The 1960s

Back to the 1950s

1960

New equipment shed(brick-built) including laundry, started (Completed
1961) Help given by International Voluntary Service (10 helpers from
Europe) (Cost £800 approx.).

Revision of constitution – Advisory Council superseded by Executive
Committee who hope to meet more frequently than the Council.

Bedpan washer obtained by Don Burt.

Stephen Dalton ceased as Secretary – Camp and Workshop to be separate.

No charge now made for use of site and equipment – each camp caters for
its own food.

Unspecified donations to be split equally between camp and workshop.

Gardener (Mr Jones) to be paid £100 for work in camp (but he left soon
afterwards)

Swimming pool helpers (Richard Hanage, 15th June to 20th July; Peter
Groom, 16th to 31st August) paid 10/—(50p) per week plus 30/-(£1.50
) per week to Mrs Strover for board and lodging.

Fête held – £310 raised – Opened by Admiral Sir William James. Alexine’s
son Martyn born on the same day.

Carol singing in Trafalgar Square with Woodlarks collecting boxes (
£42.10.0 collected).

£35 donation from the crew of R.M.S Mauretania (? via Charlie Stacey).

12 camps (693 Campers)

1961

Purchase of waterproof plastic foam mattresses, rubber draw sheets,
blankets and four fly sheets.

Joan Heaver became Secretary and C.W. Wicken (‘Badger’) Treasurer.
Charge fixed at 5/’ Per week (or 1/- per day) per person.

Death of ‘Kaa’, pre—war helper – 1936 (Mr Fryer). He used to play a
whistle for folk-dancing, giving rise to the area called “Piper’s Fancy”.

Four of St. Benedict’s celebrated 25 years at Woodlarks.

Reg. Cain started as Warden, vice Col. Kinnaird(‘Ginger’)(see
Woodlarks Notes – December 1961).

Finance Committee Appointed.

Flag day held in Lower Bourne, Churt, Frensham, Rowsham and Farnham.

New postcards produced and Christmas cards sold.

Carol singing in Trafalgar Square (£27.00 collected)

12 Camps (including three new ones for youngsters’- Chailey Hospital Post
Guides, Penarth Handicapped School and Coombe Farm Spastics Home.
1962

Fête made £600 profit.

Camp Site Trust Executive Committee reconstituted to replace Committee of
Maintenance and Administration people.

Summary report of 1930 to date by Mrs Strover in ‘Trefoil’ Magazine.

New roof to dormitory and wash house (£300+) and strip lighting in wash
house. New First Aid room, two new lavatories, extra basins and shower
started, completed 1966(£418). £500-grant from Surrey County Council.

Ship’s bell from H.M.S Cleveland presented by Commander J.C. Lapage of
Southampton, ex-Commanding Officer.

Endowment Fund set up to provide income for maintenance, and possibly for
a paid warden, starting with £1500, including £600 from Memorial Fund.
(See Woodlarks Notes – March 1963)

Children’s Fund set up to help pay fees of children who could not
otherwise camp, starting with £262 from B.B.C Christmas Appeal for
Children in Need.

Two new tents bought, also a sani-chair.

Carol singing in Trafalgar Square raised £31.5.0

Death of Lord Peter Baden—Powell, President of Woodlarks.

Help given at camp by Police Cadets from Wiltshire.

11 Camps, (620 campers) including 10,000th camper.
1963

Alexine Crawford (nee Strover) and M.C.T Strover became additional
trustees.

First Spastics Society full camp, also Hants Trefoil.

Friends of Woodlarks started, replacing Birthday Club (2/6 p.a.) run by
Mr & Mrs Henderson.

Camp road widened and resurfaced, soil being used for banks round pool.
New diving—board, also stone retaining wall on south side of pool.
Fluorescent lights in dining room and extension.

Linen rack in laundry, also Calor gas for water heating.

Woodlarks made a Nature Reserve, and a Site of Special Scientific Interest
(Surrey Naturalists Trust).

Three new tents bought.

Blanket storage cupboard.

16 Camps (600+ Campers)(including three weekends).

1964

Fête made net profit of £780(shared).

Woodlarks kneelers made for St. Martin’s Church(Lower Bourne) by Miss
J. Marshall, handicapped Captain of 2nd Brighouse, Halifax Company.

W.J. Sandford became Chairman of Executive Committee, Mrs Vera Palmer
Secretary, and Dennis Hayhurst Treasurer.

Elsan toilet provided at swimming pool.

Dining room and passage roof repaired.

Mattresses bought from Gilwell (£5 for 50).

