Maintaining Community and Values in a Time of Growth By JJ (Jennifer Jupp) , Director RITING THIS ARTICLE HAS been a gift. I’ve been diving deeply into the idea W of community. My favourite definition of community is from Wikipedia (of all places!) “A community is a social unit of any size that shares common values...It is a group of people who are connected by durable relations that extend beyond immediate genealogical ties, and who mutualy define that relationship as important to their social identity and practice.” Durable, important relationships….Camp Wanapitei - yes, that resonates. Camp Wanapitei has cultural norms and values that its community members have bought into for generations. Will these core aspects of Camp Wanapitei emotional investment in each other, leaders create a vision, articulate the change as a result of growth? As opportunities to give (influence), deep, vision, passionately own the vision and leaders, it is Woody and my honour and lifelong connections, and collective relentlessly drive it to completion. We responsibility to protect, enhance, experience” were salient contributions know that good leaders repeat that uphold, and celebrate the community to the discussions. Interestingly, when I vision over and over again. Woody and values that define Camp Wanapitei and was thinking/reading about how to hold I and other camp managers the Wanapitei experience. Together onto values and sense of community communicate “who we are” often. with our remarkably dedicated Board of during growth periods, many of these Opportunity to think “Why Directors, we focused much of our ideas came forward. Wanapitei?” and “Who are We?” is a attention to exploring and defining our Here’s the nitty gritty.... basic element of our staff training values and mission at a two-day retreat We continue to examine, define, and every summer. in September 2014. When asked what communicate who we are. Jack Welch, kept each of us coming back to the chairman and CEO of General ... continued on page 29 Wanapitei, “sense of community, Electric, once said that good business T H E P A D D L E R ● W I N T E R 2 0 1 6!!!!!! !!! P A G E 2 Dreams and Traditions: The Evolution of Wanapitei By Bruce Hodgins, President and Honourary Director, and Geof Hodgins, Board of Directors Co- Chair and Vice-President S THE SOUND of a small bush plane faded, late in the morning of January 7, 1956, Stan and Laura Belle A Hodgins snowshoed across the bay towards an arched bridge and a collection of frozen, silent structures. They had fond memories of this place, where they had camped on a canoe trip in the summer of 1930, but now their emotions were subdued as they both knew where they were headed - this was the day they would commit to a dream; throw caution to the winter wind and start an adventure that, unbeknownst Swiss Navy at Wanapitei dates back al the way to the summer of 1956. to them, would last at least four generations. They poked about the story log structure. Wrapped in that begins with “They are brave and frigid buildings and, with darkness blankets, they spent the night on the they are bold”. As well, 1956 witnessed settling, receded to a magnificent two- kitchen table with the burners of the the first Wanapitei square dances and propane cook-stove on high. The pilot also the inaugural Swiss Navies. Yet it was back at 11:00 the next morning, as was Laura Belle who put, perhaps, the arranged. Following a turbulent flight most defining mark on the relaunching back to Temagami, Stan and Laura Belle of this Temagami based canoe tripping drove south, contacted Mr. Ed camp by insisting, from the start, that Archibald and signed the deal. The Wanapitei be a place where boys and camp had been established on Lake girls could experience the outdoors Volume 19, Number 1 Temagami in 1931 but since 1939 it had together, as equals. Winter 2016 operated as only an adult lodge. There For the next few years Wanapitei was much to be done, but Camp canoe trips explored the waterways of EDITOR ..................................... JENNIFER JUPP DESIGN & LAYOUT ......... ERIN SUNSTRUM Wanapitei would reopen for the the Teme-Augama Anishnabai, scouting The Paddler is published by summer of 1956. routes that today are primarily paddled Camp Wanapitei Co-Ed Camps Ltd. The first year was small, with an by the Temagami and Coureur de Bois Canada’s premier canoe-tripping camp since 1931, average of about twenty-five campers, section. In 1960, the camp sent its first based in Temagami, Ontario. but from these modest beginnings canoe trip to Killarney and the Off-season address: Camp Wanapitei would come traditions that have following year Wanapitei paddled the 17B Southampton Street reverberated through all subsequent Mattagami to Moosonee, initiating the Guelph, ON N1H 5N3 summers. The canoeing