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En Nyhed: Term 2 - 2006

GROUP LEADER

 Ahoy there me hearties,

Welcome back to everyone. I would like to extend a particular welcome to all the new youth members and their families who have come aboard recently, there have been a lot! I hope you all enjoy your time with the group over the coming months and years.

Overview of term one
In February, the group participated in the Flotilla for Kids at Port Adelaide. Joeys, Cubs and Rovers enjoyed rowing in our patrol boats on the Port River where the Dolphins thrilled the youngsters, there were many side stalls too including the rock-climbing wall from Scouts HQ. It was great to be part of this event representing sea scouts in our state.

At the beginning of March, I attended the Sea Scout Regatta in Barmera along with my family, Alan Baker, the Rover Crew and their families. Although we had no scouts entering the races this year it was wonderful to see the Rover Crew in action, they came away with a trailer full of awards (including the oversized oar in the wardroom). Alan, John and I even 'helped' them in a couple of races, which for me was a challenge and heaps of fun. I am already looking forward to the next one.

On 18th March we set up stall outside Woolworth’s Supermarket at Morphett Vale, we handed out Harmony Day ribbons and stickers, Woolworth’s gave us a donation of $100 to buy multicultural food which we then raffled. We raised $104. Thanks to all who supported the event. It was also pleasing to see that the one of our Joey parents won the hamper!

I was delighted to see so many Joeys and Cubs at the Activate Team Challenge at Woodhouse on April 1st. The weather was not flash but it did not deter the youth members from getting stuck into the challenges and stuck in the mud! Well done River Rats 3 and the Port Pirates. Thanks to families for getting them there on such a blustery day and to the Rovers for the warm, tasty pancakes.

There are a number of activities on the horizon, all sections will take part in the Jamboree on the Trail in May, we have a group camp fire on Thursday 6th July, the Murray Darling River Rescue to name but a few, there will be more information nearer the time.

Leader update

The Group is very lucky to have an exceptional leader team. We have some oldies and some newies (not in terms of age but scouting experience)!

Peter Beaumont (Dingo) continues to lead the ever-expanding Joey section along with Gillian Gariyasa (Kookaburra). Peter Beaumont received his 5-year service award at the Founder's Day in February, well done Peter. They are assisted by Chris Gariyasa (Kangaroo) as Assistant Joey Scout Leader and Amelia Pickard (Possum) as a Part-time Activity Leader (PAL). We also welcome Dean French to the section, Dean has applied to be an Assistant Joey Scout Leader, his son Bowen has only been a Joey since the beginning of Term 1 so it is really pleasing to see such enthusiasm and commitment so early on. Also thanks to Tony Wright who has applied to become a PAL.

Since the last newsletter there have been a few changes to the Cub section. Alan Baker (Akela), former Cub Scout Leader has handed over the reins to Assistant Cub Scout Leader John Kalaitzis who will now lead the section as Akela. I thank Alan for his contributions to the section over the last 18 months or so as Cub Leader, he will continue in the section as Assistant Cub Scout Leader, his preferred role. Alan has many years of scouting experience, which will prove invaluable to the section members and leaders. So committed to scouting is Alan that he has applied to take part in the World Jamboree in England next year, I am very jealous Alan!

Lesley Burge, (Baloo) Assistant Cub Scout Leader, has also made a great contribution over the last term, another committed scouter she is working towards the BP award, the highest award in Rovers. I thank Danny Nansen for her continued assistance as a regular adult helper as well as being the treasurer for the section. Brian Nansen will be doing other things next term so we say farewell and thanks to him for his help.

All sections run most effectively when we have a leader and at least three assistant leaders so if you are interested in becoming an assistant leader in a section please let me know. Alternatively, you may like to be a regular helper (see also the separate article in this edition of the newsletter).

Bill Murray, formerly Assistant Cub Scout Leader (Mowgli) will be Scout Leader (Skip) in term 2 where he will be joined by Kerry Green and David Wyskamp as Assistant Scout Leaders, they are also Rovers. The section will be complimented with the help of District Scout Leader Ann Ritchie during Term 2. We welcome scouts and their families to this new section.

The Rovers, led by Kerry Green, continue to take part in group activities, three of them are also leaders as well as running their own Rover Crew program.

All the Leaders are committed to undertake training. By the time you read this we will have had 6 leaders participate in the Basic Leader of Youth course at Woodhouse on the weekend of 28-30th April. I have done my Basic Leader of Adult course. On the horizon are basic skills, canoe charges, camp-craft, first aid and basic training to mention just a few. We also have to undertake workbook training.

