15 Aug 2007 - TRIDENT RPEORT AUGUST 07 CENTENARY SUNRISE CAMP
District Centenary Sunrise Camp 29 July – 4 August
Happy Centenary of Scouting to you all!
As you may have heard in the press and on TV over the last couple of weeks, Scouts from all over the world have been celebrating the Centenary of Scouting at the World Scout Jamboree at Highlands Park, Chelmsford Essex.
Whilst the Jamboree was taking part our young people were celebrating the Scouting Centenary by spending 7 days at the Swanley Scouts District Centenary Sunrise Camp held at the Tree Jumpers site near Fawkham, Kent.
The camp started in slightly damp conditions due to heavy rainfall the night before. However with a few bucket loads of wood chippings and some enthusiastic volunteers (that’s those who were standing around doing nothing with hands in their pockets!) the site began to dry out. With all entertainment being provided by the excellent Tree Jumpers staff they arranged some introduction and team building games followed by the opening ceremony and campfire to get the celebrations off to a grand start.
Amongst the activities on offer all week were High Ropes – a course of obstacles over 40ft in the air, low ropes, archery, mountain bikes, rifle shooting, shelter building, first aid scenarios with an overturned car and small aeroplane, scuba diving (offsite) and branding. There was no chance to say you didn’t have anything to do! Evening activities included film nights, discos, wide games, night navigation, plus campfires. Extra activities put on by the Scout leaders included Tent & kit inspections, water collection for the kitchen, litter picking, going for a long weight or a left handed mallet and not to forget that most important piece of kit the sky hook!
Wednesday 1st August was the most important day of the camp, where we joined Scouts from all over the world to renew our Scout promises to commemorate the founding of the movement in 1907, when at 8am Baden Powell sounded the Kudu horn to start his experimental camp on Brownsea Island. Up at 6:30 am to have breakfast and get into uniform and assemble round the flag pole for the renewal of promise ceremony. We were delighted to be joined for the occasion by the Mayor of Swanley and other local councillors including our own representatives from Eynsford, Ken Baker & Nick Rodway. After the ceremony the guests joined us for coffee and were given a tour of the site to see the young people taking part in their activities. The day was rounded off with an evening fireworks display.
The Explorer Scouts challenged the leaders to a competition on their survival scenario activity where we had to build a shelter, light a fire, make a water collection system and a water purification device. Always ready to take up a challenge the leaders agreed, we were then told that we could have one hours instruction in any of the aspects of the challenge, but the Explorers had already had a mornings worth in all of them! We went for the water purification & collection, which the Explorers joined us for. In a tense finish the leaders’ water came out clearest! 1-0 to the leaders. Now the shelter & fire – both fires were good, there were 2 different types of shelter, however, the Explorers one was disqualified for using a man made groundsheet as the cover! Also the Explorers water devices seemed to be non existent – the supplier had failed to deliver on time! 2-0 leaders!
Thursday was a bit of a rest day as some of the camp had booked to visit the Jamboree; those of us left onsite spent the day doing scouting skills such as backwoods cooking and learning how to use axes & saws.
Friday, the last full day on camp, saw the Cubs & Scouts from Eynsford try Scuba diving in the pool at Downe campsite. A lovely warm day, temperature in the mid 20’s, the pool heated by the sun to a nice 19.5 degrees – the water was numbingly cold! Every one who took part took to it like a duck to water and soon looked like they were professionals! The rest of the day back at site consisted of competition where all the sub camps competed in the onsite activities for points. The results revealed at the closing ceremony later that evening showed that Eynsford were in the winning team.
At the closing ceremony every one was given a Sunrise Camp uniform badge and a commemorative pin badge. There were contributions from Cubs & Scouts who all said what a fantastic time they had and thanked the leaders for organising the camp.
Pictures of the camp will be put on the Group website in due course.
Although the sectional meetings have stopped for the summer, Scouting doesn’t stop there; we will be running the bacon buttie stall at the Village Boot Fair on the 27th August, and I’m pleased to announce a new section called Rainbows will be opening on the 15th September for girls aged between 5 – 7 years old. Rainbows are the Guiding equivalent of Beavers! So if your daughter isn’t in Beavers then contact the Guide Guider. Perhaps our girl Beavers may want to join Rainbows too – there’s nothing to stop them being both!
Bruce MucKelt
Group Scout Leader
1st Eynsford & Farningham Scout Group