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1948

Children’s summer holiday camps begin, with the BSL taking children from inner industrial areas for a week at the seaside ^[1]

1952

“Each day through the month of January, buses loaded with children ran from North Melbourne, Camp Pell, Carlton, Fitzroy, South Melbourne and Burnley to various beaches”  ^[2]

One week’s holiday provided for girls & boys at Ocean Grove (January) ^[3]

Morven opens as the BSL’s own Holiday Home in Mornington, providing week-long holidays for pensioners.  Members of the Children’s Club have annual summer holidays under canvas in the grounds.     (December) ^[4]

1953

Ninety boys provided with holidays through Apex Clubs at Albury, Bendigo, Castlemaine, Echuca, Maryborough and Wodonga ^[5]

1958

Holiday camps arranged for children at Albury and Castlemaine as guests of Apex Clubs, as well as camps at Mornington ^[6]

1959

Morven provides 10-day holidays for 190 elderly people during the year

1960

Holiday camps arranged for 254 children, including Apex camps organised by Albury and Wangaratta Apex Clubs, and 130 children were taken on beach picnics ^[7] 

1963

Work parties from the Youth Centre assisted in cleaning up a property at Bunyip to be used for weekend camps ^[8]

Increasing requests for the Brotherhood to provide holidays for children resulted in needing to supplement the Leisure Centre camps with a number of private placements.  “The question of holiday care for children of working mothers has never really been faced by us or any other agency in Melbourne, as the camps and the day centres only offer limited help. … It is interesting that the Brotherhood is seen as providing this stop-gap service, and we have had requests from many of the public hospitals and from clinics of the Mental Hygiene Department.”  ^[9]

1969

Following introduction of the ‘Mobile Camps’ program, Morven is no longer used for children’s camps, but the facilities were made available to other youth groups

1970

Youth and Leisure Centre attendances jump due to the impact of a sudden increase in population when families moved into the new Youth and Leisure Centre attendances jump due to the impact of a sudden increase in population when families moved into the new Fitzroy Housing Commission flats.  Three full-time children’s workers are responsible for the afternoon programs during school term and the holiday programs.  Twenty-five “mobile camps” were held during the year, using two fully-equipped four-wheel drive vehicles and trailers.  ^[10]

1971

In June the BSL's Youth Department introduced their first School Mobile Camp.  Nine boys from the George Street State School spent eight days touring the North East of Victoria with two teachers and two youth leaders from the BSL.   The aim of the camps was to provide a service for schools which did not have adequate resources of their own, and in the process assist teachers and children to establish satisfactory relationships, to establish an opportunity for environmental studies and a working situation in which the teachers can develop an understanding of the needs of the children.  The BSL also published a manual Mobile Camping by Graeme Bull (BSL's senior youth worker), based on his six years experience of such camps. ^[11]

Albert van Moorst appointed as a youth worker in Broadmeadows with the aim of developing self-sustaining local leadership on a family basis.  He worked through community organisations to establish contact with families and form groups each consisting of several families sharing leisure and spare time activities.  Four six-day camps took groups of young people to the Grampians, Big River, Tarwin River and Wilson’s Promontory.  This program began in September for three years, funded by the Leith Trust.  ^[12]

The mobile adventure camping program held 25 camps, taking small groups of  boys and girls from the inner suburbs to such places as Wyperfield national park, Mt Gambier, Wilson’s Promontory and Lake Victoria

1993

The Sharehouse in its first full year of operation provided a link between material relief and community support, conducting holiday programs, family camps, community lunches, coffee mornings with guest speakers and developed a  wide range of social activities.  The material aid service assisted 12,341 people (3% increase on the previous year) by providing clothing, blankets and essential household items.  Funds were received for operating costs of the Sharehouse from the Scobie & Claire MacKinnon Trust. ^[13]

1997

Members of the Action and Resource Centre (ARC) decided to dissolve the cooperative in July 1997.  BSL’s ongoing support for holiday camps for low income families was channeled through Preston Neighbourhood House.