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November 2018 update

By Peter Watson

Each camp wrote up a report of activities which was used to inform those who had supported a particular camp and to encourage future donors. Few of these reports have survived, perhaps because they were written before the digital age and reproduced by banda machine. One that did survive is copied in the Camps section of the website. If there are any other surviving reports it would be good to post them as well.

The website was set up about 3 years ago and with some welcome exceptions has covered the camps in the 1960’s and early 70’s. Many of the volunteers are now in their 70’s and too many have already passed on. We have, therefore, decided to draw a line under the memories, We have decided to celebrate the success of the website in two ways:

On Thursday 17th October 2019 we will hold our final reunion at Jesus College at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. It will take the form of a totally informal tea party. More details of this will be announced here early next year.

The second element of the celebration will be the conversion of the website to print. It is intended that the ensuing book will include everything on the site as at the end of March 2019, so if you have any material especially pictures, please let us have it by the due date and we will include it in the book.

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St Peter camp I, 1967

The following is a report from 1967, written by Peter Watson about a camp at St Peter in summer of that year. 

For the first time for several years the reservoir by the Plattenhof, high up in the Black Forest 20 miles from Freiberg, was warm. The two weeks of hot sunshine, marred only by some violent but short-lived thunderstorms meant that swimming costumes were the dress of the day, With continuous sunshine, activities were easy to plan, and fo fourteen days a team of 12 students gave 37 children (13 girls and 24 boys) a holiday which students and children alike will long remember.  Continue reading →

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‘A lesson in overcoming adversity and having some fun on the way’

Andrew Clennett, Clare 1971-74 (by email in February 2018)

I was involved in three CRI camps whilst at Clare College between 1971 and 1974. This was a transition period with some having been to Austria in previous years but nearly all were in the UK afterwards, more women at the University and social services becoming more involved.

The first was in North Yorkshire but I can’t remember where, other than we camped in an old school house. My lasting memory was of a trip to Robin Hood Bay, stopping off on the way back for some souvenirs. When the bus resembled a pirate ship it became obvious that most of them had been liberated by the kids, necessitating a return trip, literally.  Continue reading →

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February 2018 update

By Peter Watson

In late November 2017 there was a small reunion at my house of volunteers who worked on the Plattenhof camps near St. Peter, Black Forest, in the mid to late ‘60s. David Beeby, Judith Rice (Judi Venner as was), Marj Thorley (Bannister as was, though now divorced) and myself (Peter Watson) along with our other halves. Philip Seddon, who played a major role in putting the meeting together, should have been with us but, unfortunately, he was taken ill the day before.  Continue reading →

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‘England hat gewonnen!’

Marjorie (Marj) Bannister, Homerton, CHV 1966, commenting on October 2016 update

First of all, apologies for taking so long to reply to the article I read in the Homertonian magazine last summer. It was good to see those photos but I think you’ll find that one has been labelled incorrectly – I am the one in the middle of the three in the photo with the caption ‘Judi Venner walks in the woods with two children’!!

Despite pretty miserable weather for the duration of our time in the Black Forest in August 1966, we had an interesting time. The things that stick out most in my mind are: Continue reading →

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October 2016 update

By Peter Watson

In the months since the last update we have passed an exciting milestone – more than 500 people have now visited this website, from as far afield as the US, Canada and Brazil, across Europe and of course the UK. A clear pattern is emerging of spikes in readership after articles appearing in alumni magazines. While we have been working to alert college magazines to our project, some colleges will only run articles if they are submitted by former members of that college – so if you are in touch with any friends from colleges we haven’t yet managed to alert, do please let them know in case they are willing to assist. Five hundred is a great number but there may be many hundreds more who haven’t yet heard about the archive, and who may wish to contribute, or just to enjoy reading about it. Spread the word!

Over the summer we received two responses to the Homertonian magazine letter, from Barbara Curry (nee Kay) and Jane Bramhill,  who took part in different camps in the 70s. Their contributions can be read here and here. More recently, Angus Tulloch (Clare) got in touch with memories of camps he attended in Austria and near Leeds, and fundraising.

Gordon Edwards and I have both sent round-robin emails to lists of contacts gathered through this project. If you would like to receive an occasional message to keep up with the project then please email via this link with your details.

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‘Definitely a character-forming experience’

Angus Tulloch (via email on 19 October)

I certainly enjoyed, and learnt much from, the two and a half camps attended in Austria and the one visited near Leeds in the late 1960s/early 1970s. Clare colleagues also involved included Tom Franklin, Graham Fitt (I think), Jim Kendra, Nigel Whittaker, Charles Stern and Malcolm Sharrock – the latter three forming a fund-raising band mischievously called and advertised in Mariapfarr and Bruckdorf as ‘John Thomas and his Swingers’. I do not think any of the locals clicked though. My job was to chivvy the locals to pay up. Continue reading →

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‘We loved it all and probably grew up a bit too’

Barbara Curry, nee Kay (Homerton 1968-71, Newnham 1971-72) (from emails received 1 and 18 September 2016)

I was on the student staff for at least 3 of the camps and co-leader for one. Memories are flooding back! I enjoyed the camps very much indeed, and found my native German a useful asset with the children and in episodes like the one below:

Continue reading →

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It ‘showed what a difference people can make’

Jane A. Bramhill (from emails sent on 8 and 9 August 2016)

I was at Homerton from ’73-76, am now Head of Science / Dean of Students at the International School of Indiana, USA, and have just received July’s ‘Homertonian’ and read the article about CRI.

Although studying Biology and Chemistry, I spoke fluent German and volunteered to help with a camp in Germany in the summer of 1974. Continue reading →