Bill Bentley was General Secretary (President) of the Calgary YMCA from the late 1960’s through the mid 1980’s. As part of his visits to various Y facilities he would take photos for use in marketing materials. Bill was a photo hobbyist and processed his own film and printed the photos as required; as a result, most of the photos he took were processed in black and white.

Both of Bill’s children, Mike and Susan attended and/or at worked at camp.

The photos following were taken at CCH during Winter Camp, held from December 26 through December 30, 1963. In those days the Craft Hall was used as the winter lodge as it could be heated with a fuel oil stove. Accommodation was in the camper cabins (still in use at the Chilver Lake site) which in 1963 were not yet insulated. Campers spent a lot of time chopping firewood for the wood stoves in the cabins and hauling water from the canyon for cooking and washing. Program included downhill skiing at Pigeon Mountain (near Dead Mans Flats), snowshoeing, canyon hiking, skating on the lake, and meal preparation. Lounging in the craft hall was a favourite activity with those who could, making some music.

Ed Johnston, the camp director, was omnipresent, keeping at eye on potential CIT’s for the coming year.