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| E-mail Oggy The Website Editor |
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| Oggy's Diary |
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| This website was updated on: 22nd August 2004 |
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| Friday 30th July 2004 Let's get one thing clear...Cranfield Camp is the highlight of my year. I know it may seem sad to those of you more accustomed to global adventures than local camps, but seriously, I'm already counting the days to Cranfield 2005! Your immediate response may be "Why?!". Those of you who've been will know... There's no banter like Crusaders banter. Incorporate that with sports, outdoor pursuits, great company, beach games, sun, camping and mad leaders and the formula is complete! Preparation for Cranfield started in January, but the real work starts today! Crossgar plays host to all the camp's equipment during the year and it's here that the journey begins. 2 hours is the usual for packing the lorry, it would be quicker but Steve Hall spends so long playing with the hydraulic lift on the back of the lorry that it's dark before work commences! |
| Get a flavour for Cranfield!!! If you're interested to know what really happens at Cranfield in the summer then you may want to read 'Oggy's Diary' entries below, which we managed to steal from him after the camp! |
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| Saturday 31st July 2004 Early start... too flippin' early! After the customary 12 Weetabix it's off to Cranfield. Most leaders have arrived at the field by about 10:30am awaiting the arrival of the lorry, which duly comes an hour later! "Delays in Downpatrick" was the cry, but most leaders suspected several stop-offs for fry-ups and coffee, which is the trucker's norm! They also claim to have seen a magic tractor on route, which turned into a field, but I don't believe them. I used to like tractors, but not any more (Wait for it...) I'm an extractor fan!! ... Sorry... It took 8 hours to get the tents up, which was great going. 5 bell tents, 3 Icelandics, 1 troop, 1 army, 1 cooks tent and a marquee! A grand total of 317 pegs walloped mercilessly into the baked hard terra firma. Blisters were the order of the day, alongside a sunburnt scalp for myself, leaving me to rue an over-enthusiastic head shaving the day before by my local hairdresser Vicki! But all the hard work was rewarded with leader's pitch and putt in the evening, which as always degenerated into farce as light levels dropped and our ambitious tee-off positions became even more absurd! |
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| Sunday 1st August 2004 Please sing... " 10 male leaders in the army tent, 10 male leaders in the army tent and when one male leader emits an awful stench, there'll be 9 male leaders in the army tent!"... continue as usual... And that pretty much sums up Sunday morning before church! The afternoon saw final preparations made to the field before the campers arrived and just for the record it was Mr Fleming's Alpha Romeo that wheeled into the field first, bringing with it the initial batch of Holywood Girls (Boooo!!!). Games were on the agenda after a smashing food fest, leaving us wondering if the wolf really did know the time, or was he simply making it up?! Davey Leach closed off day one by giving a stonking review of King Ahab... before he became enraged! |
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| Monday 2nd August 2004 Morning session happens every morning after tent inspection (More about that later). It generally consists of a few songs (Expertly led by keyboard whizzes Deborah and Laura!) then our memory chapter for the week, Psalm 100, which I hope was learnt better by the Crusaders than it was by me! To bring respectability to proceedings the 'Cranfield Players Drama Consortium' performed a masterful piece each morning rehearsed to a tee! Special mention must go to Dave's accurate portrayal of a holiday seeker and Whitey's unnerving depiction of a starving Christian! A different leader each morning gave their thought for the day, which over the week focussed on the various aspects of a ship making it's journey. Neal led the way, donning the captain's hat to teach us about 'Jesus the captain' (Perhaps the only time in the week his head wasn't sporting his beloved Tilley hat, which according to Steve Hall can withstand the vigourous bowel movements of any safari animal!) Team games started with a vengeance today, all teams wanting to show their metal and prove their worth. All hands to the grind stone and all systems go... (Insert your own teamly metaphors here!)... a good morning had by all. Afternoon saw what is now becoming an annual adventure; a rousing swim in the Atlantic Ocean... don't ask why, we just did! After tea the team building continued in the form of 'Superstars'; an opportunity for teams to compete in open combat against the mighty force of the leaders, each of whom had a challenge for the Crusaders to face. My own challenge involved pushing Laura Kenwell's car around a cunningly designed course. Some might say it was as cunning as a fox who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University! |
