BILL W CAMP JULY 2025
SPIRITUALITY UNDER THE STARS
There is a magic at the Bill W Camp which is indescribably wonderful. I felt it the first time I attended 21 years ago, and it was certainly still there this year.
We had our usual reserved campsite by the river, AA and Al-Anon members from all over Australia got together for a weekend of sharing, caring, eating and laughing. We kicked off with a Welcome ID meeting on the Friday night. With stars for a roof, and a fire in the background we listened to the language of the heart.
Saturday was action packed. BBQ breakfast at 7am. Our first meeting at 9am was the day’s reading from The Daily Reflections – The “worth” of Sobriety. A cuppa, then straight into another meeting on Steps 10 and 11 from the Big Book. Many of our visitors have a lot of experience, so it was wonderful to hear from them, as well as us locals. Good to see some newer members take part as well.
The afternoon involved a very competitive and dramatic damper cooking contest. The deserving winner was Fay P from Al-Anon , second place Bob W, third to Tok, with participation certificates to George and Charles.
This was followed by the auction which is always a crowd favourite. The generosity for some questionable donations was magnificent. The money raised offsets the cost of the camp and the balance is given back to the fellowship to support our service structure.
Next was dinner. Mark P, our camp site coordinator, excelled himself, providing a sumptuous BBQ of prawns, Thai mackerel wraps (yum!) steak, sausages and salad – all for only $10!
Feeling full and happy we joined with Al-Anon for a co-chaired open meeting. Again, the sharing under the stars was amazing, and it was moving to hear different experiences of alcoholism and recovery. I found it really inspiring – the AA programme really works for everyone. A rough head count during that meeting came up with 55 attending.
The night kicked on with “Red Faces”. God blessed us with a mix of talent and there was plenty of laughs. I have to say Dave’s guitar work is fantastic, and thanks to all those who took centre stage.
Sunday morning started a little slower with a tribute by the river to AA members who had passed in the last 12 months. This was followed by a “Spiritual Concepts” meeting. Again, such a variety of experiences but a similar outcome – happy, joyous and free.
The camp closed with a Sobriety countdown, our Al-Anon friends in the centre. The longest sober member passed on a Big Book which had been signed by everyone to the newest member. Al-Anon did the same.
We joined in a “pot-luck” lunch before we dispersed – some heading out to Kakadu, all of us to trudge the road to happy destiny. See you all next year!
Marg M
“…recovery begins when one alcoholic talks to another”
Foreword to the Third Edition – Alcoholics Anonymous
For recordings of previous Camps please contact The Caring and Sharing Tape Library