, so that he could sit in the House of Lords and serve as Lord Chancel ...

. Somers aimed to duplicate the success of the hugely popular ''Duke of York Camps'' which were held in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The first and second camps were held at

Anglesea, Victoria Anglesea is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Great Ocean Road in the Surf Coast Shire local government area. In the , Anglesea had a population of 2,545 people. Originally known as Swampy Creek, the area's name was changed t ...

, with the assistance of the Anglesea Scouts. The camp moved then relocated to a purpose-built site, designed by Stephenson and Meldrum in Somers in 1931. Only two of the original buildings still stand today, including the Executive Hut (staff quarters) and the Mess Hut (dining hall).

Power House

In order to provide a meeting and social outlet for the camp's participants, a clubhouse located at Albert Park Lake in Melbourne was built in 1932. Called "Power House", the activities expanded into sporting clubs, including

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

, and Australian rules football. Whilst the clubs were originally set up solely for the use of Lord Somers Camp members, gradually the clubs forged their own identity and separated into their own legal entities due to public liability insurances issues in the 1980s. Today, they operate completely independently.

Today

The camps are operated and staffed completely by volunteers who even have to pay for privilege and give up a week of their holidays. The exact program has been adjusted in line with community expectations and social changes over the years. In 1986, a female equivalent of the Camp, ''Lady Somers Camp'' commenced and has arguably been more successful. It typically follows the boys' camp in January each year. Other programs followed, including Diversity (for the intellectuality and physically challenged), VSK (Very Special Kids), and more recently Mirabel. Again, all managed and operated by LSC&PH volunteers. The township of East Balnarring was renamed

Somers, Victoria Somers is a small town on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula local government area. Somers recorded a population ...

after the camp.

External links

Lord Somers Camp & Power House website

Lord Somers Camp Commercial Hire

Big Camp

References

{{reflist Summer camps 1929 establishments in Australia Youth organisations based in Australia