Plumbing in wash house overhauled, wheelbarrow donated, heating system in
pool installed free by Calor Gas, partition in dining room put-in.

Flysheets, tent pegs, six patrol cooking sets, six sanitary bins and a
large tin opener bought.

Death of Lady Blenkinsop – Vice President since 1939.

Lady(Patience) Baden—Powell became Patron.

Woodlarks Notes making a loss.

Associate membership of Spastics Society.

Consideration being given to Calor Gas cooking.

Friends of Woodlarks had groups in Farnham and Beckenham, and a pack of
cubs in Lancashire. Members visited Woodlarkers in hospital, provided
transport and ran draws.

Carols in Trafalgar Square.

13 Camps (600+ Campers, including 328 handicapped)
1965

Heater in blanket storage cupboard.

Two new tents and flysheets – new incinerator.

Linden Lodge School for Blind started camping.

Friends of Woodlarks badges.

Film made by Boy Scouts and Girl Guides Association, as part of
Ranger/Rover mixed activities.

Dr. and Mrs Campbell took over Friends of Woodlarks organisation.

Motor mower given.

Two new altar fires built.

New shower and four new basins.

Carols in Trafalgar Square.

13 camps.

1966

Kitchen/Dining Room/Dormitory area tarmaced.

Fête raised £1136, including £750 from raffle.

T.V Appeal by David Kossoff (“Conquer through Courage”), with film of
Woodlarks made by B.B.C, raised £20,615 in over 12,000 separate donations
for a new Swimming Pool. Old pool demolished: new one started.

Commercial sire refrigerator donated.

5 new tents, 8-fly-sheets, 36 ground sheets.

Tree Preservation Order made.

Peter Railton became Film Librarian.

21 Working Parties held.

At least 20 talks and film shows given.

Friends of Woodlarks had 637 members.

Hoist and rail in dormitory presented by Bonhomie Society, Southampton.

14 camps (1 week blind boys) (400+ campers, 200+ helpers) including
visitors from Seychelles, Japan, Norway, Scotland and U.S.A.

1967

New Swimming Pool opened on 1st July by Christian Simpson, producer of T.V
Appeal by David Kossoff. The pool is 65′ x 21’6″, and 8’6 deep to 3′
deep, holding 45,000 gallons, and is gas—heated to a temperature of 70A.
Cost of the pool was £9325, leaving something over £10,000 to form an
endowment fund to provide income for maintenance.

First edition of Woodlarks Year Book, in place of Woodlarks Notes, edited
by Reg Cain. 1500 copies printed.

New larder built.

24 blankets bought. 4 bell tents given.

New hot water tank.

St. Benedict’s 21st camp run by Mrs Kenyon.

Keemo had to have an operation in hospital.

15 camps (370 handicapped, 325 helpers) and 2 weekend Guiders Training.

1968

Fête raised £900, despite bad weather.

Death of Christian Simpson (who opened pool previous year) and of ‘Doc’
Rathbone, a stalwart and long serving member of the boys’ camp, and head
of a private school in Rutland.

New plumbing (cost £150 approx.)

Drive re—surfaced.

New lectern for camp chapel, made by an ex-camper, Keith Leadbitter, who
lost a leg at the age of 7, but came as a Sea Scout.

New Formica topped stackable tables (12) from Friends of Woodlarks.

New mattresses, and melaware beakers.

Washing machine and spin drier in the laundry.

Ties and ladies’ scarves being sold.

Dickie Lowne and the Chertsey Service Crew cleaned the pool twice a week.

Handicraft Club had 41 members.

Friends of Woodlarks 817 members.

14 camps (400 campers, 380 helpers), including Girls’ International Camp
and Scouts’ Six Counties Camp.

1969

Drinking fountain and footbath spray fitted at pool as memorial to ‘Doc’
Rathbone.

‘Hayboxes'(special aluminium vacuum type food containers) purchased.

4 new tents and flysheets, and Friends of Woodlarks presented a Flymo
mowing machine.

Float entered in Farnham Town Show (assisted by Rotary) — resulted in
Andy Pearson coming to Woodlarks to look after tentage, and later to
become Chairman.

Third share in Workshop Minibus.

Death of Bob Sinclair, Crew Leader of St. John’s Hospital(Battersea)
Crew, and of George(‘Jacko’) Jackson from same crew, who ‘ran’ the
dormitory from his wheelchair!

Forestry programme of tree felling, (20 trees felled)

Help by a Swedish student for two months.

New postcards produced.

15 camps (400 Campers, 400 Helpers) including St. Benedict’s last camp
after more than 21 years.

The 1970s