BLAST from the PAST | Camp Koolaree

This page is dedicated to all our campers… some who have a history with Camp Koolaree going back many, many years.

boys camp circa 1944

We invite you to contact CampWebGuy about your memories of Camp Koolaree. If you have pictures you would like to add to this site, email the “jpg” to CampWebGuy, info@campkoolaree.ca, and they will be added with your credit, so don’t forget your name and the year of the photo and any other caption you want it to have.

Dimock’s Songbook

Camp Koolaree songbook compiled by Ken and Gill Dimock in 1982!

Bruce reports:

It’s a great piece of Koolaree Heritage, mostly due to the dedication of Ken Dimock’s collection and his very able recording of all the songs. I met him a couple of years before he died, and he gave me all the songbooks and tape recordings that made this web page possible.

I went to Koolaree in summers between 1949 and 1953, first with my family (Dad was the minister at East Trail United and camp Chaplain) and subsequently by myself as a camper. My brother, Art, was a regular attendee and had a lot of friends from his camps.

This photo not only has Bruce at the bottom of the photo, but it also has his dad (back middle) and most notably, Ken Dimock (back — 2nd from right), who made the recordings and collected the songs with his wife: Gill Reay – middle second from left) Photo circa 1950

Bruce is now a Professor Emeritus at the University of Victoria School of Music.

1955 Senior Boys at the Cairn Mt. Laska

Photo submitted by Jim Sadler

Junior boys camp, 1955.

Photo submitted by Jim Sadler

From Jane-Ellen Doubt:

My brother George is a keen model railroader and has this Camp Koolaree scene in his layout.

We started going to Koolaree with our parents way back when. Our parents were both early campers and later leaders and directors. Dad was an “Owl of Laska.” Our uncle by marriage was listed on the back of the totem pole— Ken May. My Mom remembered the rail trip to Koolaree, tents and stuffing “ticks” for sleeping on, the 10-day camps with a formal dress on Sundays, and a parent-visit day. Later, as director, she talked about going to the train at night to pick up the milk delivery. We accompanied our Mom to camp as pre-schoolers.
We went as youths to camp also. We saw George’s name on the tuck house near the lineup window years ago! He would have been washing walls for ages if my Mom had known, but she just smiled when we saw it!
We moved and grew up in Kamloops, though I remember going to Koolaree as a junior with my mom as director. In 1991 my Mom was keen to attend the 60^th reunion. It still was pretty much the same as our memories with the Koolaree sign on the rail side. She was encouraged to come to “family camp.” So, at 66, along with her grandchildren, she did! For many years, second, and sometimes third, generations would attend Family Camp. The last time my mother and I attended, she was well into her 80s.
A lot of our family members have loved Camp Koolaree. Thanks for the work you do to keep Camp Koolaree going!