DUNNVILLE—For one week in July, a Dunnville farm and neighbouring property was transformed into Camp Hickory, the site for International Camporee of the Calvinist Cadet Corps, with more than 525 Cadets from across Canada and the United States participating.
According to Russ Roozeboom of The Calvinist Cadet Corps, the camp program began in the summer of 1966 in the Rocky Mountains near Denver, Colorado with approximately 300 in attendance. Dunnville was chosen as the 2023 location after Cadet leaders from the Niagara Region submitted a bid in 2018. When committee member Kevin Drenth suggested his farm, the committee was excited to move forward. Drenth laughs as he recalls thinking, “I’d better ask my wife!”
Not only did his wife agree, but so did his neighbour who allowed access to 40 acres of bush property for the camp. In total the camp site was 60 to 70 acres. Four years of work went into the planning and preparation of Camp Hickory, which ran from July 19 to 26, 2023.
Putting on an event of this size is a team effort. Roozeboom says, “Easily hundreds of people are involved in planning and facilitating the camp.”
The host committee had approximately 12 people from the region. The staff of 177 included food, security, games facilitators, medical personnel, and various other jobs. There were 120 counsellors in the camp.
To be eligible for Camporee, Cadets must be 11 years old by December 31 (of the camp year), have club approval, and have earned the Camporee Certification Award (completion of the certification course as well as merit badges for Camp Cooking, Knots and Lashing, Axemanship, and Fire Building).
Drenth describes International Camporee as “the flagship event of Cadets.” He asserts, “It’s the camping event to go to!”
The Cadets are divided into Cadres (camp groups) and don’t know who they will be with until they arrive. Drenth says, “That’s your family for the week. It’s nice to see everybody come together on the same page. They are all in the same boat.”
The campers’ skills are put to use as they work together to make their shelter and cook their meals using provided ingredients. Through the course of the week they participated in canoeing, hiking, adventure/survival games, target sports (archery, riflery, slingshots), a service project (cleaning a beach on Lake Erie), making a souvenir (leather sitting stool), and a visit to Niagara Falls.
Three Cadets from Jarvis – brothers Jared and Brayden Schuurman, and their cousin, Karsten Van Benthem – were among the participants in Dunnville. Jared says, “It was really fun! We had to cook our own food and I was surprised how good it all turned out!” He enjoyed the adventure games like fire building, human foosball, and a ropes game.
Brayden appreciated all the skills he learned to become camp certified as they were used during the camp. He says, “I loved archery and riflery. We got to do target shooting with guns, bow and arrow, and sling shots…. If you like the outdoors, I would definitely tell you to go to the next Camporee!”
That camp will be in Alberta and Brayden is already thinking of going, perhaps with his two younger brothers. Jared will be too old to attend as a camper but would like to be a Junior Counsellor. He adds, “I would definitely recommend people to go!”
Karsten admits to feeling uncertain when he arrived at the camp, but soon met another member of his cadre and they found their campsite together. His favourite event was the trip to Niagara Falls. He shares, “We did Maid of the Mist and the Fallsview water park. I was so tired so I slept on the bus ride back to camp.”
Families were able to visit the camp on the Sunday for a church service and lunch. Karsten says, “We got to show them all around and where we had been sleeping, making all of our meals and hanging out.”
He adds, “I loved my week there and hope other Cadets from our church and other churches would go to the next one … as I think they would have a great time. I am hoping to go and be a Junior Counsellor.”
Parents are equally enthused with Camporee. Judy Schuurman shares, “Our boys were pushed out of their comfort zone by meeting new people and living in a tent with people they did not know but they are already talking about the next Camporee in Alberta! … It was touching to see so many boys being mentored by other men to grow socially, physically, and spiritually as they develop the character needed to grow into Christian young men and leaders.”
To learn more about International Camporee visit calvinistcadets.org.
