What is Camp Sysonby? Many of you have probably seen the Brady Saunders summer camp patches with the word SYSONBY on them. Some of you may even have some. But do any of you know how Camp Sysonby originated, and how they came to our own Camp T. Brady Saunders?
Camp Sysonby officially started in 1965, with a parachute for a dining hall and a dug-out latrine. At that time, Camp Shawondassee was requiring Scouts to cook their own meals. Mr. Al Ramsey saw how much time this took away from merit badge time and decided to start his own summer camp. When the camp first started, they had over 100 members and were steadily growing. As time progressed, the camp did too. They built an archery range, rifle range, permanent latrine, dining hall, boat dock, swimming pool, and showers. All of this was within 100 yards or so of camp headquarters, which made it very conducive to the development of life long friendships and helped bolster the brotherhood of Scouting. About 1980, Troop 175 did not have enough Scouts to put on their own camp, but some of the former members had their own troops. For the first time, they invited other troops to participate. The word spread and they grew into what they are now. The adults than run Sysonby now were all Scouts in Sysonby, and they had gained so much, that they all decided to continue giving the leadership they were given as boys. Dr. McIlwaine sold the farm where Sysonby was built, and the group wanted to keep the spirit of Sysonby alive, so they all moved to Brady Saunders as a group. The camp offered them a lot of the things they had at their old camp to get them to come. Their biggest requirement was, and still is, keeping the troops together. Now, every year, the Sysonby groups at Brady Saunders. They use Koch Lodge as their headquarters, they offer their own merit badge program, have their own campfires, and still participate in the Brady Saunders program. They also have a special patch made for them, to show the camps appreciation for the addition to our camp. -- Special thanks to George Scarborough for the Camp Sysonby information.