Committee

As I said in the last newsletter given the commitment of the leader team to undertake this training in their own time, often on weekends, in addition to running the sections and scout events it is imperative that families get involved in the valuable and rewarding work of the committee.

We are making progress as a group, our member numbers are increasing, our sections will thrive with great programs. I was asked recently at a committee meeting if the group can run without a committee, technically it can. As Group Leader I can run the group without a committee as long as we have Leaders but despite the scouts advertising campaign I cannot 'do it all'!!

As Group Leader I like working with the adults in the group, I enjoy discussion, planning ahead, problem solving, co-ordinating, etc. I am motivated by similar thinking people, the more people we have, the more things get done, the more we can plan to do for the youth members.

I need and encourage the support of an active committee to make this group run effectively otherwise it either falls to leaders who get burnt out or it things just don't get done at all and the youth members miss out on all manner of opportunities.

Since I joined the group my vision has been to see the youth on the water as well as participating in other scouting activities. I would like the group to have more social events including a family camp later in the year. To do this sort of thing requires planning, discussion and organising. We also need a canoe project team (see later in the newsletter).

In the next few weeks you will receive information about the forthcoming AGM on 29th May. I encourage you all to consider a role on the committee in some way. If you know others that would be interested; grandparents, neighbours, friends, they would also be welcome to join the committee.

I thank the current committee members for their continued support during the very busy last 6 months. Thanks especially to Melanie Gamlin the former Uniform Co-ordinator and I welcome Nicole Roberts as her successor. Thanks also to John Eldridge (formerly Hall and Grounds Maintenance) and Samantha Bickley (formerly Hall Hire) who continues her support of the group as newsletter editor.

Tracey Kalaitzis
Group Leader

CUB REPORT

The cubs worked on their Naturalist badge for term 1. At the start of the term they were given a booklet to fill in regarding nature. They also participated in a Nature ramble through the conservation park from the hall to the playground with a number of parents. We had a sausage sizzle for lunch whilst there, and everyone enjoyed themselves (at least, I had no complaints).

We also had a visit from a lady snake catcher who brought along a blue tongued lizard, a tropical carpet snake and a red bellied black snake. The lizard and the red bellied black snake were kept in their containers, but the carpet snake was brought out and allowed to be touched by all who were game to try. It was not dangerous, but a number had to overcome their Ophidiaphobia (fear of snakes) whilst with others there was no holding them back. A snakeskin was also brought along to let the cubs see what happened when a snake grew too big for its skin.

We have also taken part in Founders Day and Harmony day. On the night that we celebrated Harmony Day the cubs experienced music and saw costumes and other finery from different nations and saw other artifacts from different cultures.

Our numbers have swelled to 21 registered members, with the addition of a number of joeys and new chums, but at the end of this term we will be losing 3 cubs and one new chum to the newly reformed scout troop. We wish them well in scouts.

Whilst we are coping well with the numbers, we would like more adults helping with the meetings, in running games, tutoring, bringing in new ideas to the running of the pack. If you would like to look at this please see John (Akela) or Tkake (Group Leader) and we can discuss how you may be able to contribute to the pack and to the children's enjoyment.

Alan Baker (former Akela)

ROVERS

Rovers currently have 11 registered members, with 2 more filling in the correct paperwork and one more linking. We still have very little money to talk of but our fun keeps on going.

We started off the year with some of us helping with the boat ramp. On the days that we had Rovers working we would quite often end up with other members there as they finished there day at work. There where quite a few interesting things that happened while we were there, for example a tourist from over seas now has a photo of Lesley with a witch’s hat on her head. As a heads up for the group everybody that did the bat ramp this year has mentioned that they will do it again next year if they are able.

In January we has a Den Clean up day were we let off three times the amount of bug bomb that was required the day before. The clean up went very successful we swept out all the bugs that the bomb killed, and where quite surprised at the number that there actually was. The day was so successful that we actually laid down carpet, mind you there are at least four different kinds of carpet squares but it actually looks really good (slightly odd, just like the Rovers).

We attended a Movie Marathon on the night of the 25/01/2006 at which we saw three really good movies and then most of us went straight on to the Australia Day breakfast with out seeing our beds. At the breakfast a good time was had by all we sold a lot of tickets for the group, as well as made hundreds of coffee/teas and oranges juices. We ended the morning in true Sea Scout still with a huge water fight, at which nobody was safe, everybody ended up wet (some more than others, right Tracey). And then in true Rover style we had a couple of hours where most people didn’t see there bed again and went off to see the fireworks at the end of Beach Rd, where we meet up with the rest of the Crew. The fireworks were great and so was the entertainment that led up to them, might have been directed more at the young ones but anyone that actually knows us Rovers knows that we are really just big kids.

