3RD NATIONAL CAMP - 1952
CONNAUGHT RIFLE RANGES, OTTAWA

This is the first National Camp held by the Girl Guides of Canada~Guides du Canada since 1937, it's the third since the idea originated, and promised to be the largest. Girls from ten Provinces and the Northwest Territories - over 1,200 girls - and 300 Patrol Guiders joined together on the Connaught Rifle Ranges, Ottawa, July 14th - 25th. Twenty-six Guides and Girl Scouts representing Bermuda, Jamaica, South Africa, Great Britain, the Netherlands and USA also attended.

The theme of camp was "Our Canadian Heritage" with Rt. Honorable Louis St. Laurent, Prime Minister officiating at the opening ceremonies both in English and French. The primary purpose of the camp was to bring citizenship training into national focus and to train the Guides and the senior Rangers to think as Canadians rather than as residents of respective Provinces. Just as important, though, was the exchange of friendship, ideas and ways of camping. Girls between the ages of 13 -16 were chosen to attend camp based on their merit, those having attained their 2nd class standing and having at least 2 weeks of camping experience.

500 tents were erected on the Range, girls were then divided into groups of 28, five girls to a tent and three leaders to a site; distribution was arranged so that every province was represented in each group. The groups were then named after Explorers, Canadian Rivers, Lakes and National Parks. But the most popular tent was the ‘Gossip tent' where Guides got together and bragged about their home town and province. They were responsible for taking back the knowledge they acquired at camp to their own Guides and communities.

Friday July 15th was Provincial Song and Dance night. A Guider was appointed by each province to bring and perform a song and dance that was considered typical of its province for presentation. The New World Guide Song made it first Canadian debut by an Ottawa campfire.

Some of the activities at camp were advanced woodcraft, instructions in handicrafts, folk-dancing, group singing, and simple dramatics. Camp tours were a large part of camp; girls were taken to see their National Capital and learn some of its history and function in Canadian life. Canadian music, folklore, explorers and geography were to be woven into the majority of activities.

Tuesday July 22nd was Visitor's Day otherwise known as ‘Competition Day' at camp. Teams were put together from the 43 groups for; tent pitching, making fire, produce a cup of tea, gadget making which was to include ingenuity; semaphore, obstacle races with bicycles and a puppet show.

Camp ended on July 25th with a camp fire ceremony. Girls and leaders stood with a flickering candle in each hand, lit from her neighbor's candle, after a moment of silence all the Guides repeated the Guide Promise expressing a unity of purpose and the greatness of the Guide Movement.

Sources used: Ottawa Scene, 1952
The Evening Citizen, Ottawa, July 14th and 18th 1952
National Camp Reports, GGC-Archives
All sources used can be found at National Archives, GGC, Box 51