We were invited to visit him and he was waiting for us when we arrived at the Texas airport. He had a lovely Texan drawl,and he gave us a real welcome. He lived with his wife Lyn in a delightful house beside a lake. Lyn was a warm caring person who loved to cook. Every morning she got up early to cook bread, muffins and other delicious food. She and I had similar interests and we got on famously together. I was interested to hear what Cambell worked at, but Lyn said he rarely talked about it. However, we were asked if we would like to accompany them to the Dallas University that evening as Campbell had to address the students there. When we arrived the theatre was packed and some students were even sitting on the steps. What a wonderful reception Campbell received !!! The students obviously loved him. So I learned that Campbell worked with students and their problems. He also was working to save an area which he called TheThicket so that future generations could enjoy it. After the meeting we were taken to the house of a professor for supper. There I was able to talk to people and hear more about the work that Campbell was doing. I had been working for years on the Auckland LifeLine, a telephone counselling service, so naturally I was interested because he was obviously having a great success in his counselling work. Next morning at breakfast I tried to draw him out to talk about his work. After a while he really got going and I was able to ask questions. That morning was one I shall always remember!! Campbell was a man well known for his compassion and interest in helping delinquent boys. He had worked in social welfare all his life and had degrees in psychology and the like. He was chosen to be Director of a camp for boys eleven to sixteen years mainly from New York, who the courts were unable to help. The boys were the very worst offenders with very long police records. The camp was miles from a road and when they arrived they were shown how to make their own shelter, cooking and sanitary facilities. Toilets were the ‘long drop’ kind because when the boys were in a rage they destroyed everything except the shelter, table and cooking gear that they had made. To each team of ten boys there were two counsellors and the teams competed against each other. Each team was carefully balanced with boys who had progressed to the point that they lent some degree of stability. Only a few handicapped boys with serious emotional problems were put into each team. The counsellors saw to it that after any serious outburst the boy was not thought of as sick or delinquent, but as facing a problem he did not know how to handle. So when a member caused trouble he was dealt with first by his team mates, which was something the boys respected. Competition between teams was strong and they aimed to be in the leading team with most successes. They were taught how to get along with each other, to see what made them do the things that got them into so much trouble, and how they could put it right. The counsellors were their friends and always available to help or explain things to them. Some boys needed to stay for two years and others only six months. Success rate was unusually high at around sixty per cent. The camp was reasonally near the river and team rewards were days away trecking, rafting and canoeing. Alf and I were so interested in all that we heard that we were surprised when Lyn said, "Do you know that we have been sitting round this table all morning and it’s now two o’clock - and we haven’t even had lunch?!" What a wonderful man Campbell was! He died a few years ago but he achieved so much and touched the lives of so many. He was loved by the boys and the staff. He is sorely missed. He wrote several books which I still have. “Wilderness Road" tells of the life, the difficulties and the rewards in running the camp. "The Worth of a Boy" which describes how they encouraged the boys, especially the anti- social ones. "Lets Go Camping" which shows pictures of camp gear made of wood, a wire coathanger and tin can oven, a skillet and a Hobo stove, how to build a fire, and the easiest way to split wood. It was such a privilege to have known Campbell and Lyn. We loved Texas, and we were taken to many bush areas where we picnicked and enjoyed each other’s company. |
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