Publications
Partners
A bountiful bonfire blazed with red sparkles as hundreds of members of the 1st Claremont Scout Group and their families celebrated their 115th birthday with an end-of-year campfire, singalong and picnic on Friday evening 10 November.
The group started in 1908 and was the first Scout group in South Africa and is one of the oldest in the world.
The first Scout Patrols and Troops were formed in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1907, according to Wikipedia, and soon spread to be formulated across the world.
“The evening included a giant campfire (made from timber from the old roof) with songs and performances led by the Scouts,” said the Claremont Scouts’ Group leader, Ian Webb.
The youngest performers were the Meerkats (aged five to six), who were mostly attending their first campfire. Cubs (aged seven to 10) and Scouts (aged seven to 17) sang campfire songs and chants while acting out “skits”. The birthday event also celebrated the completion of a two-year project to raise funds and replace part of the roof of the Scout Hall.
The 1st Claremont Scouts official website states: “First Claremont Hall continues to be a hub, not just for our own activities, but also for various community groups and joint events for Scouts and leaders from across the Western Cape region.”
Daniel le Jeune, the Troop Scouter and adult leader in charge of the Scouts, released a report earlier in October about their latest updates following this year’s third term.
In this report, he said: “Term 3 is home to the yearly Gordon Shield competition. Our troop entered two-and-a-half teams – two full teams and one joint team with second Hout Bay. All three teams were led by 1st Claremont scouts. Our teams came 2nd, 9th, and 19th out of a total of 47 teams.”
Le Jeune could not describe how impressive these results are: “None of these teams were ‘stacked’ in any way, and none of them did any ‘preparation’ for the competition. Our results display a wonderful snapshot of the skills and calibre of the scouts in our troop.”
He added some general comments about the troop. “I find that we sit in a very comfortable place right now, with awesome patrol leaders and strong Assistant Patrol Leaders (APLs). However, there is no reason to rest on our laurels; I would like to encourage every scout to continue striving for their best.
“Remember, scouting aims to develop independence and self-motivation . . . But before I end, I want to insert one caveat and that’s the importance of a balanced life. Scouting can be intense and I encourage everyone to give as much as they can to their scouting journey, but that includes taking your personal mental and physical health into consideration.
“Scouting is built on three pillars: Duty to Self, Others and God,” Le Jeune signed off. “Without taking care of yourself, and this means adequate rest, stimulating activities, and exercise (among other things) you cannot fulfil other duties.”
The Scout group is ending a successful year with record numbers of members and has earned top 10 places in all the regional Scout competitions entered this year, including winning the Upton Shield competition for junior Scouts for the fourth year in a row.
In his turn, Scout leader Webb concluded: “We have had an exciting year with lots of fun events, and we’re wishing everyone a great holiday season and looking forward to seeing you at events coming up over the holidays and in the new year.”