At the start of February we had a couple of Rovers attend a Senior First Aid course, so now if we decide to do anything and hurt ourselves we have qualified Crew members to help them. We also had a day where our Squires (basically Rovers in training) got a lot of there Squire training done. They had to do some knot tying, show that they could make a menu and a shopping list for a camp and show us how brainy they really are when it comes to a lot of the basic scouting things. Everybody that attended passed off everything that was assessed. So it was a very productive day for every one.

Ten of our Rovers attended the “flotilla for kids” were we spent most of the day on the water, taking the younger kids in the group out for a row. Taking lunch time off to see all the boats come through unfortunately almost all of them were under power, but this was okay as there was a lot of them. The boat included the ‘All for One’, looking great as normal, there was also a fire boat, which showed how much water it could fire out at once and also how far.

Next on our calendar was Jacobs Creek Golf Tournament, where branch Rovers are asked to help out at every year. There where all sorts of jobs that the Rovers do, including changing the scoreboards, updating the players approach on the 18th hole, manning the radio centre and also drive the media crews around in golf carts. Once again every one of the Rovers that attended have said that if they are able to the will do it again next year.

We also attend the Sky show were most of the Rovers showed up. We also sort of got to see the “Road Traders” live, if you can call being able to see the stage and seeing that someone was moving but that was all seeing them live then we did see them, but mostly we just got to hear them. It was agreed by all that the fireworks this year where a lot better this year than they have been for the last couple of years.

Our main focus for the first two months of this year was the Regatta, so there were a lot of practices, both on the river and also on the ocean. We spent a day at West Lakes where very little practice was done but a lot of fun was had by everyone that went. We also had a Pre-Regatta camp were we spent a day putting working on the boat and once again going down to West Lakes were very little practice was done. Some of this weekend was spent organising what we where going to do for the Butchers Picnic as we won the race the year before (for those of you that have been in the wardroom it is the big oar the goes the length of the wardroom). Then it is up to Barmera for the Regatta, where on the way the family towing the boat had flashing reverse light when ever they put on the left indicator, but other than that everyone arrived safely (Arrival time ranging from 3pm to midnight). Then there was two days of racing, where we won all the trophies that we went up there to win plus one big oar that we would have been happy not to (but are just as happy to have won it). We even Tracey in a boat for one of the races (being the Butchers Picnic) where she had a lot of fun and really learnt that it isn’t quite as easy as we made it look. John learnt that 500 meters is a lot further we having to row in a boat than what it looks and has decided that he will need to practice before next year. The leaders came second in the leaders race, so a round of applause to the leaders that went in the race (Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap and clap) hope to see you all in it next year plus any others that we can convince to go in it (they just need to ask John how far 500 meters really is!!!)

We finished March off with a party for the 4 Rovers that birthdays fall between the 22nd and the 31st of March, this was just a quite night at the hall. We had surprises jumping out of a box, happy birthdays were sung, as well as a lot of dancing and a lot of talking. The last Rovers falling into bed at about four thirty the following morning for a few hours sleep. A good time was had by everybody that attended, with the party going off with out a hitch.

This sums up the first three months of 2006, for the next three months we have a lot planned also, such thing as attending the dawn service in town, participating in the march as well as the vigil. Then there is also Anzac day netball, a camp a Meningie, a day at Victor Harbour and a Quiz night. But the biggest thing happening to our crew in the near future is the trip to Queensland.
 

NOTICEBOARD

A reminder that we have a notice-board in the foyer area of our hall, this is used by the Committee, Group Leader and Section Leaders. Members and their families can also use the board but before doing so can you please give the notice to the Group Leader or Chairperson.

How to support your section leaders

WANTED

Committee members are needed to help with group planning, finances, decision making, publicity, fund-raising, come on give it a whirl, interested persons please contact us. Put a note in our wardroom trays or give us a call.

Hall Hire

Please note our hall is still available for hire to members please contact Tracey for enquiries.

Uniform pool co-ordinator

Nicole Roberts has accepted the role as uniform co-ordinator as of term 2, Nicole is usually at the hall on Tuesday and Thursday section nights, please feel free to call her on 83272587 should you have any queries about uniform or should you wish to arrange a time to meet with her at the hall.

Communications

Please keep looking in the window and notice-board for updates, calendar, newsletters and committee minutes.

Are you getting enough information? Is there anything you need to know more about? Please let Tracey know, by a note in her wardroom tray, an email jewts@bigpond.com or a telephone call 8327 2836

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