The Swim Test J.R. Warren 1939-1949
I became more famous after the third week of camp for being the only kid in the Upper Camp who had not passed his 100-yard swim test. I was, therefore, ineligible to go on a canoe trip. And as far as F.M. Van Wagner, co-founder and then co-director of the camp - Mr. Van to all - was concerned, canoe trips were the raison d'être for going to Camp Nominingue. I had tried the test three times, giving up on the third try on the ninety-yard line with the unforgettable phrase, "I'm pooped, I quit!" Unforgettable, you bet. Nobody would let me forget! Before supper that night, I think everyone in camp had heard about it! I tried to make light of my failure and even used to sing "Someday I'll swim my hundred" to the tune of "Someday I'll find my love" from Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I did have a lot of encouragement to try again, though, from my friends, from Herb Owen and Alex Hamilton, co-directors of the Senior Camp, from the swimming instructor, and from Ken Murray, director of the Lower Camp and a teacher whom I knew at Westmount High. Even Mr. Van took the time to tell me what I was missing by not being able to go on canoe trips.
Although I did a pretty good job of not letting it show, my inability to pass the swim test hurt. I had taken swimming lessons at Gloucester when I was thirteen, but had never learned to swim any distance, in part because the ocean water was usually too darned cold and rough. I was too shy to take swimming instruction at Nominingue because I didn't want to be learning with all the little kids, nor did I want my friends to see how poor I was at it. But finally, just before the end of the first month, I passed my 100-yard test. The cheer in the dining hall, when it was announced, was like I had won the Olympic Gold Medal for the 15000-metre swim! At last, I could go on canoe trips!
Canoe tripping eventually came to symbolize Camp Nominingue for me, but there was a myriad of other activities I enjoyed: a Wednesday picnic hike for the Senior Camp to Lac Montjoie, sixteen miles round trip, some of it over old corduroy road (With most of the other kids on the hike, I shared a great sense of accomplishment even though, or maybe because, I ended up with a pretty sore kink in my leg); another Wednesday hike up Mont Equerre, the highest mountain thereabouts with a view over countless lakes and endless forest, six miles there and back; sleeping overnight with five other guys in the tepee; learning about campcraft and camp cooking; and most important of all, the great friendships I made - many of which have lasted to this day.
My first summer whizzed by. Before I knew it, the season had ended and I was on the train back to Montreal with many of the same campers I had gone up with, somewhat less exuberant than they had been going the other way eight weeks earlier. I awoke the next morning surrounded by four walls with only a little window opening on an identical house across the back lane. I was desolate. I didn't belong there. I belonged in a tent amid the birches, wide open to the fresh breeze blowing off the lake. Camp Nominingue was my home!
Sept Jours au Parc de la Vérendrye Antoine Ipperciel
Jour 6
Les moniteurs voulaient se lever à 7h00m du matin. Nous avons donc mis notre alarme à 5h45. A cette heure, nous nous sommes levés et nous nous sommes précipités au feu pour l'allumer. On voulait que tout soit parfait...parfait! On a eu besoin de plus de bois, donc je suis allé en prendre pendant que les autres campeurs allaient prendre les barils de nourriture pour sortir les ingrédients nécessaires. Une fois que tout cela fût terminé, j'ai commencé à préparer le déjeuner : du gruau et des crêpes. Le gruau commençait à devenir moins intéressant car ça faisait trois jours de suite qu'on mangeait ça! Nous avons donc décidé d'ajouter de la poudre de chocolat chaud. Le produit final fût succulent. Lorsque nous avons apporté les bols aux moniteurs, il était 7h00 exactement : La montre a sonné au même moment que nous avons ouvert la porte de leur tente. Quelques minutes plus tard, nous sommes arrivés avec les crêpes. Les moniteurs ont dit que c'était « un rêve devenu une réalité! » Une fois que tout le monde avait fini de manger, j'ai commencé à remplir les sacs. Tout était prêt. Il ne restait que d'éteindre le feu et de partir. Nos moniteurs étaient très impressionnés!
