This was one of the best documented camps to date. The photographers had done a rather good job of recording it.

Thanks to Patrick's archives, we have a number of documents which survived this camp. ...........

A Long Page with a long scroll down, be sure not to miss anything, including the Listings

Essentially a typical camp must always Rise and Shine ... maybe not always shine... but at least rise.

All at camp, the Palace, and the nearer Tal-Virtu, used to wake up at 6:30am, to the sound of Joe's impeccable bugling.

Luckily we were never deported to some compound at Lister Barracks or something.

Welcome to the Boys' Easter Camp 1972

LEFT TO RIGHT : DEAR DEPARTED BRIAN ROSSO, YOUNG MASTER SCIFO, THE BLASTER JOE IN PERSONA, OUR GUITARTIST MR O'NEILL AND AN EVEN YOUNGER FRANCO SCHEMBRI

Seeing is believing. Kids just don't know how to have fun these days. Don't tell me we didn't. Damn, we sure had a number of good times together.

We were always in our senses, we had no alcohol problems, or drugtaking habits. At this age one or two of us smoked, and had girl friends at the most.

But boy we had ropes and axes, and we put them to good use at the very first opportunity. Ozzie was quite helplessly tied to the tree awaiting torture orders... dishwashing after breakfast...

He had this very warped sense of satisfaction actually enjoying the scrubbing...

LEFT TO RIGHT : Patrick the Terrible Axe Wielding Menace, Poor Ignatius right in his Path, Oswald the Victim of Injustice, Godfrey the Executioner's Blue Eyed Boy, and a rather indecent man there, in tatters. What are Scouts coming to these days.

LEFT TO RIGHT :JOE WITH GODFREY BEHIND HIM, AND SCIFO ON TOP - MIDDLE: ANDRE - PAUL CAMILLERI AND IGNATIUS

Understanding the rudiments of photogeniality .. well you would probably be safer not trying to understand anything. Just look at those faces, The Marx Brothers?... or perhaps Stalin's? Who knows.

The sheer pleasure of being under canvas in good company for a number of days is indescribable.

Cooks, musicians, hikers, entertainers. The team was made up of all these elements.

Its a sure way how to bring your children up healthily and happily.

"Gimme Dat "

That Lout again, holding on to a deadly weapon. Iggy steadfastly trying to evade.

Its a wonder how many of the trees still remain to this very day.

A little insight into the organisation that went into such camps.

For the fairness and involvement of all, and for the common enjoyment of the occasion.

The Camp Listings DOCUMENTATION SECTION

Patrick - "Boy were we organised!! It was a long walk to Rabat and people were detailed to go shopping each morning for ftira's milk and goodies."

SHOPPING LIST

Persons detailed to do such shopping:

SHOPPING DUTIES

You may get an insight into the complxity of what might look like very ordinary camp cooking...

MENU

Just in case we needed to make an urgent phone call... and believe me there wasn't a telephone within two miles of the camp site.

... The one in Verdala Castle was out of bounds, we were all afraid of the Blue Lady

Phone LIST

Apart from the rotation of duties, we were assigned tasks throughout the camp such as Cooks, Librarians, Quartermasters...etc.

TASK ASSIGNMENT

More stuff below

Back to Documentation

No Comment:

Just listen to the dainty toccata, in Re Mineur, by Johann Martyr Sebastian Bohh.

the following photos come from Joe's camera

L to R

Andre on the Sonoric Sax, Nazju on the Mess Maraccas (headgear, for protection from excessive sound) and Godfrey rythmically beating the Tyrannic Tagen with the delicate chop-chopper which we used to reduce the Aleppos to matchsticks. (Im only kidding, we never messed with 'real' trees)

What a delectable doze of dithery duo-tonality., we were nearly arrested by the Marsaxlokk Police who heard us across the Island from Buskett.

Brother David with a number of unidentified Cubs.

In this garden of Eden Cubs were rarely identified in fact... "Who goes there?... always remained a problematic, unanswered question... thank God we weren't armed.

Girls were a very scarce commodity, and well guarded. Godfrey honed his axes 4 times a day, no wonder they were dangerous.

Frank was the mastermind behind the whole operation, you can almost sense it.

Communal apartment blocks, manufactured in material, and erected in the woods presented a challenge to budding architect Patrick.

I was just an accessory to the layout, a pole holder, in my fancy garb of course.

Surprisingly enough, human pyramids were supposed to be the precursors to stone pyramids, .. or were they?

Well, we super-imposed our curses to surprise the pyramid bursars, who, amongst other things, were pretty human. As a result we managed to retain our balance for this photo.

That's young master Scifo at the summit of things together with Franco by his side, and Paul on Patrick's shoulder. Godfrey is also perched upon Brian's shoulders.

Godfrey serving Frank some delectable little morsel of.. God only knows ! (That's Godfrey, of course)

Nazju in his steel pommie hat was acting as a witness I think

Joe in a late morning debate, was always the profound thinker... He was a boon amongst us ... He did most of the thinking for us.

But one day, he slept beyond consensus !!!!

Sleeping-in At Camp Requires Consensus

This democratic looking ensemble, where democracy was rife amongst the population of the island, .... however, this is where we got off the bus, and with a hint of almost brash anarchy, brought Joe out of the tent to Justice, and broad daylight... front of all the Girl Guides !

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