For those girls who were campers and then moved into staffing positions at Maqua, their memories of the girls leaving and their own feelings continued to be strong. They had to say goodbye to campers at every session and watch as girls left with many emotions.
“One cherished memory for me is the sight of the young campers making new friends and bonding through a two-week period, sad to leave each other at the other end. They too had an experience for the first time—very emotional. There were those who really waited so anxiously for their parents to arrive for pick up and it was always obvious to me which parents had a special bond with their girls,” said Judy Moore, who was the assistant director 1970-71. “These young campers had an adventure that asked that they survive without their usual family support and develop these skills. Remarkable, when I think about it!”
The staff of the “Loon” in 1961 penned this paragraph—“Dear Campers, Was it really only two weeks ago that all of us gathered together in the lodge together, watching the Kangaroo Court for counselors? The time has gone by so swiftly, and now we say ‘so long’, but let us not say goodbye. Instead, why don’t we take with us memories made rich by new friendships, made rich by new skills learned, made rich by evenings spent around a campfire. We on the staff will remember the fun we had on cabin day when we got to know each one of you well. We will remember the time when we sang together after meals, and the way Alice would holler “garbage”. Sure, we all know about the dishes and cabin clean-up, but deep inside we all know that these are only a part of camp life. And were they really that bad? We have all enjoyed these weeks. We hope you have, too.”
Pat O’Tool (1944-52) was prolific in her writings in many issues of the “Loon” while she camped and counseled there. There was a little description of camp and surroundings by Pat in the 1949 issue of the “Loon”, followed by this paragraph; “Due to our wonderful camp and expert director and counselors, everyone had a good time. I wish to express the feeling of the first period campers by saying that when we depart from camp, we leave with only sadness in our hearts and wistful dreams of returning.”
She also wrote a little piece in third period, which read;“I’m sitting here on my bed in Hut 7,” she wrote. “I’ve been thinking about camp, how long I’ve come here, and why I come. Seven summers ago, I came here for the first time. I didn’t want to come. I was sure I would hate it. I’ve been back every year since. I’ve made new friends, had new experiences and had tons of fun. Difficulties, yes. I’ve had those, too. They always seem to straighten out. There isn’t any way I can express my sadness and the sadness of all the campers as they leave camp this year. I can only hope that I may see them again in the future—better people because of a summer or two at Camp Maqua.”
As a counselor, how difficult was it to say goodbye to girls you had bonded with over the weeks under your care? Did you transition from camper to counselor?What was the adjustment like for you?