Message to Alumni

As Kilcoo begins preparations for its 77th year the vision Charlie Plewman had in 1932, while still a work in progress, is very much alive, healthy and flourishing.

Since the small group of campers in that first year who took the seven hour trip mostly from Whitby, Hamilton, Toronto and Kitchener, thousands of young people have lived their summers on the shores of Gull Lake from homes that now reach all across the world. In 1956 Charlie turned the camp over to a new Chief, John Latimer, who extended the original dream until 1982 when he entrusted Hal Hannaford with the job of keeping Kilcoo great. Then in 1985 John’s oldest son, David, took the reins and right up to the present day Kilcoo has maintained its status as one of the premier camps for boys in Canada.

Many of the staff from as far back as 1932 have kept in touch with Kilcoo and we are now renewing our efforts to provide a more meaningful level of communication wherever it is desired. While the celebration of Kilcoo’s 75th year last November was a wonderful highlight for a great many alumni we also host reunions at camp every three years with the next coming on the weekend of September 12th to 14th, 2008. We have room for only 150 people and as in past reunions the weekend will feature golfing on the Friday followed by a reception Friday evening and activities on Saturday culminating in a grand banquet. Invitations will be mailed out in the new year, but keep watching the camp website for more details. In addition, many alumni have participated in fund raising events for Amici to help send needy children to summer camps because of their belief in the value of the camp experience such as they had at Kilcoo. If you are not presently on our mailing list we invite you to get in touch by phoning the Kilcoo office or e-mailing us at pchamp@sympatico.ca

Through the camp office alumni interested in the camp’s history can purchase a copy of John Latimer’s book, Maker of Men – The Kilcoo Story, a marvelous account which traces Kilcoo’s existence from the very beginning. As with every summer, alumni are most welcome to drop in for a visit to the camp if you find yourself driving north on Highway 35.  Keep watching for improvements to this alumni site and let us know if you are moving or if there is a change to your personal information you want us to have.