Official online magazine of Scouting Ireland

Beaver Scouts have a Mad Hatter weekendInagural Scout Trail DayExplorer Belt 2013 take off for SpainSpecial Olympics and Scouting 10 years laterAnd lots lots more!

July 2013

Along the Trail. 8

Communications Commissioner Intro

Welcome to this month’s issue of Inside Out. This month we Feature an update on all the goings

on at National Level via the National Secretary says section. Also read all about The Mad

Hatters on the hill Beaver Scout Camp which was a great success. The Rover Scouts depart for

this year’s explorer Belt to Spain and Scouting Ireland run its Inaugural Scouting Trail day see all

the Pictures from the event.

This month as in every month we feature many articles and Pictures from all around

the Country as groups get out and about. So what are you waiting for get your

group or county event featured. We are also making it easier for you to submit your

article and pictures. We now have a dedicated page set up to enable you to make a

submission Just click here and fill in the details.

If you have any Queries please contact us at communications@scouts.ie. Please forward this

month’s issue to all Scouters and Youth Members in your group. Don’t presume they have got it.

Deadline for next month’s issue is 31st July.

See you next month! - The Communications Team

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Nelson Mandela

Quote of the Month

131928414954

In this issue...

Venture Scout TeamMad Beaver ScoutsCub Pioneering DayCub Camp MelleraySea ScoutingLeader Services

1. Management Accounts2. Budgets3. Den Development Grants4. Income Streams5. Scout County Funding

The National Treasurer and National Secretary are working closely on considering the Governance Code for Charities and how best to implement this.

1. Core Scouting2. Sustainable Scouting3. The Business of Scouting

A working group was appointed to prepare a proposal for the National Management Committee to consider how to best support and implement the strategy and provide the best support possible directly to Scout Groups so we can ensure “Success through the Scout Group”.

Finance

The National Management Committee engaged in a Finance Presentation delivered by the National Treasurer considering the areas of;

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The following sub-committee appointments were made;

Risk Management Team Coordinator - Charlie McGuinness reappointedMaryville – Cáthal HealyInternational Team – Claire McAroeDomestic Activities – Tom ClarkeMountaineering Ireland – Glenn WebsterGaisce – Glenn WebsterDuke of Edinburgh – Glenn Webster

Programme Commissioner

Joe Boland was appointed as the Programme Commissioner (Cub Scouts). Congratulations to Joe and success in this very important and valuable work.

Vision 2020

The NMC were presented with the findings of the

Vision 2020 Transformation Workshops and after

debate and discussion it was agreed to accept three

strategic aims in moving forward which are:

National Secretary Says

National Management Committee - Sub Committee Appointments

Campsites & Facilities Team Lead

As no Campsites & Facilities Team Lead was appointed , the National Management Committee, as an interim measure appointed Ollie Kehoe (Chair), Pat O’Shea, Brian Webster, Brendan Wyse and Dave Clark to act as an interim Campsites and Facilities Team in order to progress this work.

World Conference Bidding Team

The NMC appointed the following members to the Scouting Ireland World Scout Conference 2017 - Bidding Team

• John Brennan - Chair• Ollie Kehoe• Cáthal Healy• Claire McAroe

The following will be ex-officio members of the team and will support the work of the appointed members as required;

• Chief Scout• Chief Executive Officer• Communications Commissioner• International Commissioner

Official Policies

The NMC approved the following policy documents;

SID 57.10 - Quartermaster & Logistics Team Leader (Amendment)SID 57.13A - Quartermaster & Logistics Team - Terms of ReferenceSID 99.13 - Selection Procedure National AppointmentsSID 100.13 - Finance Sub-committee – Terms of ReferenceSID 101.13 - Finance Support Team – Terms of ReferenceSID 102.13 - Conflict of interest policy

European Scout Conference 2013

In-line with the exercise of bidding for the World Scout Conference 2017 and World Scout Moot 2013 and notwithstanding Scouting Ireland Policy SID 27.04 – International Conferences, Delegate Selection Process, the National Management Committee agreed the following:

• To send a full delegation of six people to represent Scouting Ireland.• To send the Chairperson from both event bid teams as observers, to network and fact find.• And on advice received: “To send a delegation that are considered key decision makers in Scouting Ireland and will be able

