Summer Staff
The Kilcoo Staff consists of over 70 dedicated men and women, almost all of whom started at Kilcoo as campers. The summer a camper will turn 16, they are eligible to apply to the two-year Leader in Training (LIT) program, where they will learn all the skills necessary to lead canoe trips, instruct activities, and provide care for campers. At age 18, the strongest LITs are selected to be members of the Kilcoo Staff.
Every staff member at Kilcoo is uniquely qualified to provide support for your son at camp. Growing up as campers themselves, our staff members are intimately familiar with all aspects of Kilcoo’s traditions, programs, and procedures. Having experienced the value and impact of a summer at Kilcoo themselves, the staff is committed to sharing those traditions with current campers and giving back to the Kilcoo community.
Each of Kilcoo’s 29 cabins has a dedicated counsellor and LIT for their group of campers. Many activities have instructors who lead campers through projects and teach skills required for levels, including Archery, Arts & Crafts, Biking, Canoeing, Ceramics, Handicraft, High and Low Ropes Courses, Music, Rock Climbing, Swimming, Sailing, Tennis, and Windsurfing. In addition to the counsellors and instructors, Kilcoo’s team of Senior Staff includes our camp’s Leadership Team, five Section Directors, Waterfront and Land Activities Directors, a Canoe Tripping Director, and LIT Directors. At a minimum, all staff at Kilcoo are trained to industry standards in both First Aid and lifeguarding, though many of our staff exceed these standards with additional certification.
We maintain a strong rate of returning staff and new staff from our LIT program. This allows the camp program consistency while providing new challenges and opportunities for returning campers, LITs, and staff as they move up through the ranks in their Kilcoo careers.
Camp Leadership Team
Patrick Tingley
Director
Patrick Tingley, aka “Tingles” is ecstatic to return to Kilcoo as Director; working with Office Manager Kim Bouchard in Toronto and up at camp, with Aldrin “Buzz” and Tanya “Brador” Primaylon. The summer of 2024 will be Patrick’s 36th on the shores of Gull Lake.
Patrick was a first-time Kilcoo camper in cabin 6, in 1987, when his counsellor, Tim Wilson, tweaked the name “Tingles”. He became Staff in 1995, and was a counsellor, Section Director, LIT Director, Land Staff Director and Program Director. Patrick started working for Kilcoo full-time in March 2004, as Program Director and Spring/Fall Program Co-Ordinator, what we call Advance Camp and Post Camp. Patrick worked and lead the spring and fall for over a decade before returning to the office for the non-summer months. Patrick started as Assistant Director in 2007, through the 2021 camp season, ensuring a safe and successful summer during the second year of Covid-19. Patrick then left camp on his own terms to enjoy other pursuits. He comes from a close-knit family, and returns to Kilcoo with support from his parents, sister & brother-in-law and their two kids. A life-long Kilcoo guy, no one will question his loyalty or passion for Kilcoo Camp.
Kim Bouchard
Director of Operations
Kim Bouchard is Kilcoo’s Director of Operations. In this role, she works year-round at the Toronto office overseeing the entire business operation and keeping everything running smoothly. Kim was hired in 1990 by John and Peggy Latimer after working at Lanier Canada and Bank of Nova Scotia. She is also Treasurer of the Regent Park Children’s Foundation, where she manages the finances and helps to organize innovative programs for underprivileged children in Toronto. Kim has two sons who attended Kilcoo.
Aldrin “Buzz” Primaylon
Assistant Director
Aldrin “Buzz” Primaylon came into the camping world in 1990 when he joined the staff of Camp Gay Venture. At the camp, Buzz began as the property manager and then brought the Rock Climbing and High Ropes programs to GV. Buzz joined Kilcoo in 2017 and has served as a Rock Climbing and High Ropes course instructor, learning from Chrissy, before starting the LIT Skills Program at Kilcoo. Buzz, his wife Brador, and their three children have been a part of the Kilcoo staff since 2017. Liam and Breaden are both July campers at Kilcoo and Nyah attends Tanamakoon. During the off season, Buzz and Brador teach Grade 8 students in Scarborough.
Tobias Partridge
Program Director
Tobias began his Kilcoo career in 2006 as a camper and had been with Kilcoo ever since. Over the years, Tobias has been an LIT, Ceramics Instructor, and has served as the camp’s Program Director since 2019.
Tanya “Brador” Primaylon
Tuck Shop Manager
Brador is our Tuck Shop Manager in the summer. She has been coming to Kilcoo with her husband Buzz and their three children since 2017. Brador’s love for summer camp began when she attended Camp Gay Venture on Kashagawigamog Lake, where she worked with Buzz until the camp closed in 2001. In the off-season, Brador is a teacher in Toronto and visits Kilcoo often. Her two sons attend Kilcoo.
Stu Armstrong
Off-Season Manager
Stu Armstrong is Kilcoo’s Off-Season Manager, overseeing and arranging the Advance Camp and Post Camp groups and staff. He started as a camper at Kilcoo in 2007 and has since been a LIT, canoeing instructor, handicraft instructor, and Landstaff Director. Stu also works at Kilcoo in the summer, currently as a LIT Director.
Kent Taylor
Property Manager
Kent Taylor is Kilcoo’s Property Manager, working year-round at camp to keep the facilities, property, and equipment well-maintained. With his team, he also manages the Camp capital improvement projects and site repairs throughout the year. Kent joined the Kilcoo maintenance team in 2008 and trained under Brian Hamilton, his predecessor, until 2018.