Victoria Scout Group News Sheet No. 220 [Jan-Mar] 2023

From The Group Scout Leader

This year marks the 60th Anniversary of the Victoria Scout Group, an anniversary we intend to celebrate in a special way. We strongly believe that throughout these last 60 years, the Group has offered a second home and an enjoyable experience to a considerable portion of Gozitan society, and this, in itself, is a milestone which should be celebrated. It is for this reason that we intend to deliver an activity once a month and commemorate this special milestone.

During the past 3 months, the Group has managed to live the Scouting spirit through outdoor meetings, spiritual activities and service to others. Of the many significant initiatives, one to note is the help provided to Turkish and Syrian victims following the devastating earthquake earlier this year. On February 9th we were asked to assist in the collection, sorting and packing of items being donated by the general public. In no time, our headquarters was transformed into a central active hub where thousands of items were donated. During those 3 days we managed to sort and pack 7 truckloads of boxes and deliver them to the Civil Protection Department, where these items were then transferred to a container and sent to the areas affected by the earthquake. This was an example where once again our Group rose to the occasion and was true to the Scout Promise in “Helping others at all times”.

Our members have also been busy and close to nature thanks to the numerous hikes and outdoor meetings organised by all the sections. These activities included nature trails by the Cubs, tent pitching practice by the Troop, Unit and Rover Crew, and a 7Km hike along the south east coast of the island amongst others.

Founder’s Day activities were another focal point during the past 3 months. These activities kicked off with a fundraising lunch at HQ where over 100 guests

Victoria Scout Group

could indulge in a 3-course meal in a friendly and casual atmosphere. As we have done for the past few years to celebrate Founder’s Day, we organised a weekend of activities with the Xagħra Scout Group. Among these activities was a hike from Ta’ Ċenc to Ta’ Blankas Garden in Xewkija, passing through Mġarr is-Xini. At Ta’ Blankas a number of teambuilding games were held. On Sunday, a church parade was organised in Victoria. The two Groups marched from our HQ to St. George’s Square, where mass was concelebrated by His Excellency, the Apostolic Nuncio of South Korea and Mongolia, Archbishop Mons. Alfred Xuereb, and the Archpriest of the Parish of St George, Can. Joseph Curmi. Also present for this mass was the newly elected Chief Scout Dr. Kevin Camilleri.

Jesmond Scerri

GSL Jesmond Scerri leads the renewal of the Promise during Founder’s Day mass.

This year’s Annual General Meeting was the first one for over 3 years where parents and supporters could attend in-person. During this special meeting we were joined by Can. Joseph Curmi, Archpriest of the Parish of St George in Victoria. As our guest speaker, he shared some of his thoughts with us. As per usual, this event served as the occasion to present reports and awards to many of our Scouts. Apart from all this, a special donation from the Group’s funds was made to Ms. Maria Attard representing Casa Isabella in Guatemala.

A special activity for our Patrol Leaders and Assistant Patrol Leaders was a sleepover at Dar Ġużeppa Debono. This served as a spiritual exercise where morning prayers were recited while admiring a spectacular sunrise from a vantage point overlooking Mġarr harbour.

Looking ahead at the coming months, we find a programme packed with activities, including a number of international events such as the World Scout Jamboree for a good number of our members, a joint summer camp, tree-planting and other activities that promise to keep all of us very busy for the foreseeable future.

Awards and Badges

– January to March 2023

Packs

Gabriel Cutajar – Cook, Collector

Thomas Rapa – Hobbies, Collector

Michael Zammit - Musician

Visitors to headquarters

The new Chief Scout Dr Kevin Camilleri

Can Joseph Curmi, Archpriest of the Parish of St

George, Victoria

Gone Home

The Group would like to offer its condolences to the family of Steven Sultana, GSL of the Xaghra Scout Group, on the death of his father Joe.

May he rest in peace.

Please remember him in your prayers.

Group photo during the District activity held on Founder’s Day.

Members of all ages, did their best in the collection efforts for the survivors of the earthquake.

Congratulations Group Patron!