Quelques minutes passèrent, puis on se mit en route. Premièrement, nous avons fini de traverser le Lac Byrd. Ce ne prit pas beaucoup de temps, car il n'y avait pas beaucoup de vent. Ensuite, nous sommes embarqués sur la Rivière des Rapides. Celle-ci prit un peu plus de temps, car il avait beaucoup de roches. Il fallait toutes les éviter. De plus, il ya eu un portage en plein milieu, car des rapides bloquaient le chemin. Nous avons finalement atteint le Lac Poulter, un très grand lac. Au moins, on avait un vent qui nous soufflait dans le dos. Après plus d'une heure, nous sommes arrivés à une mince rivière nommée de la Voie. En vingt minutes, nous l'avions franchie. Après un dernier court portage de 300 mètres, nous nous sommes rendus au Lac Barrières, qui lui aussi était très court.
Finalement, on s'est rendu sur le Lac Jean Peré, le dernier lac de l'excursion. Ce lac était très grand. Mes forces me manquaient, mais je devais continuer. J'ai donc tenté de ramer encore plus fort pour les sept derniers kilomètres de la journée. À 17h30, on est arrivé à un site magnifique. Aussitôt, j'ai sorti les sacs du canot et je suis allé monter les tentes...
A Very Special Trip Home in the Summer of '47
Peter Gilbert Camper, Counsellor, Trip Director 1944-1976
Camp is quite a self-contained, close living community, particularly in the dining hall and the tents. Coughs, colds, pink eye, even the aftermath of the chef's Fluid Drive Chicken would race through a lot of the campers and staff, but be gone in a little over a week with no ill effects.
The summer of 1947 was different. In mid-July a strong flu bug spread rapidly. Coughing accompanied every activity. The tent line sounded as if the bullfrogs from the swamp had moved in. Most campers and staff recovered in a few days, but for some of us it lingered on, and we were put in the camp hospital and in an isolation tent. By then the camp doctor's diagnosis was "viral pneumonia". By the beginning of August only a half dozen campers and, I think, one or two counsellors remained in a weakened condition. The Directors, F. M. Van Wagner and Hay Finlay decided to send us home. Travel to and from camp was by train. The Canadian Pacific Railway did not want a bunch of highly contagious boys mixing with its passengers, and a few were too weak to sit up for the six hour train ride. Instead, the CPR agreed to send a sleeping car with beds made up and a porter, to take us to Windsor Station in Montreal, where our parents would meet us. Afterwards the railway would fumigate the car. Some years later, I discovered that the car had been brought up on the previous evening's train, and was waiting for the morning train down on the Nominingue station siding.
We lived in Ottawa. My mother had decided that rather than drive to Montreal, she would pick me up at camp. She got up at 4:00am, and set off, first to Masson on Route 8 (now 148), from there on gravel roads to Mt. Laurier and so to camp. She arrived shortly after 10:00 am. I was all dressed in my "city clothes". My trunk had been packed for me by my counsellor. When we were almost ready to leave, Hay Finlay asked if she had eaten breakfast. She hadn't. He took us to the dining hall, and the chef, Alec Houghton cooked us both a regular camp breakfast. I still remember the bacon and eggs! We got home tired and dusty from those same gravel roads in time for dinner. Medication prescribed by our family doctor gave me a speedy recovery. However, to my dismay it was too late to return and finish the summer.
A few weeks later, much to our pleasant surprise, we received a refund cheque for the 3 weeks of camp I had missed.
A Spring Robin Garden Party - in Memory of Jean L. R. Van Wagner
Please join us on the afternoon of Sunday, May 26th, from 2 to 5 PM, to celebrate the life of Jean. At Jean's request, there was no funeral at the time of her passing, so instead of mourning our loss we choose the springtime to celebrate her life.
The gathering will take place at Tadja Hall, 21,082 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC.
We will be sharing memories and stories during the first hour of our gathering and spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying time together.
If you cannot make it to the start of the gathering, we look forward to greeting you with warm spring smiles any time during the rest of the afternoon. The hall is of medium size with an interior dining room opening onto a terrace and garden, overlooking the lake. We will be serving light snacks, tea, coffee and juice.
We request that you RSVP by phone - 866-910-1551 - or e-mail to elisa@nominingue.com to ensure a seat during the initial ceremony. After that, there is ample room for any number during the rest of the afternoon.
