ATS and Wood Badge Holder
Susan has been an integral part of 1st Claremont since she became an Assistant Troop Scouter just over 9 years ago in 2015 when her children Matthew and Emily were Scouts in the Troop and David Knight was Troop Scouter.
She has contributed widely and deeply, within and beyond the Troop. She has always shown an interest in encouraging and teaching the Scouts, particularly the younger ones or those who may be struggling socially or needing assistance with their Scout advancement. Susan participates as a trainer on Scout training courses and has judged at many Scout competitions. She also loves hiking, camping and kloofing and does as many hikes as she can, both with Scouts and socially.
One of Susan’s training specialities is First Aid, where she is part of the training team, focusing especially on moulage, which means simulating injuries with makeup, moulds, silicone etc.
Susan loves nature and became interested in the City Nature Challenge, where she is now the most prolific contributor among the Scouts South Africa community, with 3773 observations (in fact, 7 of the top 20 contributors are from 1st Claremont, 5 of them adults and 2 scouts).
Susan earned her Wood Badge in 2019, the final step in adult leader training, four years after joining as an ATS. She is the only female Scout Wood Badge holder in our group’s history as all other female Wood Badge holders have held the Cub Wood Badge. She has also been recognised with the Regional Commissioner’s Commendation in 2019 and the Certificate of Merit in 2022.
Susan has decided to step down from her role as Assistant Troop Scouter. I am sad to see her leave her ATS role and we are already talking to try to find her another role in Scouting, beyond the Troop, as she still has a passion for Scouting and her ATS role was incredibly rewarding to her. I know her dedication and experience with a gentle touch will be hard to replace in the Troop and we are extremely grateful for her years of service as an ATS at 1st Claremont.
– Ian Webb
Scout Group Leader
