The Portsea Camp is a not for profit organisation that provides seaside holidays for disadvantaged, special needs and rurally isolated children. Located in the beautiful seaside town of Portsea, 60km south-east of Melbourne, the camp provides a safe, caring, healthy, educational and recreational environment for the children of Victoria and NSW.
The Portsea Camp site has a rich history, formerly serving as an army base and hospice during the Second World War. In 1946, the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Sir Thomas Nettlefold, recognised a need for children in rural communities to access respite from the challenges of drought and isolation. The Lord Mayor’s Children’s Camp for Country Children was established as a registered charity and the site was handed over as a temporary venue for children’s camps.
In 1995, the camp was handed over to an independent Board of Directors and became The Portsea Camp. The camp continues to provide holidays for special needs and disadvantaged children and relies on donations and in-kind support to deliver this valuable service.
Over two days in September staff of the Dandenong Office volunteered their time to help with some much-needed cleaning and maintenance of the Portsea camp site. Many hands make light work, which meant that the Dandenong team were able to complete a long list of overdue chores. These included painting the giant slide, picnic tables and gates; cleaning the walls and windows of the camp accommodation, clearing cobwebs and sweeping gutters, and general garden maintenance such as cutting back trees, weeding and mulching the garden beds.
The camp organisers were delighted with the progress made over the two days. The team’s efforts were made sweeter in the knowledge that children would be able to enjoy the refreshed camp facilities over the coming Summer.
