The Nominingue Train Wreck of 1952
Gordon Pollock Counsellor, Business Manager 1944-1969
OCA Archives Research Project
For many years, campers traveled to and from Camp Nominingue via the CPR. Baggage for campers was delivered to Montreal's Windsor Station in advance of the campers' departure and was sent up on a special baggage car on the afternoon train, the day before the campers arrived at camp. This worked out well as the steamer trunks, that almost all the campers went to camp with, were unloaded and placed under each camper's bed the next morning, so all was in readiness when they arrived in camp just after noon that day. The CPR had upgraded their equipment on the Laurentian line and was now using steel passenger cars in place of the older, gas-lit, wooden ones. However, all the baggage for the campers was placed in a wooden baggage car, and this was positioned between the steam locomotive and the three steel cars.
That night, the freight train heading south failed to wait at the regular passing point and, just north of Ste-Agathe, it hit the north-bound passenger train head-on! The weight of the steel cars caused the wooden baggage car to telescope around the engine, and left the clothing, sleeping bags, tennis rackets and other camping gear for 150 campers on both sides of the train tracks. Up in Nominingue, the camp business manager went to the station when the night train was expected, to make certain that the baggage car was left at an appropriate place on the siding only to be told by the agent that the train would not be arriving that night. Was it late? No, it was not going to arrive at all. It was wrecked! The business manager returned to the camp, picked up a couple of senior counsellors, one being the owner's son Charlie, and drove about 75 miles south to the scene of the wreck. Fortunately, the CPR detectives, who had already arrived at the wreck, were delighted to meet them and together arranged for a truck and a crew to pick up every piece of clothing and equipment, along with broken trunks and a few untouched ones. By noon, all of the baggage was being sorted out back at camp. CPR agents were there to accept claims for losses and damages, and when the campers arrived an hour later, there was little concern among them about what had happened. Camp was open for business as usual!  Marc Beique: The Life-Learning Doctor by Caroline Maga
Camp Alumni Project Our Kids Magazine 2011
For Dr. Marc Beique, it's a matter of life and death. The 48-year-old Montreal resident has spent 20 years saving patients from the brink of death in the emergency departments of two hospitals in the city. Before he studied the intricacies of life at the University of Ottawa, advised the Ministry of Health or taught at the McGill University Health Centre, he learned the meaning of life at camp.
"The people stay with you - the campers I grew up with, the staff who took a daily interest in me," he says. "They showed me things beyond the technical lessons like tying a knot."
Beique was 10 years old when he first went to Camp Nominingue, an all-boys overnight camp just north of Montreal, to practise his English. He returned every summer for the next 12 years. As a camper, counsellor, canoe tripping director and camp doctor, he learned practical skills as well as flexibility, leadership and group work.
Ever the perfectionist as a teen, Beique learned from his woodshop instructor how to accept the imperfections both on his canoe paddle and within him.
"Looking back, I've done well over the years, but some of that is being forgiving of oneself," Beique says. "I use that lesson every day."
In the spirit of camp, Beique made sure that his own students in medical school understood not only how to save a life, but how to appreciate it too. 
Camper E-Mails & Photos - Envois de courriel et Photos des campeurs
For the past few summers, parents have paid for credits to send e-mails to their son at camp. This year, we have decided to use another provider, Camp Brain, the company which handles our online enrolment, and to offer this service free of charge. Parents will be able to use the same username and password that was used for online enrolment to send a specified number of e-mails to their son. This service will allow you to enable other family members to also send e-mails to your son. Using the same system, parents will be able to view and download photos that are taken while their son is at camp. We hope that, by linking the services with the same provider and to offer the service free of charge, we will make your lives simpler.
