Big Doe Camp
Encyclopedia
Big Doe Camp was a boys' residential summer camp
located on Big Doe Lake
not far from the village of Burk's Falls, Ontario
.
for more than 50 years. Big Doe Camp was an accredited member of the Ontario Camping Association and the Canadian Camping Association by its affiliation with the Ontario Camping Association .
The summer camping season at Big Doe was broken down into sessions where campers could attend for two, four, or six weeks at a time. Big Doe often hosted other entities such as sports camps or religious camps during the last two weeks of August in which groups would come in to use the facilities after the regular camping season had concluded.
The Camp was operated for more than merely commercial purposes. Aubrey and Marjorie aimed to break even every summer, though quite often they didn't even do that. It was a family tradition, family run operation about giving something back to the community and watching the boys' grow into young men.
During the prime years of operation, Aubrey and Marjorie Rhamey had a tough time trying to keep a balance between bringing in new younger campers and allowing the older campers to keep returning every year. They just didn't have the space for everyone that wanted to attended and were at times forced to turn boys away. But even with that pressure, they also kept a few spaces for boys from the Children's Aid Society
who were allowed to attend camp for free. These boys were never grouped together, singled out, or identified.
Camp Activities included: Swimming, Fishing, Sailing, Canoeing, Campcraft, Water Skiing, Wakeboarding, Nature Lore, Horseback Riding, Archery, Arts and Crafts, Riflery (Shooting) and numerous sports including: Badminton, Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer, Football, Baseball, Rugby, Street Hockey, Tennis, and more.
professional football player and U of T
sports hall of fame member Ted Toogood and former North Toronto Collegeiate
coach Bob Coulter.
In 1955 the football camp attracted 52 Toronto High School students and a couple of out of towners all trying to get into shape and prepare for the upcoming football season. Camp founder Aubrey Rhamey was himself head grid coach of the Malvern Collegiate
football team at the time. There were very few if any football camps operating at the time and this was considered very much needed as the time to get the boys into shape and the start of the football season only a couple of weeks into the start of the school year was very short. The boys attending the camp were not from any one school but came from Lawrence Park
, Bloor
, UTS, East York
, Downsview, Malvern
, Scarborough, Vaughn Road
and Forest Hill
as well as a few out of towners from Brantford, Brampton, and Kirkland Lake.
Among the notable alumni of the football camps is Dr. Murray Brown
, a retired professor at Dalhousie University
, who attended Big Doe for a football camp in the summer of 1953.
, Northern Quebec, James Bay
, Algonquin Park, and Georgian Bay
.
Common trips for boys with beginner to intermediate skill level included:
Some of the Competitions Included:
Old Camp Memrobilia including photographs and old camp brochures can be found in the Ontario Camping Association Fonds located in the Trent University Archives . A taped interview with Camp founders Aubrey and Marjorie Rhamey talking about the camp can also be found in the Trent University Archives.
The old camp bell used to call campers to Free Swim during the day and down to the waterfront in the morning before breakfast can be seen on display at the Burk's Falls & District Historical Society along with some other memorabilia.
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
located on Big Doe Lake
Doe Lake (Parry Sound District, Ontario)
Doe Lake is a lake in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada. The lake is composed of three sections and as such known locally for their size as Big Doe Lake, Middle Doe Lake, and Little Doe Lake. Doe Lake is the largest lake in the Almaguin Highlands area of the Magnetawan River system.The...
not far from the village of Burk's Falls, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
Background
The camp was founded by Aubrey and Marjorie Rhamey and operated from its location on Big Doe LakeDoe Lake (Parry Sound District, Ontario)
Doe Lake is a lake in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada. The lake is composed of three sections and as such known locally for their size as Big Doe Lake, Middle Doe Lake, and Little Doe Lake. Doe Lake is the largest lake in the Almaguin Highlands area of the Magnetawan River system.The...
for more than 50 years. Big Doe Camp was an accredited member of the Ontario Camping Association and the Canadian Camping Association by its affiliation with the Ontario Camping Association .
The summer camping season at Big Doe was broken down into sessions where campers could attend for two, four, or six weeks at a time. Big Doe often hosted other entities such as sports camps or religious camps during the last two weeks of August in which groups would come in to use the facilities after the regular camping season had concluded.
The Camp was operated for more than merely commercial purposes. Aubrey and Marjorie aimed to break even every summer, though quite often they didn't even do that. It was a family tradition, family run operation about giving something back to the community and watching the boys' grow into young men.
