Get ready for the 60th Port Neptune regatta!!

The 60th Annual Port Neptune regatta will take place on 17 – 19 September. For all the details and information please download the leaflet

Willem

My son Seb is in scouts. Apologies for taking so long, but I finally managed to understand this program and can now start changing the website. If you have any newsworthy articles, please let me know and I will post these articles.

Chief Scout Bear Grylls with Scouts

On 18th May 2009, The Scout Association announced Bear Grylls’ appointment as the tenth and youngest Chief Scout of the United Kingdom and Overseas Territories. Bear is one of the UK’s great outdoor adventurers; he is also a strong supporter of young people as seen via his work with international children’s charity, Global Angels. As Chief Scout, a position he will hold for five years, Bear will be the volunteer Leader of the largest co-educational youth Movement in the country: Scouting has around half a million Members including some 90,000 adult Leaders. – Announcement on World Scouts website

Here in Australia you can see Bear Grylls on TV – Monday nights on SBS his survival show ‘Man vs Wild’ is shown at 8:35pm. Online you can follow his exploits on Twitter, his blog or at http://www.beargrylls.com/. What an amazing example Bear is setting for people young and old everywhere!

Sue-Anne Webster

“Scouting toughens you up. Scouting teaches you not to whinge and give up when things get tough, but to find a way to survive and succeed.” – Sue-Anne Webster

Sue-Anne Webster is recognised throughout the world as Australia’s top female magician. Not only is she a performer, she’s also a lecturer, inventor, illustrator, author… and a proud Queen’s Scout!

Sue-Anne is one of only two living Australian Magicians to be internationally recognised in the Dictionnaire de la Prestidigitation – the definitive history book of magic spanning the centuries – alongside Harry Houdini, David Copperfield, Orson Welles and Siegfried & Roy.

Read the full story at Scouts Australia

Weary scouts line up for a photo

Our Scout group has begun their preparations already with a solid night of packing all the gear last Sunday. The Scouts set off to camp on Friday night and will return on Monday.

As usual, the Cub pack and Joey mob are invited to visit Region camp on the Sunday to visit and join in many of the activities that are available. This is a valuable opportunity for the younger sections to see the Scouts in action.

Reminder to Cub & Joey parents : drive to and park at Waterfall station to meet the free shuttle bus that will ferry us all down into Camp Coutts at 8:30am. Wear full uniform with comfortable shoes, bring lunch, snacks, water (important!), drinks, jumper, raincoat, a change of clothes and sunscreen. Sausage sandwiches will be on sale at camp.

Where is Camp Coutts? From Sydney drive down the Princes Highway to Waterfall station – easy!

Deadwood Galley Sign

Family Camp is once again upon us. This is a wonderful camp that the entire group shares each year. Providing a relaxed time for the parents to socialise and each of the youth sections to interact with each other.

This is likely to be the last time we will be able to use the Nord’s Wharf campground before it is closed to be sold off and developed by the owners (a mining company). The last few years we have had some 60 members of our group (youth and family) attending Family Camp.

From Stephen, Scout section leader :

If you have not attended the Family Camp before and are unsure if it is worthwhile, you only need to ask any of the 60 or so people who have attended each of the past few years and all will recommend the camp. If your child (scout) does not want you to attend, keep in mind that while your on the camp with the scouts, you do not camp with the scouts. It is a laid back social weekend on the water front with toilets, hot showers and full kitchen facilities available. There are also limited bunk beds in the cabin available.

I also need to know who would be able to tow trailers to and from the Family Camp.

For those attending Friday to Sunday, we will meet at Abbotsford Scout Hall on Friday 13th Feb at 7:00pm. Otherwise, if you wish to go up on Saturday, you can make your own way up as you see fit. Boating activities usually start at about 11am.
For families attending, Saturday night is catered for all. The scouts will be volunteered to prepare a baked dinner using camp ovens on an open fire. If you are vegetarian we need to know in advance. All other meals are to be self catered for all member of your family attending (including scouts).

There is a cabin availiable with a full working kitchen including microwave and 2 fridges. There are also 8 beds in the cabin. The site also has hot showers and toilets for all attending.

Below is the brochure with details for the Family Camp. Fees are $20 per person for those camping from Friday night, $15 for just the Saturday night.

My job now is to open out the system so that there are a few contributors to this blog, so many of you can contribute to our wikis, we can run a shared calendar for the group and each section.

For now, let me say this will be an interesting journey. At times it may be painful, but I believe deep down that it will be worth the effort.

- Matthew ‘Tietta’ Hall