50 Years of Life and Learning at Camphill

Earlier this summer, Angelika Monteux celebrated her 80th birthday, a milestone that also marks decades of dedication to the Camphill community. Since first arriving at Murtle Estate more than 50 years ago, she’s been a driving force behind countless projects and community moments, contributing in ways big and small to Camphill’s mission. We spoke to Angelika about her memories of the many roles she’s held, the people she’s met along the way, and what makes Camphill School Aberdeen such a meaningful place.

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How did you first find out about Camphill School Aberdeen?

I first visited Camphill School Aberdeen when my brother was a house coordinator and teacher at Murtle Estate, and I was in the middle of doing teacher training back in Germany. I came over and visited him when I was 24 and decided I wanted to apply to join too. I was accepted and moved to Aberdeen four years later as a volunteer.

One of the main attractions was that there were no wages at this time at Camphill - we all shared resources. This meant we were so much freer to do what we wanted and needed to do, without the worry of ‘what must I do to get money?’

What were those early days like for you?

I began my time at Camphill caring for residential children. At the start of my second year, I was asked to take a class because they needed a teacher, and I was qualified. I taught that class for five years and got to watch the children grow and develop their learning. Unlike mainstream schools, at Camphill the children had the same teacher each year, so you got to see them progress.

A fond memory I have of those times was during the school holidays. Back in those days, there were over 200 children at Camphill and many of them were from England. During the school holidays they would need to travel down to London. So, we took the night train, that we called the Rudolf Steiner Special with multiple carriages booked for us, and we would accompany children. That was always an adventure!

You raised your son here as well, didn’t you?

Yes, my son, Sebastian, was born at Camphill, and he grew up in the residential house that I ran. Two teenage girls who were gap year volunteers at the house really enjoyed looking after him. They would play with him and take him for walks around the estate.

We didn’t have much time to ourselves but that was the philosophy of Camphill, it was a life sharing community. A very important part of that was a rich cultural and spiritual life and the celebration of seasonal festivals, which always involved a variety of crafts, music, special shared meals and festive Community gatherings.

When my son was five, we moved to Murtle House which was the biggest house at the time with 18 children with learning disabilities and about 10 care staff living in it. I ran the house alongside another woman and started to get more involved in the administration side of things, eventually becoming a part of the management group. 

Camphill School Aberdeen evolved a lot during those years. What changes stood out to you?

One of the big changes we noticed was that more children were reaching school-leaving age, and there weren’t many options for them afterward. We thought, why don’t we create a new programme ourselves?

That’s how the young adult programme at Cairnlee House began. I helped pioneer it for around 14 years. We focused on crafts, gardening, and continual learning. Just because the students had left school didn’t mean they had to stop learning. The pride they took in creating something by themselves, weaving, pottery, or planting in the garden, was so special.

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Could you tell us about your role in establishing a formal qualification programme within Camphill School Aberdeen?

At the time we only had our internal Camphill Seminar. With help from colleagues at Northern College, we transformed this into an accredited qualification called the BA in Curative Education/Social Pedagogy which was then taken on by Aberdeen University. I became the Camphill Programme Director and, together with the University’s programme director, helped turn it into a professionally recognised degree. 

That must have been an intense period.

It was, so I took a break. I went on a pilgrimage in Spain with a friend and then spent 10 weeks in India, visiting a Camphill Community there and travelling around. I came back feeling completely refreshed.

Soon after, I moved back into Murtle House and took on the new role as Programme Director for the BA in Curative Education/Social Pedagogy. I worked with the tutors and lecturers, wrote course descriptors and assessments, and taught and assessed the students. It was one of the highlights of my time at Camphill.

Even after retirement, you’ve stayed very active.

I did retire but I continued to teach when needed and became involved with the Camphill Community in India. They started a three-year training course there that ran twice a year for two weeks, and I became one of its main contributors. During that time, I was asked to join the International Training Council for Curative Education and Social Therapy (recently renamed Integrated Social Development). It gave me a wonderful reason to travel and stay connected with the wider movement.

And today, you’re part of another pioneering project.

Yes, I’m involved in creating a co-housing community for older and retiring Camphill co-workers. The idea came about around 15 years ago when we realised that many long-time co-workers were getting older and finding it harder to continue their daily work. Community living has always been important to us, and we wanted to find a way to make that possible as people move into retirement.

It’s taken a long time to get to this stage, but with the support of Camphill Estates, the Camphill Social Fund, and a lot of fundraising, we’ve now been given the go-ahead to start planning and building. 

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As you look back now, how do you feel about your time at Camphill?

I’m 80 now and life does slow down, but I still enjoy walking around Murtle Estate and talking to the young people who may need a bit of extra support. It’s a real privilege that Camphill School Aberdeen has allowed me to stay here and live in this beautiful environment. 

Angelika’s story reflects not only a lifetime of dedication, but also the spirit of community that continues to shape Camphill School Aberdeen today.