The Victoria Scout Group would like to congratulate its present Patron and former Chairman, Mr Giovan Pace, MD, B.Pharm, FRCS, KM.

Mr Pace was promoted to a higher rank of Knight Grand Cross of Magistral Grace, within the Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta. (Nowadays it is known as The Order of Malta.)

The investiture and promotion ceremony took place during a Mass celebrated by the Order’s Principal Chaplain, the Rev. Canon Brendan Gatt at the Oratory of St John in Valletta, Malta on the 3rd of February 2023.

Once again, congratulations on the conferment of this honour.

• Congratulations to Mr Anton Pisani on his appointment as the Chief Commissioner of the Scout Association of Malta for a second term.

• Congratulations to Dr Kevin Camilleri on his election as the new Chief Scout of the Scout Association of Malta.

The Group promises its support to the both the Chief Scout and Chief Commissioner and wishes them a fruitful term in office.

The Group would like to thank the outgoing Chief Scout, Dr Reuben Lanfranco for his contribution during the past years.

Mr Anton Pisani, Chief Commissioner.

Dr Kevin Camilleri, Chief Scout.

The Victoria Scout Group holds its Annual General Meeting

The Victoria Scout Group held its Annual General Meeting at its headquarters on Saturday 28th January 2023. During the evening, the Group Scout Leader Jesmond Scerri, Secretary Celine Portelli and Treasurer Gino Mizzi delivered their reports.

The awards for the Cub Scouts, Scout, Venture Scout and Rover Scout of the Year went to:

Rover Scout of the Year: Matthew Grech

Venture Scout of the Year: Simon Mizzi

Scout of the Year: Mattia Cassar

Cub Scout of the Year (Saturday Pack) – Jordi Spiteri

Cub Scout of the Year (Seeonee Pack) – Jake Galea

Certificates of Merit were awarded to:

Rover Crew: Presley Clark

Scout Troop: Aleksander Attard, Sean Spiteri, Anthony Spiteri

Saturday Pack: Jan Sacco, Thomas Rapa

Seeonee Pack: Lucas Joe Portelli, Giorgio Anici Camilleri

The Black Six of the Seeonee Pack and the Red Six of the Saturday Pack were the winners of the Mowgli InterMonthly competition for 2022.

Guest speaker for the occasion was Can. Joseph Curmi, Archpriest of the Parish of St George, Victoria.

As in previous years, instead of sending Christmas cards, the Group donated a sum of money to a local philanthropic organisation. Donations for this purpose were also received by parents. This year the beneficiary is Casa Isabella, a home for teenage mothers in Guatemala. The treasurer presented a donation to Ms Maria Attard, a representative of this organisation.

wo leaders, who recently rejoined the Group, reaffirmed their Scout Promise. Welcome back Josette Sammut and Noah George Cassar!

The Group Scout Leader Jesmond Scerri addresses parents and supporters at the AGM.

The Group Scout Leader Jesmond Scerri welcomes leaders ACSL Josette Sammut and ASL Noah George Cassar who recently joined the Group, and who had just reaffirmed their Scout Promise.

Group Treasurer Gino Mizzi hands over the Group’s contribution to Ms Maria Attard, representative of Casa Isabella, in Guatemala.

Group photo of all the recipients.

Group photo of members of the Black Six and the Red Six, winners of the Mowgli Inter-Monthly competition for 2022.

An AED outside headquarters

An Automated External Defibrillator, an AED, has been installed outside the Group’s headquarters. These devices are used to help those who experience sudden cardiac arrest.

The Group would like to thank the Ministry for Gozo for its support.

Project to be undertaken by the Victoria Scout Group

The Group is currently working on a project to improve the security at headquarters thanks to a grant under the A4U Scheme by Aġenzija Żgħażagħ.

Thank You!

The group would like to thank:

former Group members and chefs

· Max Scerri

· Anton Curmi

· Jerrod Xerri as well as

· Sharon and Jason Galea of Vanilla+ Gelateria Artigianale and

· Maypole Bakery, Xewkija for supporting the group.

Point to Ponder with the Editor Anita

Muscat Scouts do their best to help others at all times.