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World Scout Moot 2021 - Bidding Team

The NMC established appointed the following members to the Scouting Ireland World Scout Moot 2021 - Bidding Team

• Kiernan Gildea - Chair• Stephanie McCann• Glenn Webster• Tom Clarke

The following will be ex-officio members of the team and will support the work of the appointed members as required;

• Chief Scout• Chief Executive Officer • Communications Commissioner• International Commissioner

Development to Larch Hill House & Development of Killaloe Water Activities Centre

to represent the association in terms of the agenda and discussing the on-going work in relation to the bidding process for the World Scout Conference 2017 and the World Moot 2021”

Trust Bodies Working Group

An update was received from the NMC working Group and it is envisaged that the September NMC will receive a set of proposals on how the Scout Foundation (Trust Bodies) will be structured in the future. In tandem with this work the Property Committee are working hand in hand with the Scout Foundation (Trust Bodies) to examine and review the property held in trust for the Groups and the Association. Any queries relating to Scout Dens or other property can be addressed to the Secretary of either the Scout Foundation (Trust Bodies) or the Secretary of the Property Committee at Larch Hill.

assist and supporting members of Scouting Ireland.

Reports received from Standing Committees

The National Management Committee received reports from all standing committees

National “Scouting Trail” day

This was a most enjoyable event and allowed Groups, Counties and Teams to remember their fellow scouts who have gone home. Congratulations to all those it made it a wonderful celebration.

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Two sets of concept drawings relating to the development of Larch Hill House and the Killaloe Water Activities Centre were presented to the NMC, this work

forms part of the business plan for National Campsites and Centres and funding options are being considered

LGBT Fellowship Patrol - Support and Involvement

This Fellowship Patrol comes under the auspices of the Fellowship Network and discussions have taken place accepting the LGBT Patrol’s offer of support and assistance to the Chief Commissioner (Youth Programme), Chief Commissioner (Adult Resources) and the Training Commissioner in the formulation of resources etc. to

National Secretary availability

Relating to the governance and management of the Association I have at all times promoted and operated a culture of openness, transparency and fairness in my role as National Secretary and it is my intention to continue to do so. With that in mind I shall, continue to be available each Thursday from 3.00 pm until 7.00pm. on the phone (01/4596300) or I can be contacted by E Mail sfarrell@scouts.ie or nationalsecretary@scouts.ie

In the meantime have a good and Safe Scouting Summer.

Sean Farrell, National Secretary1st July 2013.

Programme Commissioner (Cub Scouts)

The new Programme Commissioners (Cub Scouts) is Joe Boland. Joe hails from Donegal and is currently the Cub Scout and Group Leader in his local group 19th Donegal Lifford. Joe is a very active Scouter and has been for over 20 years. He has previously served nationally as Communications Commissioner and more recently he has been very involved in the Northern Scout Province having been Camp Chief in the recent Camp Carnival. We wish Joe every success in his new role and no doubt will bring his own enthusiasm and energy to this Job.

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Hi there

Zef Klinkenbergh Camp Chief of Lough Dan here with some information on how best to contact Lough Dan. The centre has a state of the art hostel, improved and extended camping facilities and is situated in right in the middle of the Wicklow Mountains National Park making it the perfect base camp and gateway to all that the area has to offer. On site we have numerous self-led activities and we also offer a range of supervised activities. Lough Dan National Scout Centre is run by a team of volunteer scout leaders. As we have no fulltime office manager some leaders may have had difficulty contacting the centre to make a booking or to answer general queries. The unmanned office phone line 01 2818205 has a call diverting system and we do our best to return calls as promptly as possible. There are several other ways to get all the info you require or to make a booking on our online system.

www.loughdan.com is our website where you will find most of the info you need and the online booking system or you can go direct to www.bookings@loughdan.com to make a booking.

For general enquiries please email us on enquiries@loughdan.com and one of our staff team will get back to you asap.

