Written by Heidi Kingston
Have you ever watched the 1998 comedy The Parent Trap and wished you could be one of the girls arriving at summer camp? The cabins, the lake, the endless activities. I watched those scenes growing up, imagining what it would be like to spend a summer in the American wilderness.
In 2024, I made that dream my reality.
During Year 12, the year before, while my peers were busy accepting their university offers, I was filling out my Camp America (CA) application to become a summer camp counsellor. The process was long, detailed, and a little overwhelming at times, but in January, everything changed when I walked into the Camp America job fair in Sydney. I had previously received several offers from different camps, but none of them felt quite right.
Armed with a list of camps I wanted to speak to, I stepped into a packed room and very long queues. Feeling slightly overwhelmed, I noticed a small table in the corner — the only one without a queue. I figured I’d chat with that camp while I waited for the others to free up.
It was at this corner table where I met Zoe from Camp Birch Trail (BT), and within seconds, I knew I’d found my place. Zoe was warm, fun-loving, kind, and so genuinely inviting that it felt like talking to someone I’d known for years. Her energy made something click — if this was the kind of person representing Birch Trail, then that was exactly the camp I wanted to work for.
After just a few minutes of chatting, Zoe offered me the job. I didn’t hesitate. I walked straight past the crowds and other camps over to the front desk, where I accepted my offer. June couldn’t come soon enough.
Working as a camp counsellor at BT exceeded my expectations. I lived in a cabin with three other counsellors and ten energetic, hilarious, nine-year-old campers. During the day, I taught kayaking, canoeing, and diving, and worked as a lifeguard. BT offered endless activities — land sports, tennis, dance, sailing, water skiing, fishing, arts and crafts, riflery, archery, rock climbing, cooking, guitar, photography, drama club, and more. No two days looked the same.
One of the most rewarding parts of camp was being surrounded by staff from all around the world. I met incredible people from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds, and we worked side by side every day. Camp quickly became one big, chaotic, loving family.
And leaving? It felt like leaving a piece of myself behind.
Camp Birch Trail will always be my home away from home, the place where I chased my American dream and found far more than I ever imagined.
Charlie blog is a SSAF funded initiative.
