Summer 2008
Interview: Q&A: With summer camp owners Charyl and Bob Hanson
Nestled on Halls Lake in Newbury, Camp Farwell began in 1906 and calls itself the oldest continually operating girls summer camp in the country. Since 1982, it has been owned by Charyl and Bob Hanson and, in this interview, Charyl reflects on the changing nature of a girls camp over the years.
By Jessica Turner
Photographed by Stefan Hard
How have campers' identities changed in the hundred years that Farwell has been in operation?
From what I have gathered from our early years and from listening to alumnae who stop by to visit, Farwell was a place for parents to send their daughters, and many of the campers in earlier decades came here straight from boarding schools. It was a continuation of the same type of lifestyle but in a completely different environment. Campers arrived here after a long train ride into Wells River, Vermont, then continued on in a horse-drawn carriage of sorts and unloaded their belongings and took residence here for eight weeks in a tent with very few amenities. Counselors were addressed as "Miss and everyone stood whenever the directors entered the dining room.
I feel that the biggest identity change has occurred in the parents. Sometimes parents feel that to send their child to summer camp is to send her away. We remind them that they are not sending her away, but rather giving her a wonderful opportunity — an opportunity to grow, to develop independence, to function on her own, to make decisions and live with the consequences of those decisions in a caring and nurturing environment in an atmosphere without the family umbrella.
Have you seen changes over the years in the type of girl who comes to Camp Farwell?
Yes, somewhat. When we first came to Farwell, most of our campers were from the Boston or New York City areas. While we still draw most of our campers from these areas, we have reached out to other sections of the country — and other countries, too — and have been successful.
Camp Farwell is also much less competitive than in our early years. We discontinued the traditional color war between the Blue Team and the White Team. We have tried to focus the competitive spirit away from the competition between campers and make it a more inward endeavor: Compete with one's self to become the best person that one can be.
How would you sum up your years at the camp?
We have put our hearts and souls into making this the best possible experience for our campers and staff. It has not always been smooth or easy. There have been many times in hindsight where we've looked back on a situation and realized that we could have done things in a better way. Sometimes I cringe when I remember a situation in which patience would have worked better than action or words. What heals those moments and also makes the most memorable experience is the return of former campers and staff. When they drive back through the Farwell gate after years of absence and they get out of their cars with big smiles on their faces and arms open waiting for hugs, well, then you know that you have done something worthwhile. You've made a difference.