During the prime years of operation, Aubrey and Marjorie Rhamey had a tough time trying to keep a balance between bringing in new younger campers and allowing the older campers to keep returning every year. They just didn't have the space for everyone that wanted to attended and were at times forced to turn boys away. But even with that pressure, they also kept a few spaces for boys from the Children's Aid Society
Children's Aid Society (Canada)
The Children's Aid Societies of Ontario, Canada, are independent organizations empowered by the Ontario government to perform child protection services. The declared goal is to "promote the best interests, protection and well being of children"...
who were allowed to attend camp for free. These boys were never grouped together, singled out, or identified.
Program & Activities
The camp program consisted of three periods of assigned programs in the morning and two period of optional in the afternoon. Due to the number of camp activities which revolved around the water swimming was a core program and all campers had swimming as one of their assigned programs during one of the morning periods to receive swimming lessons.Camp Activities included: Swimming, Fishing, Sailing, Canoeing, Campcraft, Water Skiing, Wakeboarding, Nature Lore, Horseback Riding, Archery, Arts and Crafts, Riflery (Shooting) and numerous sports including: Badminton, Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer, Football, Baseball, Rugby, Street Hockey, Tennis, and more.
Football Camp
Football camps were held at Big Doe beginning in 1949 and ran for many years. The football camps were a brainchild of Argo'sToronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
professional football player and U of T
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
sports hall of fame member Ted Toogood and former North Toronto Collegeiate
North Toronto Collegiate Institute
North Toronto Collegiate Institute is a non-semestered public high school of over 1,000 students located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Toronto District School Board....
coach Bob Coulter.
In 1955 the football camp attracted 52 Toronto High School students and a couple of out of towners all trying to get into shape and prepare for the upcoming football season. Camp founder Aubrey Rhamey was himself head grid coach of the Malvern Collegiate
Malvern Collegiate Institute
Malvern Collegiate Institute is a Toronto high school that was founded in 1903 as "East Toronto High School", in what was then the village of East Toronto...
football team at the time. There were very few if any football camps operating at the time and this was considered very much needed as the time to get the boys into shape and the start of the football season only a couple of weeks into the start of the school year was very short. The boys attending the camp were not from any one school but came from Lawrence Park
Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute
Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute is a high school in the Lawrence Park neighbourhood of Toronto. It is a non-semestered school and focuses mainly on academics, drama, music, and visual arts, featuring strong French extended and immersion streams....
, Bloor
Bloor Collegiate Institute
Bloor Collegiate Institute is a public secondary school located at the intersection of Bloor Street and Dufferin Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school is located in the Dufferin Grove neighbourhood.-History:...
, UTS, East York
East York Collegiate Institute
East York Collegiate Institute is a Toronto high-school located in the former borough of East York at the corner of Coxwell and Cosburn Avenues...
, Downsview, Malvern
Malvern Collegiate Institute
Malvern Collegiate Institute is a Toronto high school that was founded in 1903 as "East Toronto High School", in what was then the village of East Toronto...
, Scarborough, Vaughn Road
Vaughan Road Academy
Vaughan Road Academy is a Toronto District School Board International Baccalaureate school in the Oakwood-Vaughan neighbourhood of Toronto, Canada. Vaughan Road is situated at the Vaughan Road and Winona Drive intersection close to Oakwood Avenue and southwest of Forest Hill. It works in...
and Forest Hill
Forest Hill Collegiate Institute
Forest Hill Collegiate Institute is a semestered public high school of about 900 students and 55 teachers located in the Toronto, Ontario neighbourhood of Forest Hill...
as well as a few out of towners from Brantford, Brampton, and Kirkland Lake.
Among the notable alumni of the football camps is Dr. Murray Brown
Murray Brown
Dr. Murray Brown, PhD is a Full Professor at Dalhousie University. The Dalhouse University credits Dr. Murray Brown with over 50 Refereed Journals, Conference Abstracts, Proceedings, and Major Reports. Dr. Brown holds post-retirement appointments in the College of Pharmacy and the Department of...
, a retired professor at Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
, who attended Big Doe for a football camp in the summer of 1953.
