With Kon-tiki coming up, our Meerkats got busy with their Raft Builder badge. They first checked what could float and what didn’t. What happened when egg boxes became saturated, or poly trays got holes? The answer wasn’t aways obvious. Checking what they would do if they couldn’t float (for long) was next and everyone got to don a life jacket.

Our second meeting had two crafts – making a clay captain for a raft and then making the raft itself. The rafts were more like yachts, but that’s OK. We took them outside to race them in trays prepared by Cub Max and immediately discovered that yachts react to wind – going in the right diection. Next time we’ll know. A great time was had by all.

Meerkats Brownsea Island

Our Meerkats celebrated Founders Day with a trip to Brownsea Island. They made tents (thanks to our able SGL), fished for food, bound yummy fruit packages in the trees and had the great idea of making little fires to keep warm. We’ll never forget Baden-Powell.

Judith Bishop, Den Leader

Senior Cub Camp: Transforming the Region

We recently wrapped up our Senior Cub Camp, held from March 14-16, 2025, and what an incredible experience it was! With 49 eager cubs in attendance, the camp was supported by 16 dedicated adults and an impressive 13 scouts. Among them, the 1st Claremont Scout Group made a significant contribution, providing two staff members and four scouts who played vital roles throughout the weekend.

Ian Webb, our diligent administrator, was the backbone of the camp, expertly managing scheduling, registration, finances, bookings, branding, and addressing parent queries and payments. His organizational skills ensured that everything ran smoothly from start to finish. Fraser, our Camp Chief, designed the program and took charge of the camp, overseeing all aspects of the event. He was accountable for all the adults, scouts, and cubs, and his visible leadership was instrumental in creating a positive atmosphere.

Our scouts from 1st Claremont—Laura Owens, Juliette D’Arcy-Evans, Emily Gilham, and Julia Webb—stepped up to take on new roles during the camp. Julia joined the first aid team and made an incredible difference for the cubs in our care. Her presence provided reassurance and support, especially for those feeling homesick. Laura, Juliette, and Emily formed the Quartermaster (QM) team, responsible for setup, build, and tear-down activities. Their efforts ensured that every activity was equipped and ready to go, which was hugely beneficial in keeping the program running smoothly and on time. They also took the lead in running several activities, showcasing their leadership skills.

This year’s camp introduced a new dynamic, as it was the first time that scouts served on the first aid team. This turned out to be a resounding success, highlighting the skills and capabilities learned through scouting.

Julia Webb shared her thoughts on the experience: “I think the cubs really looked up to a Scout first aider, and it was a great opportunity for me to practice first aid in a real-life setting – something that’s not always available to Scouts. With the homesick cubs, I think they responded better to me than they do to adults. I think they view adults as more of a parental figure, which makes the cubs push harder to go home or call their parents. Whereas they were more likely to get back into the activity if I talked to them. I became a safe person for cubs struggling with the camp to turn to. I could easily check in on them without it seeming like an adult was giving them an opportunity to go home.”

The program was designed to challenge our 10-year-old cubs and introduce them to the scouting program and the way that patrols work. Feedback from the cubs was overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing pride in their accomplishments and excitement about what they learned.

Interestingly, we discovered from our registration questionnaire that one-third of the cubs attending had either never camped before or had never been away from their parents. This insight has prompted a call to action for other groups to provide more camping experiences for cubs, which will be reiterated moving forward.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all the adults and scouts from 1st Claremont who made this camp a success. There is no way that this camp would have happened without your dedication and support, which are crucial to our cubs’ growth and development in scouting. We look forward to continued staffing support from 1st Claremont, ready to introduce another 50 cubs to the scouting programme.

Becoming a PL is something I’ve been looking forward to since I was 11, looking up to my own patrol leader. This year that dream became a reality when I was given the best patrol in the troop, to lead. Not only have the vibes in Bats been spectacular, but we even gained a new patrol member, Rebecca, who is eager to learn and has already mastered square lashings despite not yet being invested. The patrol has been running well with Megan keeping the logbook extremely neat, up-to-date, and colourful with drawings on each page. The STA box cupboard is immaculate and extra as ever, in true Bats fashion.

We unfortunately did not win the MOSCIP trophy this term although we are excited for the term ahead and ready to put in the work to win. Our devious plan towards success has kicked off these holidays with a patrol hike where we also explored some South African Heritage at the KhoiSan Heritage Centre in the !Khwa ttu Nature Reserve, a task completed for the National Challenge. 

Thanks to my APL Oliver R, and my amazing patrol members for such collaboration and teamwork this term! I’m excited to see where the year will take us.

Julia Webb