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| Tuesday 3rd August 2004 Tuesday started like every other day, but it was to become a dark day in the history of Cranfield camps. Silent Valley was the location for the first big activity of Cranfield 2004. The plan was to walk a mere 3 miles to Ben Crom, enjoy the fantastic sights to be seen and then stroll back at a leisurely pace. Unfortunately this idyllic scenario was shattered by a group known as 'The Silent Valley 3'. Their objective was to cause maximum disruption to proceedings by calmly walking to Ben Crom, then as the rest of the group began their homeward trek, the infamous trio boarded a nearby Ulsterbus and sped past us waving mockingly from the back window. A heinous crime. The three hooligans were given a trial by jury at dinnertime and sentenced to hard labour for the remainder of the day (Namely washing dishes!). David 'banter-bus' Leach, Neal 'Tilley-hat' Killen and Stephen 'mummy's car' Hall hung their heads in shame as the verdict was read out by Lord Chief Justice Oggifer of Crannersville. Helen Hewitt continued the 'ship' themed talks in the morning using a rugby ball shaped compass as an illustration (Sullivan education!!). She taught us how the Bible was like a compass, giving direction when we need it. Glass painting provided some entertainment in the evening, although the perfectionists amongst us were exasperated by the lack of light in the marquee by which to see our designs! Among the group could be seen a few budding Michael Angelo's, although with the leaders joining in, suddenly every camper's designs looked fantastic! |
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| Wednesday 4th August 2004 Gillian provided our thought for the day comparing a ship's two-way radio with prayer. She was ably assisted by Kyler and Whitey, who's drama turned into a mixture of an 'Aeroplane' skit and a pop sing-a-long! Wednesday is by tradition a somewhat more relaxing day than it's neighbouring counterparts. This particular afternoon saw 70 Crusaders descend upon Warrenpoint for a photo treasure hunt. The aim of the game is simple... answer the clues, take the photos. Although some say this activity is an opportunity to shop disguised in a very clever way, like a puzzle wrapped in an enigma, shrouded in mystery! This is not the case. Neither is it the case that all leaders head for the nearest cafe... we merely head for the most central location in the town to keep an eye on the activity... if that 'central location' happens to sell tea and scones, then it would be wrong of us to use the shop's seats without making use of the facilities! Every group was also given money to buy materials for part 2 of the day's activity... a boat build in Kilbroney Forest Park. It has to be said that some groups were better than others at this activity. Whilst some used their money to buy boat materials, others bought ice-cream and then went bin-hoaking! One group took the even more outrageous route of simply buying a boat... needless to say they didn't win! Interestingly enough team Whitey's monstrousity did, although how it floated let alone won is still a mystery to all! 'Stick it to the man!' was phrase of the night after 'School of Rock' along with a rather wacky handshake (Ask the lads!). |
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| Thursday 5th August 2004 Refreshed after a relaxing 'middle-Wednesday' we jumped on the banter bus and headed for Greenhill, Newcastle for outdoor pursuits. So many activities to choose from and enough action to keep even the most energetic campers from going home disappointed. Bouldering was first on the agenda for some, climbing up Tolymore River, although 'climbing in' may be a more appropriate phrase! Others headed canoeing and kayaking in Castlewellan, although we're still not sure how Helen managed to sink her boat! Various rope assault courses provided much entertainment, although some of the girls were more worried about their trousers than completing the course! Archery too was on offer, with Dan Chapman's Legolas impersonation the easy highlight (Although I don't think he'd have lost three arrows in the nearby woods!) Orienteering proved a hit with the boys, particularly John McKinley and Tim Gaston, who did a beautiful presentation on their respective homes! Even with all this activity Whitey still found the time to take on Patrick Chisholm, Mark Porteous and Alastair Baird in a Royal Rumble, the likes of which Newcastle has never seen before. Whitey took a beating, although he did pull off a few fine elbow-drops to destroy the lad's morale! The stage was set in the evening for some of the most peculiar dramas imaginable, as Harold Bishop married Julia Killen and some favourite super heroes played croquet! John McKinley's impression of Leachy was hard to beat, although Dan Chapman's classical violinist really rocked! A toast to the cooks whose scoring method was indeed unique! |
