Image

September 3, 2015

It’s an opportunity that doesn’t come along very often.

Plympton-Wyoming is now the owner of Lamrecton Camp  on Egermont Road. The board of directors of the former United Church Camp has given the camp to the municipality under the condition it remain in public hands.

Lamrecton Camp opened its doors in 1926. It was originally run by the United Church of Canada, offering summer camps to children from around the region. The grounds are spread over several acres in a residential area stretching right to the shore of Lake Huron including about 100 feet of sandy beach.

Over 50 years ago, the United Church purchased what is now the Lambton Centre Camp near Forest and wanted to sell Lamrecton. But members of several area churches, including Camlachie United Church, felt there was still a use for the campground. It organized a board of directors to run the camp – hiring a couple of staff members to cook during the summer and take care of the grounds.

But the number of children going to summer camp dwindled and the board was losing money. So it decided to hand the camp over to the municipality.

Plympton-Wyoming Mayor Lonny Napper is thrilled the town will now be the caretaker of the property. “It is a nice big piece of property,” says Napper. “We’re very excited about getting it and perhaps there will be another public access to the beach.”

Napper and council received the keys for the camp this month and went out to tour the grounds. He says some of the buildings are still in good shape but the cabins would need a “capital investment” if they were to stay.

All that is uncertain however. Napper says council wants to take its time to consider all the possibilities for the land.

“It is all up in the air,” he says. “Everyone has ideas, we need to sit down and have a session of council to talk about it. And we want to engage the people in the area…but council has all kinds of ideas….and we want to make something that is compatible to the area.”

For now, the gates have been locked for the year and town staff is considering when to have a public meeting on what sort of park might be created. “We’re all very open…all pretty agreeable come back with our ideas,” says Napper.

While the future use is unclear, Napper is sure he wants to honour the people who donated the camp to Plympton-Wyoming and allow people to say “farewell to Lamrecton.”

Napper hopes to hold a special ceremony next June, perhaps to unveil a stone with the history of the camp on it.  “There are a lot of people who have a lot of memories of that park.”

And while Napper lays plans for honouring the past, he’s excited about the future of Plympton-Wyoming’s newest parkland. “We’re thrilled. Down in that area there is not a lot of public access to the beach and anytime you can gain green space along the lake it is a plus.

“Any time you can do to bring back God’s Creation in your control, I think you’ve gained something.”

Share This

Image
Front Page

Forest Kiwanis hope a mandarin, apple and cucumber can raise some cash for Kineto

February 7, 2025

Heather Wright/The Independent “Why would somebody give 6.2 million for a banana on the wall?” That’s what Forest’s Jose Van Haastert thought after seeing what a crypto billionaire paid for a piece of conceptual art with a banana on the wall. Her family talked about the massive price tag for the art over Christmas. But the idea got Van Haastert,

Read More

Image
News

New scholarship program at Great Lakes created in honour of late Sarnia judge

February 7, 2025

Students in St. Clair Township and Sarnia will be able to apply for a new scholarship program, named in honour of an Ontario Court Justice from Sarnia. The Sarnia Community Foundation says the family of the late Anne McFadyen has set up an annual scholarship program, similar to LCCVI’s Nicol Scholarships. It will honour five graduating students from Great Lakes

Read More

Front Page

Driver taken to hospital after Inwood accident

February 7, 2025

An Alvinston woman had to be taken to hospital after an accident near Inwood Monday. Lambton OPP have yet to release any details about the crash Monday morning which occurred during foggy conditions. Witnesses say two vehicles, a van and large pickup truck, collided at the corner of Inwood and Shiloh Line Monday morning. The van was T-boned. Brooke-Alvinston Fire

Read More

Image
Sports

LCCVI on top of girls high school hockey standings

February 7, 2025

LCCVI moved into a first place tie with Chatham-Kent Secondary School in girls’ high school hockey this week with a 2-1 win over the Golden Hawks in Chatham. The Lancers are 2-0-2 in the south division this season. The regular season wraps up late next week. Playoff dates have yet to be announced.

Read More