About us

Camp Dunlop was donated to Scouts Canada in 1947 by Hugh Dunlop, because he believed that eventually children would not have a place to camp in Kelowna. What amazing foresight. His picture hangs in the main part of the lodge.

The first improvement to the Camp, was in the late sixties, when the lean-to was in Cubland was built to provide shelter for a camp kitchen. Prior to that, tarps had to be put up to provide cover for a kitchen. About the same time the first waterline was put it. It was a black plastic gravity fed line, placed in the creek, that stretched from somewhere near where the challenge course is now, down to near Cubland.

The next improvement, in the early seventies, was the construction of the Lodge. It was only a shell without windows (there were wooden shutters), no bathrooms, no ceiling, and an old electric stove in the kitchen. At about the same time a resident caretaker became a fixture at the Camp. The caretaker provided much needed security for the property, and supervision of campers. At that time a well was dug, to provide water for the caretaker, and the kitchen in the lodge.

In the late seventies, the lodge had windows put in, insulation and ceiling put in, and the fireplace was constructed. The large gas cook stove was purchased from the Green Bay Bible camp and installed in the kitchen. The major driving force behind the construction of the lodge and subsequent improvements was Charlie Colk, who the lodge is named after, and whose picture hangs in the main part of the lodge.

In the early eighties washrooms were added to the Lodge, and the bunkhouses were built.

Prior to 1994 the camp caretakers supplied their own residence. In 1994 the camp committee made the decision to purchase an engineered home for the caretakers to live in. In 1998, the caretakers put an addition on the caretaker’s residence, and built a storage shed.

The next major upgrades was in 1998 when the main part of the Lodge was gutted, reinsulated, had the electrical upgraded, and the walls and ceiling boarded and taped, replacing the wood paneling and plywood ceiling. The carpet flooring was removed, and replaced with commercial grade vinyl tile. In the same year the Rotary club built the garage that is near the Camp Ranger residence.

In 1999 the canoe compound and storage shed were completed.

In 2002 the kitchen in the lodge was completely gutted and rebuilt with gyproc on the walls, new sink, cupboards, countertops, window, and electrical upgrades.

The local Scout properties are all owned by Scouts Canada, but managed by a local committee. Camp Dunlop is one of five Scout properties in BC that is considered a Council Camp, and the local committee reports directly to a Provincial properties committee. In 1998, the volunteer camp caretakers, at the five council camps, became employees of Scouts Canada and Camp Rangers.

The local Camp Committee, which meets regularly, consists of the Camp Ranger, an elected executive, representatives from local Scouting Groups, and interested individuals. The Committee is responsible for management of all the local properties. This includes the development and implementation of long-range plans for the maintenance, growth, and financial viability of the properties.

The current major project is the rehabilitation of the Camp, which was severely affected by the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park fire. This includes the design and development of the areas devastated by the fire, as well as replanting of the hillsides, and riparian zones along Lebanon Creek.

The Camp Committee is always looking for those interested in helping make Camp Dunlop, Pear Lake, and McCulloch Lake, the premier Scouting properties in BC. Any Scouter, or parent of Scout youth, interested in being involved with the Camp Committee should contact the Camp, and come out to a Camp Committee meeting.