Kestrels Advancement Day We arrived at Laura’s house at around 9:00 – apart from Simon, he was still asleep – and started what would become a very very very productive day. We started off chill. …
On the 4th of May, twelve junior scouts from 1st Claremont embarked on an exhilarating hike to Hawequas. The troop, known for their strong performance in Upton, was eager to maintain their reputation. After a …
As part of the Bug Hunter badge, our Meerkats made worm farms. They were fascinated by the talk given by Rikki (Karen Hewson) and then set about storing the wriggling animals in padding. Playing Beetle …
My Discoverer Hike was more of a patrol adventure up the West Coast. We met at my house in the morning and set off to the !Khwa ttu Nature Reserve near Yzerfontein. We were dropped …
Being on raft was an amazing experience. It was sooo fun, we were the first raft out (there seemed to be some misunderstandings as to where we had to be 😅) and so we got …
Cub Fun Day was based on the Marval superheroes. There were lots of cool STA’s (spare time activities) including making up your own cape, mask, cuffs and flag. We joined with 4th Claremont and there were lots of bases that were really cool. I really enjoyed the feeling game with a bowl of plastic spiders in spaghetti. We had to close our eyes to find the spiders with our hands! It took place on a really hot day and there were lots of fun water games like one where you had to pass a bucket over your head to the person behind you – we got really wet! There was another fun game where they had wooden hammers which we had to throw at a flag. I recommend cubs come to Cub Fun Day next year because it was really fun.
Sarah du Toit
Permanent link to this article: https://1stclaremont.org.za/smoke-signals/cub-fun-day/
Our Cub Pack camps annually away from our Hall. This year we camped together with 4th Claremont/Fernwood Cubs. Cubs over 8 years old camp for the whole weekend, while younger cubs join in for a day of fun!
Cub Camp was held on a farm in the middle of nowhere (Kogelberg) and the theme was MasterChef. We made almost all our meals and they all tasted great – in particular the couscous and chicken stew. We also made s’mores and braai apple tart. There was a slip and slide which was loads of fun and on both nights we played stalk the lantern. For the campfire we all made up our own skits and Daniel forgot the words to his song! We learnt how in different cultures different people dine and the types of food they eat.
We met a lot of famous cooks including Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey. The cubs were divided into vegetable named sixes: Carrots, Beetroot, Mielies, Peppers and Tomatoes, while the scouts were Dragon Fruit. We had a number of minor first aid incidents, but nothing the medic couldn’t handle. It was very fun, except that we could only ride the slip and slide twice when we were promised we could ride three times! We really enjoyed it and recommend it to cubs who don’t get to go on lots of outings or camps in general.
Micaela Hall and Sarah du Toit
Permanent link to this article: https://1stclaremont.org.za/smoke-signals/masterchef-cub-camp/
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
Permanent link to this article: https://1stclaremont.org.za/smoke-signals/meerkats-sail-away/
The troop climbing day at the quarry was an exciting and fun-filled adventure for all involved. Although there were only a few Claremont Scouts, the day was dominated by many eager Rosebank Scouts, all ready to take on the challenges of the rock face. We set up several climbs throughout the quarry, giving everyone a chance to try different routes. The highlight of the day was when everyone successfully learned how to belay, ensuring a safe and smooth climbing experience for all. Alongside the scouts who were new to climbing there were a few who were more experienced, some of these scouts attempted and succeeded in leading a higher grade climb!
Each scout also achieved the thrill of abseiling down the rock face!
Avila Van Bever Donker
Permanent link to this article: https://1stclaremont.org.za/smoke-signals/troop-climbing/
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.
Permanent link to this article: https://1stclaremont.org.za/smoke-signals/senior-cub-camp-march-2025/
This term has been rather uneventful in terms of patrol activities. While we haven’t run any activities this term we sure have been having loads of fun at meetings!
This term has been all about settling in and getting used to our new patrol! With Ethan having stepped down last term and myself (Avila) having filled the place as a new patrol leader we thought that would be the end to the chaos and reshuffle in our patrol… Little did we know that we would sadly be having to say goodbye to our beloved APL Tristan, as he embarks on a different and new journey outside of scouts.
The patrol is anxiously awaiting the announcement of who their new APL will be… While many speculations have been made by the patrol members, they will just have to wait and see! A few of our scouts have been on the grind passing of their advancement and coming excitingly close to earning their traveller badges!
Next term we are looking forward to a conserve and a hike along with many troop activities!
PL Avila Van Bever Donker
Kon-Tiki Prebuild
Our recent Kontiki pre-build event turned out to be a successful and rewarding experience. While attendance was a bit low on the first day, we saw a much better turnout on the second day, which helped us gain motivation. Once the team was fully assembled, we quickly made up for lost time.
The atmosphere was chaotic yet focused, with everyone working together to get the job done.
We tackled any challenges that came up and kept the momentum going, always keeping the goal of completing the raft on time in mind.
By the end of the event, we had successfully finished building the raft, which was a great accomplishment. The event really highlighted the importance of having attendance at scouts events.
It was super cool that we managed to get the raft up and taken down!
Avila van Bever Donker
Permanent link to this article: https://1stclaremont.org.za/smoke-signals/the-goshawks-bush-3/
Eagles truly flew higher above the clouds this term. After a shift in leadership, the pair of clowns, Laura and Bridget, now call themselves PL (clown no. 1) and APL (clown no. 2).
Coming back from the holidays we had an unfortunate number of 5 total patrol members, but thankfully gained Payal and Ben, and welcomed them into our patrol after a few weeks.
We sizzled with our banger advancement day where many a theme badge was completed. We yet again sizzled in the pizza making meeting, Alex perfectly melting the cheese (to mine and Seth’s delight – mamma mia!) and a tad bit of Italian spoken, winning us our first meeting. Our notice board may be looking dismal (we have a plan), our STA kit ever empty (its overflowing – it literally can not close) and our log book never up to date (its immaculate), next term we will fly higher still because “all birds find shelter when it rains, but the eagle flies high above the clouds.” – Demi Demi
Laura Hoffa
Permanent link to this article: https://1stclaremont.org.za/smoke-signals/eagles-patrol-report/
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
Permanent link to this article: https://1stclaremont.org.za/smoke-signals/bats-patrol-report/