“On my honour I promise, to do my best, to do my duty, to God and country, to help others at all times and to obey the Scout Law.” Well done to all for bringing this promise to life.

In collaboration with the Civic Protection Department, the Victoria Scout Group offered its headquarters and collected items - clothes, food, bedding, toiletries etc, etc for the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The headquarters’ library, garage and hall were crammed from floor to ceiling. This meant three days of sorting, packing, labelling and shipping off 6 truckloads of boxes.

The Victoria Scout Group would like to thank all those leaders, council members, Rovers, Ventures, Scouts and Cub Scouts, parents, grandparents and the general public for coming to headquarters to give a helping hand in the collection, sorting and packing of items to be sent to the areas affected by the earthquake.

Your time and effort were greatly needed and appreciated.

Figolli 2023 - Thank You

The figolli-making session for 2023 is now done and dusted. Thanks to the generosity of the parents, all ingredients were donated. The kitchen team could thus get down to work through the various stages of preparation till all the orders were ready for delivery.

The Group would like to thank all those who in one way or another participated in the process of preparing these figolli.

Venture Unit and Rover Crew report

Our older sections had a varied programme prepared for these past 3 months, most of which were being of service to the needs of the Group and others. However some fun outdoor activities were also completed.

The year started off with a pizza night for our Rover Crew. They prepared the dough, toppings and cooked the pizzas at HQ. The activity served as a teambuilding and brain storming exercise.

January, for the Unit, was a rather slow month during which our Ventures packed up the Christmas decorations and did some maintenance work at HQ. We also helped in preparing the hall for the AGM. Apart from this, we also managed to go on a 7km hike along the southwest coast of the island, passing by ix-Xatt l-Aħmar, Ras il-Ħobz and Mġarr ix-Xini Tower.

February proved to be more active with the Crew planning a weekend camp at Comino. Unfortunatley this had to be postponed due to bad weather and instead the Crew made themselves very useful when our HQ turned into a collection hub for the victims of the earthquake which devastated Syria and Turkey. They ended up spending most of the weekend at HQ assisting with receiving, sorting and packing the items donated. The Unit helped out as well.

Towards the end of February both sections were instrumental for the smooth running of the Founder’s Day Lunch. They prepared the hall for the occasion and on Sunday, helped out with serving the food.

The Founder’s Day joint hike and activities were under the responsibility of Rover Scout Matthew Grech and, with the help of some other Rovers and Unit members, a hike and several games were organised for both Victoria and Xagħra group members to enjoy.

March progressed with two other outdoor events. The first being a tent-work practice session held at Dwejra, where the Crew and the Unit were joined by the Patrol Leaders and the Assistant Patrol Leaders and together, they pitched and packed a number of tents as practice for the upcoming Easter Camp. The last meeting of the month was a joint abseiling activity with the Xagħra Venture Unit at Mġarr ix-Xini Valley.

by VSL Jesmond Scerri

Hike along the south west coast of Gozo.

Joint abseiling activity with the Xagħra Scouts Venture Unit.

Tent pitching practice at Dwejra.

Founder’s Day Lunch 2023

Founder’s Day fund-raising lunch was held at headquarters on Sunday 26th February. A very good number of parents and supporters attended.

Special thanks go to chefs and former members of the Group – Max Scerri, Anton Curmi and Jerrod Xerri who did the honours for the day by taking over the kitchen and delivering dish after dish of delicious fare. Very well done indeed!

Another special commemoration coincided with this lunch. Group Patron and former Chairman of the Group Council, Mr Giovan Pace, MD, B.Pharm, FRCS, KM. recently celebrated his 90 th birthday. The GSL Jesmond Scerri presented Professor Pace with a cake and a memento.

All the very best and thank you for the many years of service and support to the Victoria Scout Group Mr Pace! Ad multos annos!

Troop report

In February, the Patrol Leaders and Assistant Patrol Leaders celebrated “Jum il-Ħajja”, by having a sleepover at Dar Ġużeppa Debono, which, for the past 35 years of its existence, has promoted the value of life from its conception and provided help and support to families.