You can also call me Zef Klinkenbergh Camp Chief on 083 1267170. I live way up in the mountains so mobile coverage is poor but try anyway or send me a text. Or you can call another member of the Lough Dan teamBarry O’Shaughnessy for activity info 086 1621831Mark Holman for staff enquiries 086 2491007Vikki Guy for Gaisce expeditions 085 7303865Lough Dan Office (un-manned) 01 2818205

Contacting Lough Dan

A New Way to Submit Your

Articles for Inside out

Because of the Volume of Articles we are getting from Groups and Counties each month we have decided to make it easier for Groups and Counties to submit their Articles and Photos each month. And we love to get them all.

We now have designed a dedicated page where you can upload your Article and your Photos with no hassle and get a message back straight away to let you know that your article has been received.

If you just Click on this link right it will take you to a form where you enter your details and then attach your article and photos. Then when you have all done press submit. If your article is received you will get an automatic reply to say we have received your article and a thank you.

See right a screen Shot of the Form and the link.

If you need any help at all with this contact me at communications@scouts.ie and I will endeavour to help.

Now wouldn’t it be great if we got a small article from every group in the country just to let everyone know that you are there!

Communications Team

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Along the Scouting Trail

Scouting has been around now for more than 100 years, and in that time,

thousands of young people have become Scouts and experienced the

many aspects of Scouting that our programme can provides. Within our

ranks, many people have laid the trail for our present Scouts to

discover and enjoy. As the life of Scouting progresses, many of our Scouts

have also ‘Gone Home’ and it is in recognition and memory of those you

have gone before and laid the trail that

Scouting Ireland Held its first Scouting Trail Day

The Day finished with a BBQ hosted by the Chief Scout.

The ceremony

49 Groups attended the celebration, which was held in Larch Hill. The ceremony commenced with Groups, in turn and with suitable acclaim placing their stave in the remembrance area – thus creating a small ‘forest’ or ‘grove’ of staves. Staves were placed in specially prepared wooden stands A special remembrance area will be created. A Scouts Own service then took place in honour of our departed Scouts.

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52 Dublin (Harrington Street) – Frank Tisdell52 Dublin (Shankill) – Robert McCarthy6 Antrim – Carol Mulligan65 Dublin (Greenhills) – Joe Grenville66 Dublin (Clontarf) – Andrew Forde7 Lough – Mary-Kate Tiernan71/62/90 Dublin (Kilmacud) – Nick Mahedy9 Kildare (Kilcullen) – Dick Reid9/10 Dublin (Aughrim Street) – Kevin McGarry94 Dublin (Walkinstown) – Ellen Carroll98 Dublin (Skerries) – Jack McNallyBallyfin ’93 – Gráinne LavelleCatholic Guides of IrelandChief Scouts – Peter DixonDown & Connor Scout County – Tommy HuntHeritage Group – Joe LawlorIrish Girl GuidesIrish Youth Expedition to Kenya ’97 – Donal FitzgeraldLarch Hill Meitheal – John GrahamNational Adult Resources CommitteeScout Association in Northern IrelandTolka Scout County – Kathleen KelleherThose who sailed on SS/HMT ‘Lancastria’

Below is a list of all the Groups Represented on the day

1/10 Kildare (Leixlip) – Colm McCabe103 Dublin – Andrew Holland105 Cork (Glanworth) – Sandra Fitzgibbon11 Belfast (S.Colmcilles) – Brendan R Browne158 Dublin – Tarlach Haas16 Meath – Shane Lucas168 Dublin (Tymon) – Willie McGuigan18 Dublin (Santry) – Michael Galvin2 Kildare – Pat Kelly2 Wexford – Jessie Byrne20 Dublin (Rathmines) – Frank Graham24 Dublin (Tallaght) – Tommy Flanagan25 Cork (Cobh) – Michael Brennan3/4/6 Louth – Paddy Roe31 Belfast – Jim Docherty34/161 Dublin (Balbriggan) – Seamus & Aaron Parsons35 Dublin (Donore Avenue) – Jimmy McGovern4 Kildare (Naas) – David Murphy44/93 Dublin (Crumlin) – Jack O’Brien45 Dublin – Leo Biddulph46 Dublin – Theresa Redmond48 Dublin – Michelle Dorgan5 Carlow (Carlow) – Matt Murray5 Kildare – Tarlach O’Huid5 Kildare (Athy) – Robert Young5 Port of Dublin (Dollymount) – Dick Vekins

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Explorer Belt Participants with Ber Barry, Belt Leader at the Training Weekend!