standards of stalwart Wanapitei tradition of the Bay PHONE: (519) 767-9714 OR (888) 637-5557 Bladesperson, Jaysperson and Trip. Through the sixties, Wanapitei SUMMER PHONE: (705) 237-8830 Sternsperson were created for this also ran trips down the Dumoine, E-MAIL: [email protected] INTERNET: www.wanapitei.net initial summer as was the now cherished crest presentation ceremony ... continued on next page P A G E 3 T H E P A D D L E R ● W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 ... continued fom previous page program was launched. Over the next phenomena materialized around the eight years, the Voyageur program Wanapitei bridge. This welcome back Coulonge, Upper Missinaibi, Upper explored rivers in the Northwest ceremony quickly blossomed into one Wanapitei and Spanish Rivers, Territories, the Yukon and in Northern of Wanapitei’s most powerful and establishing the primary white-water Quebec to Ungava Bay. In 1984 empowering traditions. By 2006, training routes still used by the Pioneer something new was proposed – to start Wanapitei was firmly established as section today. in Great Slave Lake, spend three weeks Canada’s premier canoe tripping camp By 1971, the organization’s reputation as portaging, tracking and hauling up the but, with such an ambitious program a tripping focussed youth-camp was Snare River, cross the height of land and and an average enrollment of still only flourishing. However, Stan and Laura descend the Coppermine River to the about 75 campers at a time, it remained Belle, now in their 70s, were ready to Arctic Ocean. It was beyond anything financially fragile. pass the dream-torch. With that, Wanapitei had previously attempted In 2007, however, after a decade of Wanapitei staff, alumni and parents but with this initiative, suddenly, most talented but short-term managers, the came together and created Camp of Canada’s great northern rivers were camp landed one, and soon a second, Wanapitei Co-ed professional camp Camps Limited. director. With With a fifteen Woody and JJ at member board of the helm directors led by enrolment began a their son, Bruce, slow but steady and a strong climb to where, cooperative spirit, now, the camp is the new company operating with the took over the highest enrolment operation of the in its history. The camp. This facility is allowed Stan and undergoing needed Laura Belle to improvements, focus on the equipment is being Chateau, which upgraded and the they did for nearly tripping staff are two more decades. among if not the For the camp, this best trained and resulted in an certified of any influx of energy youth camp in the Surprisingly, the “under the Bridge” welcome-back - Wanapitei’s favorite and most powerful tradition and also some nation. As we head - did not start until the early 90s. badly needed cash. into the 85th year The Sangego trip- since Wanapitei within reach. stores were built for the summer of 1971 was established on Lake Temagami and 1985 – 2006 was a period of and Wanapitei began an ambitious the 60th season since Stan and Laura expansion of its tripping program. From consolidation and refinement for Belle relaunched it as a canoe trip 1972-74 the camp reached up both sides Wanapitei. The programs for Juniors, focused coed camp, they would be Temagamis, Coureurs de Bois, Pioneers, of James Bay to the Albany, Broadback, thrilled to know that this coming Bay Tippers and Voyageur 1 were more Rupert and Attawapiskat Rivers, laying summer over 350 youth will participate clearly defined. The Wilderness Leaders the groundwork for the yet to be in a Wanapitei experience; five of their established Voyageur 1 program. In 1975, in Training (WLIT) program was great-grandchildren as well as two great- only four years after the formation of established and the Voyageur II grandnieces will be on staff at Wanapitei program continued to explore new the company, Wanapitei ventured into and the Voyageur II program will routes, creating a legacy of adventures the North West Territories mounting a dispatch its 50th canoe trip expedition. that fanned across the Canadian Arctic. trip down the famed Nahanni River and It would appear that their dream the what is now the Voyageur II Also, sometime in the early 1990s an remains alive and in good hands. incredible and completely unplanned T H E P A D D L E R ● W I N T E R 2 0 1 6!!!!!! !!! P A G E 4 Juniors and Temagamis: Let the Adventure Begin! JUNIORS DATES: July 14 – 16 2015 LEADERS: Erin Brophy, Connor Cepella, Cori-Anne Huisman, Junior campers start a pile on with their leader, Connor, next to the play structure. David James. PARTICIPANTS: Lucas Dalrymple, arm of Lake Temagami and then came Day 2 Maureen Hodnett, Ronan Linzel, right back and loaded up again to Distance travelled: 0km Beckett Mars, Evan Rockel, Emma escape the barrage of bugs.