The event started off with a brief history of Dar Ġużeppa Debono by Ms Maria Attard, director of this philanthropic organisation, and an interactive session by midwife Dr. Georgette Spiteri. Dinner and a stroll to Mġarr Harbour followed. The Patrol Leaders Council later discussed future Troop activities. On Saturday morning, they experienced a spectacular sunrise and recited morning prayers. The activity ended with a breakfast with a view over the harbour.

In March, in preparation for the upcoming Easter Camp, the Scouts joined the Rovers and the Ventures in some ridge tent pitching and packing.

During the weekly meetings, various training sessions regarding pioneering and other Scoutcraft also took place.

Founder’s Day Parade and Mass

On the 22nd of February, Scouts worldwide celebrate the birthday of their founder Lord Robert Baden-Powell.

To celebrate this occasion, on Saturday 4th March, the 2 Scout groups on Gozo, the Victoria and the Xagħra Scout Groups organised a joint outdoor activity.

They hiked from Ta’ Ċenċ, Sannat to the olive grove at Ta’ Blankas in Xewkija, where games for all the sections present, were held. On Sunday 5th March 2023, the 2 Scout groups organised a joint church parade.

The two groups marched from the Victoria Scout headquarters to the Basilica of St George in Victoria where mass was celebrated by H.E. Archbishop Alfred Xuereb, the Apostolic Nuncio to South Korea and Mongolia and former private Secretary to both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis and by the archpriest of the parish of St George, Fr Joseph Curmi.

During the mass, the Scouts renewed their Promise with the Group Scout Leader, Jesmond Scerri. The newly elected Chief Scout, Dr Kevin Camilleri joined the Gozitan groups for mass.

At the end of the mass, the Laudate Pueri choir gave an excellent rendition of the Group’s hymn with music composed by the late Mro Joseph Vella and the words penned by Carm C. Cachia. This hymn was created on the occasion of the Group’s 50th anniversary.

This parade and mass marked the official opening of this year’s programme of activities celebrating the Victoria Scout Group’s 60th anniversary.

Awaiting the sunrise.

Tent pitching practice at Dwejra.

Here comes the sun ………

Saturday and Seeonee Packs Report

Come the New Year and the Cubs were out and about once more. The past 3 months have been as busy and as varied as ever.

Various outdoor meetings were held at the area of Ta’ Ċenċ Cliffs, where magnificent scenery and abundant examples of local flora could be experienced up and close. The Cubs could see, hear, feel, smell and also taste the plants found here. There was also a bit of prehistory provided by the cart ruts found along the cliffs.

Another very interesting meeting was held at the Xwejni Salt Pans. This included an encounter with Josephine Xuereb, who comes from a family of salt farmers and who explained the process of manually extracting and harvesting sea salt. Her forefathers have been tending these salt-pans since the 1800s.

Another first for the Cubs occured when they led a Lenten procession held for children Ħallu t-Tfal Jiġu Għandi , which was organised by the Għaqda Dilettanti Ġimgħa l-Kbira, Għawdex.

During meetings at headquarters, the Cubs learnt more about Lord Robert Baden-Powell, Founder of the Scout Movement, and about the history of Scouting. They celebrated Carnival with a special party. There was also time to dream of visiting far-off lands. And who better than Bagheera Betty to take us on such a journey by sharing photos and memories of her recent trip to Namibia! The photos included elephants, tigers, oryx, wildebeests, Kudu antelopes (which have special significance for us Scouts), gazelles, warthogs, leopards, lions, zebras and much more. The Cubs were very much intrigued to see and hear about some real tracking signs as well as actual zebra crossings, learn about the glamorous secretary bird, the shongololo (which is a giant millipede, by the way), the Forked-tail Drongo (a bird which can imitate at least 30 other birds as well as meerkats!) and the Etosha Pan (an enormous driedup salt lake, some 20 times the size of the Maltese Archipelago).

Easter Camp is on the horizon and this promises to provide even more exciting experiences. Bring it on!!!

by Cub Scout Leader Anita Muscat

At the Xwejni Salt Pans.

Exploring Ta’ Ċenċ.

At the Lenten procession.