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| Friday 6th August 2004 Another early start saw us leaving the field before Brendie's alarm clock ticked past 9 o'clock (Although, I don't think it ever really worked). Again it was all in a good cause, this time it was destination Kilkeel and a swim in the pool. A tad warmer it has to be said than the sea had been just 4 days earlier! It also had the advantage of a jacuzzi beside the pool to rest the aching muscles of the leaders, as the kids looked on in envy! Back to the camp and Ali Harper took us through the importance of teamwork in Christian life before, quite aptly, team games in the afternoon. It's interesting to watch the leader's in team games. Those who had been quite subdued early in the week suddenly came alive as the sight and smell of vistory beckoned! Outrageous shots were attempted in the football (Nothing new for Pete McIlwaine!), overhead serves in the volleyball and extravagant passes in captain's ball. Sadly I can't remember who won, but no doubt someone will remind me before long! I should at this point explain a traditional element of Cranfield, or indeed any Crusader camp... tent inspectino! As the old saying goes "A clean camp is a happy camp"... well... I think it's an old saying... or maybe it's one I made up, none the less it's a philosophy which has stood the test of time. Each morning two inspectors (namely Neal and I) inspected the tents to ensure the camper were maintaining a high level of personal (And group) hygiene. Generally speaking we were pleasantly surprised, and point scoring was high, although it was in some part due to bribery and cunning campers taking our eyes of the mess by performing ritual-like songs, dances and dramas! Either way the tents were kept relatively tidy and Neal and I well fed! After another fantastic dinner (Big up the cooks!) Dave gave us his final thoughts, wrapping up a week looking at Elijah, King Ahab, Jezebel and co. The final 'Samarian Sun' newspaper was hung from the marquee roof and the last puns at the expense of Ahab and Elijah ensued (Ahab 'wines' over vineyard, prohets 'Baal' on their God, etc. etc.). As if to re-create God's victory over the prophets of Baal , we had a great bonfire as has been the tradition for generations. Marshmallows were cooked, buns eaten and campfire songs sung badly! Steve Hall made a fire, which in all probability could be seen from space. As he put it... 'Just lace it in lighter fluid!' or as Dan Chapman remarked... 'This is a real face-melter!' |
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| Saturday 7th August 2004 Aaaagh! Final day at camp! There's always a funny feeling on the last day of any camp, everyone knows the end is near (Of the camp, not the world!) and everything seems slightly subdued. There are no real activities to speak of and all bags have to be packed... which, by the way I hate with a passion! Thankfully now I've a car which I simply reversed to the tent door and filled to bursting point! Why is it that no matter how neatly you pack it's impossible to get all the stuff you brought back in your bag?! You inevitably go home with socks in your pockets and wearing three layers of everything! The other thing that is a dead cert at camp is that the leaders end up with binbags full of unclaimed lost property! I've 2 bin bag loads sitting in my front room awaiting the next Blue Peter bring&buy sale, so if you've lost anything, phone me! Anyway, after my final bowls of Weetabix, Pete McIlwaine gave us the final chapter of our look at sailing as he spoke about the harbour as our destination. If you've some free time on your hands ask him to tell you the story of the man who wanted to become a monk in order to hear some music... it's a cracker! Our panel of biblical experts were lined up to answer any questions the Crusaders had about Christian issues. Sadly, none of them could make it, so we'd Neal, Deborah, Dave and Johnny instead! Slowly but surely the campers ebbed away, some heading home, others to holidays in more luxurious surroundings (Although how anything can be better than a tent in a field in Cranfield I'll never know!). Eventually they'd all gone, including Harry, Becky and Marianna 3 hours after camp ended (I think they were intent on staying 'til 2005!). Then it's down with all the tents, all stuff back on the lorry; pay off our debts with the Chestnutt's (Quite possibly the most supportive and helpful group of people I've ever come across!) then off to Crossgar to unload everything. Crusaders all leave at 12pm, leaders make it home by about 8pm, in time for a well deserved shower... it took me ages to get the shower to work as I couldn't find the slot for the shower tokens... it'd been a long week!! Then to bed after a brilliant week, although Maximus my tiger hogged the covers! Can't wait for Cranfield 2005!! |
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| HAVE YOU ANY MEMORIES OF CRANFIELD YOU WANT TO SHARE OR COMMENTS ON OGGY'S DIARY ENTRIES?! ADD THEM TO THE GUESTBOOK ON THE CRANFIELD CAMP HOME PAGE... |
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