from being a Venture event to being an over 18’s Rover event, this has only added to its appeal, with Ventures taking part in the Venture Challenge, the precursor to the Belt and an excellent training ground for the Belt itself. With 12 teams taking part in this year’s event, the male & female Rovers follow in the footsteps of many who have sought the coveted brown leather belt with its distinctive compass buckle! Few Challenges with such a simple reward, which is hard earned has captured the imaginations of Scouting Irelands young adults, as the Belt. Participation in the event is no guarantee to success; teams must rely on all their training, abilities and skills in order to achieve the certificate, badge & belt. Last year everyone achieved the Belt, however a miss calculation, too little walked or too much public transport used or failing to complete the proscribed projects & special interest badges, a newer addition to the criteria, has been enough to see the Belt snatched away. Many who may stumble at the first attempt, return the next year, wiser, tougher and invariably succeed, relishing

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Explorer Belt 2013 prepares for

the Adventure of a Lifetime!

As we settle into the hazy days of summer camps, Kayaking on Ireland’s

rivers and lakes and hikes in the hills, forests & mountains of our green

isle, 24 Rovers from across Ireland are preparing for the adventure of a

lifetime in the Basque Region. We are of course talking about the Explorer

Belt, the ultimate challenge and experience for Rovers throughout Europe,

since 1980 when Ventures in Ireland took part in the first Explorer Belt

in Normandy, France; it has grown into a rite of passage from youth to

adulthood in scouting, with over 1,900 scouts taking part in this adventure.

With the introduction of the One Programme, the Explorer Belt, moved

the opportunity to relive the life-changing experiences of the Belt. This year’s adventure which will culminate in the Basque Region began months ago with Rovers applying to take part and registering for the event. Meetings with parents and scouters in Mitchelstown and Dublin, attended by members of the National Events Team, including National Events Commissioner Mark Blake, Expedition Leader Ber Barry, from Glanworth in Co. Cork and a previous participant in the Belt, along with members of the

Chris & Heather, one of the teams checking their map during the training weekend

organising team, clearly laid out the road ahead to the Belt and also the work the teams would need to complete in order to be allowed participate. For the most part, the teams all knew each other, it helps to be friends and know each other before going on the Belt, there is no certainty that the stresses of the road won’t mean teams fall out, along the way. However, if Rovers didn’t have a partner in mind or their original partner couldn’t participate for whatever reason, HQ and the Belt Team helped find them a new partner.

During Easter the teams travelled to Kilkenny to get there first taste of the Belt experience and to train with former Belters and find out what was expected of them. The Teams were dropped off at various locations, and had to walk 30km over the space of two days, doing projects along the way, staying in contact with the sweep team and generally honing their navigation and walking skills, just like the real experience. While the teams thoroughly enjoyed this experience, it also helped bring

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home the message of how much work lay ahead to be fit enough, skilled enough at navigation and knowing how to tackle the log books and projects successfully. Key to preparing for the Belt is learning from past experiences, this was provided in abundance by Explorer Belt Veterans, Ber Barry, Neil Bolger, Colin Keane, Neil Cowan, Kris Walsh and Assessment Team head and all round Belt Guru, Jimmy McIlduff! Once the teams returned to the base, their logs, projects and maps were all taken away to be read and assessed by the team. While this was on going, Jimmy took the teams aside to go through

the nuts and bolts of the belt, how much gear to bring, how to budget, what to do in emergencies, how the assessments would go, what would lead to someone getting or not getting the belt, and all the other 3 million questions which arose. Pat Dunne, Doneraile, cover First Aid, Emergencies, Dangerous Flora & Fauna and how to avoid the “bite of the wolf”, this dreaded term, is associated with hill walkers and people on long expeditions who may experience uncomfortable chaffing! Neil Bolger, a professional

athlete and past Belter, gave the participants the benefit of his vast knowledge, on gear and also the little hints and tips which could mean the difference between earning and failing to get the Belt. Colin Keane, took the teams through previous logs and projects and showed them the best ways to tackle these, stressing though the individuality of everyone’s experience and the need to let this be apparent in the logs, an important record and also a great memento to be looked at over the years after the Belt. As well as

Neil Bolger, Kris Walsh & Neil Cowan checking the maps and assessing the logs during the Training Weekend.

