SP O T L IG H T O N
Carry on Camping ANZA’s Joeys, Cubs and Scouts finally made it to their annual Summer Camp for the first time since 2019. We paid a visit to discover what a jamboree it was!
T
he wet weather did little to dampen the spirits of our ANZA Scouts during the last weekend of August. For the first time since 2019, thirty one Joeys, Cubs and Scouts aged 4 -16 years old ascended upon Sarimbun Scout Camp, one of the biggest and oldest scout camps in the northwest of Singapore, for two days of bonding activities and outdoor fun. The Summer Camp had been a long time coming thanks to Covid restrictions, but when group sizes were finally increased along with five people being allowed to sleep per tent, plans kicked into place. Saturday began with the kids setting up camp, locating the (retro) loos, and pitching the tents with the help of ANZA parent volunteers who were all set to supervise proceedings and wrangle with a hammer. Once everyone found their sleeping spot it was time to highlight safety instructions for what was to come. “It’s imperative that the adults and children all sit down together to discuss certain protocols and behaviours before we get cracking with activities,” explains Toph Brown, who’s been volunteering with ANZA Scouts for ten years. “We also ask the children to come up with their own suggestions for camp rules to make them feel involved, too,” he adds. First up was the task of constructing a giant wooden pyramid with poles and ropes. After a few years of activities taking
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place on a much smaller scale, the kids loved rising to the challenge and the opportunity to make new friends, work with others, and develop independence. “As we have no base at the moment, we can’t do anything that involves building things including large scale equipment, so being able to achieve this at camp has been a turning point,” Toph explains. Meanwhile, trusty volunteers not tasked with overseeing activities rolled up their sleeves in the kitchen to whip up a filling tomato pasta alongside cups of Milo proper energy food! Everyone involved was clearly thrilled
to be outside amongst tropical nature and with an enormous sense of freedom. Many volunteers commented on how happy they were to see children playing and interacting with one another in the wilderness with no technology in sight! Indeed, tech was nowhere on the agenda as the kids constructed swings, navigated complicated rope ties, and slip-slided their way around campus when the rain came. Pure innocent joy and happiness took hold. Of course, the most exciting thing about Summer Camp is the camp fire which took place after the washing up
November/December 2022
Spotlight Group ANZA Scouts.indd 60
13/10/2022 1:27:56 PM
