In 1965 the Community Arts Council was formed to promote cultural, educational and recreational activities in the Comox Valley. An early initiative was the launching of an annual summer arts school. Beryl Regier, in 1966, invited the Vancouver Junior Symphony (VJS) to the Comox Valley to perform its first concert, with Simon Streatfeild conducting.
The following year Simon and Robert Creech (a director with the VJS) met with School District 71 and the Courtenay Youth Music Camp began as a centennial project of the VJS Society. With the support of S.D.71, Puntledge Park Elementary hosted fifty-five students and five faculty members for a two-week program.