Durant les dernières saisons, les parents de campeurs pouvaient acheter des crédits pour envoyer des courriels à leur fils. Cette année, nous avons décidé de confier ce service à Camp Brain, la compagnie qui gère nos inscriptions en ligne, et d'offrir ce service sans frais. Les parents de campeurs pourront utiliser le même nom d'utilisateur et mot de passe, qu'ils ont utilisé pour faire l'inscription, pour envoyer un nombre spécifié de courriels. Ce service permettra aussi à d'autres membres de la famille ou à des amis d'envoyer un courriel à votre fils. Le même système vous permettra de visionner et de télécharger, si vous le voulez, les photos que nous affichons sur une base régulière au courant de l'été. Nous espérons qu'en utilisant le même fournisseur et d'offrir ces services sans frais, de vous rendre la vie plus simple.
Camper Confidential Information & Travel Forms - Formulaires d'informations confidentielles et de voyage au camp
All parents of campers enrolled in 2012 will be receiving an e-mail within the next week informing them how to complete the Camper Confidential Information and Travel forms online. For parents who do not want to complete these forms online, the forms will be available to download on our website www.nominingue.com on the documents page, accessed through the Registration & Rates page. You can also ask the office to send these forms to you by sending an e-mail to info@nominingue.com.
Tous les parents de garçons inscrits au Camp en 2012 recevront un courriel d'ici une semaine avec des instructions pour compléter les informations confidentielles et pour indiquer le moyen de transport que votre fils utilisera pour se rendre au camp. Pour les parents qui ne veulent pas compléter ces formulaires sur l'internet, les formulaires seront aussi disponibles sur notre site www.nominingue.com sur la page « documents », accessible de la page « Registration & Rates ». Vous pouvez aussi nous demander de vous envoyer les formulaires par courriel.
Spring Parent & Son Information Evenings - Soirées d'informations pour nouveaux campeurs
April 17 Parent Information Evening Chimo Hotel, Ottawa
April 19 Parent Information Evening Lower Canada College, NDG
May 8 Parent Information Evening Lower Canada College, NDG
May 9 Parent Information Evening Chimo Hotel, Ottawa
If you are interested in any details concerning these events and to confirm attendance, please contact us at the camp office.
17 avril Soirée d'informations Chimo Hotel, Ottawa
19 avril Soirée d'informations Lower Canada College, NDG
8 mai Soirée d'informations Lower Canada College, NDG
9 mai Soirée d'informations Chimo Hotel, Ottawa
Si vous désirez plus de détails ou pour confirmer votre présence, svp contactez nous au bureau à Les Coteaux.
Additional Staff Assignments for 2012 - Affectation du personnel en 2012
Head counsellors - Moniteurs en chef
Lower Camp Harry Warshaw
Middle Camp Steve Peters William Chorba
Upper Camp Alexis Iversen Patrick Quinn
Craftshop Assistant Geoff Matheson
Waterfront Assistant Sam Nardi
Tripping Assistant Trevor Cardozo
LIT Assistant Yusef Farah Chalita
Specialists - Spécialistes
Trip Stores Ben Lavallée
Canoeing - Canot James O'Brien
Kayaking - Kayak William Chorba
Sailing - Voile Patrick Quinn
Windsurfing - Planche à voile Winston Oliver
Tennis Alexis Iversen
Guitar - Guitare François Duranceau
ESL - Anglais langue seconde Erica Reid
FSL - Français langue seconde Julie Cameron
Climbing - Escalade Gillian Kent
Tumpline Submissions - Soumissions pour cette lettre de nouvelles
We are looking for submissions for our newsletters from campers, staff and parents... from this summer, as well as from recent and less recent alumni. These submissions may be general memories of camp experiences or specific memories about a canoe trip, about a favourite program or a funny experience. Please send your submissions to grant@nominingue.com. You may submit your stories and memories in English, French or Spanish.
Nous sommes à la recherche de textes de campeurs, parents et de moniteurs de l'été 2011... et de souvenirs de nos anciens campeurs et moniteurs des années récentes et moins récentes. Vos textes peuvent décrire vos expériences en générale ou une excursion de canot, un programme favori ou une expérience drôle. SVP envoyez votre texte par courriel à grant@nominingue.com. Votre texte peut être écrit en français, en anglais ou en espagnol. | 