Canoe Tripping
The camp also operated a small canoe tripping program in which most campers got out on a canoe trip every summer. For beginners at Camp they lasted 1 or 2 nights, for the more experienced Campers up to 10 or more days. Some trips went to far off places such as Lake TemagamiLake Temagami
Lake Temagami, formerly spelt as Lake Timagami, is a lake in Nipissing District in northeastern Ontario, Canada, situated approximately 80 km north of North Bay...
, Northern Quebec, James Bay
James Bay
James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut...
, Algonquin Park, and Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...
.
Common trips for boys with beginner to intermediate skill level included:
- The Big Doe - An overnight in which the boys spend the day paddeling around and camping on Big Doe LakeDoe Lake (Parry Sound District, Ontario)Doe Lake is a lake in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada. The lake is composed of three sections and as such known locally for their size as Big Doe Lake, Middle Doe Lake, and Little Doe Lake. Doe Lake is the largest lake in the Almaguin Highlands area of the Magnetawan River system.The...
. - The Mag - A trip lasting 3 days starting at Camp and heading down the Magnetawan RiverMagnetawan RiverThe Magnetawan River is a river in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada, which flows 175 km from Magnetawan Lake inside Algonquin Provincial Park to empty into Georgian Bay at the community of Britt on Byng Inlet....
through Burk's FallsBurk's Falls, OntarioBurk's Falls is a village in the Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada, located 165 miles north of Toronto and 55 miles south of North Bay, Ontario...
and Lake CecebeLake CecebeLake Cecebe is a lake in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada. Lake Cecebe is part of the Magnetawan River waterway. The lake has over 20 miles of shoreline...
and ending at the historic Village of MagnetawanMagnetawan, OntarioMagnetawan is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, as well as the name of a community within the former Township of Chapman.Located in the Parry Sound District, the township had a population of 1,610 in the 2006 Canadian census....
. - The Ahmic - a trip following the same route at the Mag but lasting 4 days and traveling farther to the end Ahmic LakeAhmic LakeAhmic Lake is part of the Magnetawan River waterway in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada. It is well marked for navigation. There are many spots where rock shoals extend into the lake then plunge to depths of 20 to 25 m . Much of the lake has steep shorelines with overhanging dead wood and...
.
Competition
Competitions and challenges always existed at camp and were a regular tradition. Competitions existed in Swimming, Running, and Portageing among others.Some of the Competitions Included:
- The Mile Swim - just that a mile long swim across the lake
- The Kilometer Race - a kilometer long running race
- The Portage Race - a kilometer long run portageing a canoe.
- The Canoe Regatta
- The Swim Meet
Following Closure
Following the closing of the camp, many of the camps cabins, buildings, docks, canoes, and sailboats were auctioned off. Today the Main Lodge of the camp where the dining hall and main office was located remains and is used as a cottage by the family. The old camp stables can still also be found in the horse field.Old Camp Memrobilia including photographs and old camp brochures can be found in the Ontario Camping Association Fonds located in the Trent University Archives . A taped interview with Camp founders Aubrey and Marjorie Rhamey talking about the camp can also be found in the Trent University Archives.
The old camp bell used to call campers to Free Swim during the day and down to the waterfront in the morning before breakfast can be seen on display at the Burk's Falls & District Historical Society along with some other memorabilia.
See also
- Ahmic LakeAhmic LakeAhmic Lake is part of the Magnetawan River waterway in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada. It is well marked for navigation. There are many spots where rock shoals extend into the lake then plunge to depths of 20 to 25 m . Much of the lake has steep shorelines with overhanging dead wood and...
- Burk's Falls, OntarioBurk's Falls, OntarioBurk's Falls is a village in the Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada, located 165 miles north of Toronto and 55 miles south of North Bay, Ontario...
- Lake CecebeLake CecebeLake Cecebe is a lake in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada. Lake Cecebe is part of the Magnetawan River waterway. The lake has over 20 miles of shoreline...
- Doe Lake (Parry Sound District, Ontario)Doe Lake (Parry Sound District, Ontario)Doe Lake is a lake in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada. The lake is composed of three sections and as such known locally for their size as Big Doe Lake, Middle Doe Lake, and Little Doe Lake. Doe Lake is the largest lake in the Almaguin Highlands area of the Magnetawan River system.The...
- Magnetawan RiverMagnetawan RiverThe Magnetawan River is a river in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada, which flows 175 km from Magnetawan Lake inside Algonquin Provincial Park to empty into Georgian Bay at the community of Britt on Byng Inlet....
- List of Summer Camps