Family Camp 2013 - Camp familial 2013
Wednesday, August 21st to Sunday, August 25th
Five days of relaxation and fun - Good friends, good food, children's programs and activities for the whole family!
To help us with our planning, please don't wait too long to sign up...
Some of the special evening events on the schedule:
Wednesday - campfire with the Celtic music of Sean Dagher
Thursday - CN mystery evening
Friday - steak & corn roast; casino night
Saturday - wine & cheese; council ring
On the schedule daily: beach activities, yoga, crafts and woodworking, kids' club, canoe trips into Parc Papineau-Labelle, bike trips, nature walks, climbing, archery and lots more!
Three meals a day, fruit snacks throughout the day and an evening snack - Tent accommodation for the whole family
Enrolment can be completed online at www.nominingue.com. For more information send us an e-mail info@nominingue.com or call (866) 910-1551.
Mercredi le 21 août au dimanche le 25 août
Cinq jours de détente et de plaisir - de bons amis, de bons repas, des programmes pour les enfants et des activités pour toute la famille!
Pour nous aider avec la planification, svp inscrivez-vous de bonheur!
Quelques uns des programmes spéciaux à l'horaire:
Mercredi - feu de camp avec la musique celte de Sean Dagher
Jeudi - Le mystère au CN
Vendredi - Repas steak et blé d'inde, soirée casino
Samedi - vin et fromage; « council ring »
À l'horaire chaque jour: activités à la plage, yoga, projets à l'atelier, programme pour enfants, excursions de canot au Parc Papineau-Labelle, excursions en vélo, marches dans les bois, escalade, tir à l'arc et beaucoup plus!
Trois repas par jours, collations de fruits toute la journée et collation du soir. Hébergement en tente pour toute la famille.
Vous pouvez vous inscrire à partir de notre site internet www.nominingue.com. Pour plus d'informations, contactez nous à info@nominingue.com ou (866) 910-1551.
Alumni Association News / Nouvelles de l'association des anciens
Alumni Weekend 2013 Friday, September 6 - Sunday, September 8
For the first time, this weekend is being held as a separate event. We hope to see lots of you up at camp!
Schedule
Friday
4:30 PM Arrival & Settling in
6 PM BBQ supper
7:30 PM Occupied Territories
Campfire
Saturday
8 am Breakfast
9:30 am Instruction workshops - canoeing, portaging, campcraft, archery
1 pm Lunch
2:30 pm Skill Competition
4:30 Canoe Race
6 pm Supper
7 pm Council Ring
Campfire
Sunday
9 am Breakfast
10:30 am Pony Express
11:30 am Alumni Association Meeting
1 pm Lunch
Among the activities planned: archery & riflery competition; tennis competition; climbing; woodworking & other camp games
Tent accommodation for groups of alumni or families
Cost: $75 per person for the weekend
For information or to register, please call (866) 910-1551 before June 1st or (819) 278-3383 after June1st, or send us an e-mail info@nominingue.com. Registration must be confirmed by August 20th, 2013.
Spring Alumni Socials
Thursday, May 9, 2013 Ottawa Alumni Social 7:30 -10 pm The Royal Oak, 1217 Wellington St.
Friday, May 10, 2013 Toronto Alumni Social 8 - 10 pm Pauper's Pub, 539 Bloor St W.
Dates and locations of all alumni socials will be posted on Facebook on the Nominingue Socials Group page at http://www.facebook.com/groups/NominingueSocials/.
To get involved with CN Alumni Association, please contact John Christou at campnomininguealumni@gmail.com.
2013 Spring Events - Évènements ce printemps
Parent and Son Information Evenings at 7:15 PM
(For new and prospective campers and their families)
Wednesday, May 8 Lower Canada College NDG
Wednesday, May 15 Chimo Hotel Otta
If you are interested in any details concerning these events, please contact us at the camp office.
Soirées d'informations pour parents et garçons à 19h15
(Pour nouveaux campeurs inscrits ou intéressés, et leur famille)
mercredi, 8 mai Lower Canada College NDG
mercredi 15 mai Hotel Chimo Ottawa Pour plus de détails, svp contactez le bureau du camp. proprius.
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 2012... 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. | 
