Exhibition - Flipbook - Seite 14
Foundations
Twelve children of diverse ages and handicaps found their way to the
remote little place, having come through different private channels.
The late W. F. Macmillan also wished to send his son to Dr König but
the manse was filled to capacity. Mr Macmillan then purchased a small
estate on the other side of Aberdeen (which the Schools subsequently
bought from him) to enable not only his own son but many more children
to be taken in. As a result of the events of spring 1940, all German and
Austrian male refugees whose records had not yet been established
were interned for indefinite periods. The women who remained in the
little manse decided to carry on and move to the new estate on the
appointed date in the face of all reason. It would almost seem that the
invisible numbers of future children had already staked their claims on
Camphill - so strong was the premonition that the work must go on.
The first group of
children in Kirkton
House 1940
Camphill was taken over in
June 1940. The impulse that
had had its embryonic period in the remote little
manse was now born and
received its name: Camphill.
Dr König and the other men
were gradually released
from internment, children
began to come from all
corners of the country and
the next five years saw the
geographical expansion of
Camphill as well as the development of three distinct
streams of work that have
characterised and still characterise the contribution of
Camphill to the cause of the
handicapped child in Britain
and elsewhere. These three
streams are the diagnostictherapeutical, the educational and the social. A fourth
element was the spiritualsocial-economic framework
in which the three streams
were embedded. The initial
period in Camphill was devoted to the fourth element.
From the outset all work was
done on a voluntary basis, income being regarded as at the
disposal of the community.
The first pictures of Camphill
House and its view to the
River Dee were taken on the
first visit there, early 1940.
They were convinced that it
would be the right move but
did not know yet that the
men would all be interned
very soon and the women
and children would have to
make the move without them.