First summer work camp with ecumenical volunteers in Myrtidia August 1960
In May 1960, the Team was informed to prepare and find lodgings for an international summer camp coming August in Myrtidia. A number of 25 young people (male and female) from various countries such as America, Pakistan, Brazil, Australia, England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland and also from Greece would arrive to do some work. What work? Erecting a fence to keep the goats away from young trees still to be planted at Myrtidia. Young Kytherian Irini Gianniotis from Livadi, among others, was going to help in the kitchen. The organisation to find lodging and to collect enough digging tools, wooden poles, cement and sand and barbed wire therefore could start early. When the summer camp people arrived early August, they were mightily amazed that they could start right away the following day, they had had quite other experience at other projects! The work progressed so well that some of them were brought to Mitata to work on the foundation for the first water retaining dam and a couple of them went to the hospital in Potamos to help painting the hospital room furniture. Both the works for the fence (August 4) and the dam (August 31) were duly blessed by the Bishop.
*read here the main topics and work of the Team in 1960
Below a quote from Mr. Koksma’s weekly work diary to Geneva about his daily schedule in the middle of August concerning the summer camp at Myrtidia:
“At 5.00 a.m. getting up, at 6.00 transport of the Mitata dam workers, at 6.45 transport of summer campers to Potamos doing hospital furnish painting and giving some instructions about the work, at 8.15 back to the dam, encouraging the discouraged sweating dam workers from 8.30 to 10.30, then back to the hospital and finish the painting job, at 12.45 back in Myrtidia. Washing and lunch ended at 2.00 p.m. Then a warm midday rest with much flies. At 3.30 p.m. another journey started. For the summer campers Lysol, paper and bread from Chora, if no bread anymore, we had to go to Karavas! To Pitsinianika for eggplants, courgettes, pears or grapes, tomatoes and onions. We should not forget the salt and sugar! Eggs from Livadi. Be back for dinner and remember the bible study at 18.30. And, oh yes, toilet paper, macaroni, medicines against diarrhoea and the mail. The mail, the mail, the mail! And please, the spirit and the olive oil is finished and oh, Mr. Koksma, I am dying for just a tiny bit of chocolate. And haven’t they got tomato ketchup and spam or at least a decent salami? And wait a minute, what do you say? The meat?! Yes, sure I’ll remember. Yes, and soap as well, yes, yes, nails and wire, wood and a saw, a bar and, and, and … so on”.
*Click on a photo to enlarge
