Teenagers at elite summer youth camps in Victoria were allegedly subjected to late-night Holocaust re-enactments and forced to wear electric shock dog collars, a disturbing report has revealed, with one whistleblower accusing the organization of causing “major negative impacts” through its “cult mentality”.
Lord and Lady Somers’ annual Big Camps – which are touted online as “once in a lifetime” opportunities for young people – were investigated by Victoria Police and the Commissioner for Children and Young People in 2023 over allegedly unsafe practices, the Herald Sun has revealed.
The Lord Somers Big Camps – which attract students from top Victorian schools and have been operating since the 1930s – group 100 male students aged 16-18 known as “groupers” with around 150-200 older volunteer leaders and adult staff known as “slushies”.
In the girls’ Lady Somers camps, leaders are known as “Slushees”.
A 2023 independent report by Safeguarding Services, which focused more prominently on the Lord Somers boys’ Big Camps, found activities posed “potential risks to participants’ emotional and psychological wellbeing”.
However, despite several recommendations detailed in the report, the Herald Sun reports “potentially confronting” activities took place at the boys’ camp just last month.
Holocaust re-enactments and mock graves
The 2023 report, mandated by the Commission for Children and Young People, found that teenagers at a boys’ leadership training camp took part in Holocaust re-enactments, with campers forced to dig their own graves on a beach and take a collective shower, simulating gas chambers at concentration camps.
It also found that teen leaders were woken up in the middle of the night, blindfolded and taken into a hall with harsh strobe lighting, where leaders wore electric dog collars.
Those who were 18 and younger attending the leaders’ camp were also alleged to have been forced to perform oral sex on crude objects and witness the mutilation of a rabbit corpse in a disturbing “tug of war”.
In another incident, a performance was put on at breakfast where a leader pulled down his pants and inserted a recorder into his anus to play the instrument.
For punishment, campers who had violated rules were taken to a “Nelson” stronghold, while those who did not bond with other campers were taken into a “pigpen” and had water thrown at them, the Herald Sun reports.
The report recommended several measures, including that Sushies “remain fully clothed at all times”, obtain “informed consent from participants”, limit the number of “disruptive wake-up activities” and “cease activities that could be emotionally or psychologically distressing”.
But according to the publication, leaders were still shirtless and boys were still woken during the night at a summer camp, which took place from January 3 to 10.
Adult male leaders also allegedly “engaged in activities designed to be intimidating and confronting,” the Herald Sun reported.
The Herald Sun’s investigation did not include the Lady Somers girls’ camp.
It is not suggested that any of the leaders engaged in inappropriate sexual activity during the camps.
A spokeswoman for Lord Somers Camp and Power House told the Herald Sun: “When the Board first became aware of this matter we promptly self-reported to both Victoria Police and the Commission for Children and Young People and a full external investigation was conducted.
“The Police determined no action was required. We have implemented recommendations provided by the Commission for Children and Young People, the peak authority on these matters.
“The matters that were raised in 2023 have been fully and transparently addressed, and appropriate action taken, with all involved (including the original complainant) informed of the outcomes.”
Calls for an extensive investigation
A further 2023 report by a child safety expert and psychologist claimed parents had been “actively deceived about some aspects of the program” and noted the organization “deliberately restricts access for young people’s mobile phones (due to concerns about non-normative behavior being leaked outside), making it harder for young people to speak to parents or other supports to help them cope with these situations that are likely to test their resilience or they may find quite distressing”.
A whistleblower agreed that most parents and schools “have no idea of what happens on these camps”.
“It’s the true test of a cult. If there were no photos no one would believe it,” they said, as per the Herald Sun.
“There are a lot of good things that they do, but it is entrenched in tradition and a cult mentality causing major negative impacts.”
The whistleblower claimed that even after the 2023 reports, there was “still a lot that goes on” at the camps, alleging that instead of the pigpen, children are pelted with water in the scullery.
“They grab campers by the neck and they are physically carried out – it’s still happening. It’s a really aggressive act by large hairy men. They throw buckets of water at the students and they are trained to do it with maximum impact and they still wake them up at night.”
The whistleblower is calling for an extensive independent investigation into the programs, during which time they suggest the CEO and board members should be stood down.
They are also urging “all schools, clubs and charities to cease sending young people into this environment”.
Lord Somers Camp and Power House – the organization’s community hub in Albert Park – received $3.8m in federal grants in 2025, the publication reports.
Xavier College, Mentone Grammar, St Kevin’s College, Haileybury and Caulfield Grammar are among schools that have promoted Big Camps to students in recent years, as have some public schools.
On its website, Lord Somers Camp says leaders who run the Big Camp “create a safe space where participants are supported to go beyond their comfort zone and take on new experiences”.
“The challenges embedded into the Big Camp program are carefully considered and are the result of years of experience in creating a big impact in a positive way.”
News.com.au has contacted Lord Somers Camp for further comment.
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