If you thought fabulous summer camps for children existed only in the USA, you were wrong. Think Zinkwazi, on KwaZulu-Natal’s North Coast: endless beaches, endless summers, and endless activities for kids. No wonder the camp hosts children from around the globe.
The late, great Raymond Duncan, American artist, philosopher and brother of famous dancer Isadora, once said: “A lot of parents pack up their troubles and send them off to summer camp.”Indeed they do. In the US, there are some 15,000 of these camps spread across the country, and for American kids, it’s a way of life and an essential part of growing up. Quite why the concept isn’t equally popular in this country is inexplicable.
It was a question former Cape Town attorney Zoe Ellender asked herself some 15 years ago, when she felt the need to escape the confines of a legal office and launch a new career.
Her soul-searching and research were the catalyst for what is, today, one of South Africa’s best kept secrets, despite the fact that it is on speed dial for hundreds of European and American parents.
Sugar Bay Resort, set in 16 beautiful – and secure – acres of rolling sugar cane hills, with private access to the Zinkwazi lagoon and waterfront, is a holiday camp many seven to 17-year-olds imagine exists only in Hollywood movies.
The place is astonishing. With its idyllic location close to endless beaches, along with KwaZulu-Natal’s exquisite great weather all year, combined with extraordinary facilities, it’s no wonder thousands of children return time and again to this incredible venue.
Interestingly, she says: “The numbers of South African students poached every year to go and work in American camps are incredible. They are known as the hardest working in the world, and are hugely popular in the States. I realised, when I was doing my business plan for Sugar Bay, that I didn’t have to reinvent the wheel – just copy what worked over there. And employ top-rate, highly trained staff and camp counsellors.”Zoe and her husband, Nic, a former engineer, designed, built and now run the camp, which opened its doors in 2001. Since then, thousands of children have happily passed through. “They come from all over: from America, from Taiwan, from Europe – and of course, South Africa.”
So what does Sugar Bay offer? Everything, it turns out. Whether children enjoy arts and crafts, adventure sports, soccer, hockey, paintballing, BMX biking, kayaking, swimming and surfing, paddleboarding, fabric painting, origami, card making, drumming, skateboarding, ballroom dancing, or drama, there are more than 100 activities from which to choose. But then, when you have up to 200 children at a time, you need options!
The big question, for many parents, is how safe will our little poppets be here? Well, probably safer than leaving them at home or dropping them at the mall.
“We have a full time staff of 50 and employ counsellors on a ratio of 1:3 over and above our permanent staff. So, for example, for 200 children we employ 70 counsellors. They are incredibly professional, and we make sure they sleep in the cabins with the kids. The children are supervised 24 hours a day, and we have strict rules about things like never having fewer than three people in a room at a time: for example, two kids and one staff member, or two staff and one child.
“That is one of the rules I borrowed from the American camps, and it works brilliantly, and protects everyone. And obviously, no girls are allowed in the boys’ cabins and vice versa, or on the boardwalks approaching them.”
If you’re worried little Johnny might be out of his depth in the ocean, fear not. Zoe herself is a fully trained lifeguard instructor. “We have our own team of lifeguards. Campers must do a swim test in our heated pool when they get here, on which they’re graded. They then wear a certain coloured strip on their rash vests so we can identify what grade swimmer they are, and spot them in the water. Certain grades can’t go deeper than knee-height, for instance, and we also teach them water and current awareness. We also position one lifeguard in the water beyond the deepest child, and they aren’t allowed beyond him. Then if you’re doing a body boarding or surfing class, for example, you will also have a lifeguard in the water with you, apart from the instructor.”The children also don’t just wander down to the beach willy-nilly. The camp is securely fenced and patrolled, with electric fencing, closed circuit cameras and security guards. “When we take them to the beach, it’s an organised excursion.”
Incidentally, Sugar Bay is the only South African organisation of its kind which belongs to the American Camping Association (ACA), and thus adheres to international safety procedures as recommended by the ACA, the same body that regulates all US summer camps.
Sugar Bay, Zoe adds, “is a fun place to be”. “No one is forced to do anything. You choose your activities: If you don’t like water sports, there are various other options. We have the best counsellors in the world, I think, and they are amazing with the kids.
“The children love that they can choose to do an introductory class in any of our top ten most popular adventures, or advance through the different levels to earn a certificate at the end of the week. It’s a huge achievement for many of them when they receive these.”
The camp welcomes children from around the globe. Holiday programmes include all local and most international school holidays. Holiday weeks start on Sundays, and they encourage stays of two weeks or more.
**For more information visit www.sugarbay.co.za.**
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