his encyclopaedic knowledge and quick wit, Colin demonstrated his keen ability at Yoga, another handy skill on the road to staying limber & injury free. If nothing else after the seriousness of the assessments and the all the information they had to absorb, the Yoga gave the teams a chance to relax and have a laugh! Following on from Kilkenny and the teams continuing the training, the organising team were busy beavering away to ensure every detail of the belt was organised. The team lead by Ber Barry, includes, Pat Dunne, John

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Glassett, Andrew Dineen, Neil Cowan and Lisa Buckley, a recce in May allowed the team to see the terrain and conditions first hand as well as experiencing some of the rich culture that the Basque Region has to offer. The Basque Region is a semi-autonomous region in Northern Spain/Southern France, the mountainous area has much in common with Ireland, proud of its history and culture, the Basque are a people’s apart in Europe, Euskara or Basque, the native dialect is like no other language, its said the Devil came to the region to tempt the peoples, he tried to learn the language and fled back to hell after only learning yes & no! Communication with the locals will be an essential component if the teams are to complete their projects & special interest badges. As well as a distinct language the Basque are known for their love of rich, wholesome foods, fruit, fish and pork are key element in a varied, Mediterranean diet. Community and family are at the core of Basque Society, a deeply religious people, similar in many ways to Ireland, the Basque have a great love of

sport, from traditional Bull fighting & running to rowing, Pelota (a type of racquet ball) to slightly stranger baby jumping!Not to give the game away too much, but once the teams arrive in the region they will be transported to unknown locations, they will be given envelopes with their maps, logs, instructions, budget, mobile phone and introductory letters in Basque & English. From here on it is the Teams responsibility to walk a route no less than 200km over the ten day period, they are allowed

use a maximum of 10km of public transport a day, they must live within their budget, complete the projects & special interest badges as well as communicate with the locals to experience their culture and to live from day to day, all while navigating and meticulously recording this in their log and on their map. They must stay in contact with the Sweep Team who will regularly visit them on the road, until as such time as they make it back to base camp. Jimmy’s team of Assessors will have joined the Sweep Team at this stage and while the teams recuperate and swap stories of the journey, they will also be interviewed by the Assessment Team and their projects will be gone through with a fine tooth comb. If successful they shall be presented with their certificate, badge & belt at a special presentation meal before returning home, having gone through an amazing life experience.We wish the teams and the scouters leading this years belt, all the best as they head off on Tuesday. The team will send regular updates back to Ireland when the opportunity arises.

Belt participants ensuring they’re limber and flexible to remain injury free for the belt, being lead by Sensei Colin Keane.

The Beautiful Basque Countryside waiting for the Explorer Belt participants.

Patricia Blake It’s my pleasure to introduce the Venture Program Team. Over the next three years we hope to assist Venture Groups all over the county. If you’re a seasoned Venture Group or just a new Group getting going we hope our ideas and information will help you. We hope that by September we will be up and running at full speed.

So who’s who?

Sue Mitchell - Heading up the “Venture Adult Assistance” Sue will be working on resources to assist the Venture Scouter.

Graham Dempsey – Heading up the “Venture Crew Support” Graham and his team will be providing resources to Venture crews. Look out for their articles in Inside Out Face book (National Venture Page) and the scouting Ireland web-site.

Ros Donohoe - Heading up “The Venture Event Team”. Ross and his team will be running all the National Events for Ventures. They are delighted to announce “THE NATIONAL VENTURE BALL” which will be run in November 2013. Further information will be out soon.

Ruari Nealon “The Venture Communications Team ” Ruair and his team are looking after all our communication requirements. Ruair hopes that our news, views and information is spread wide and far.

Glen Webster - “The Venture Provincial Support” Glen hopes to have members from all Provinces on his team, he hopes to setup and maintain links and assistance to provincial teams in relation to Venture Scouting

Lydia Blake - “Spiritual Support ” Lydia will be assisting all the teams with Spiritual Advice. Apparently we all have to take up yoga!!!! Eat lots of cup-cakes and apple tarts.

Eddie Hillary - is new to Venture Scouting follow him on Face book or Twitter, he’s going to share many words of wisdom

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First Team Meeting

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World Scout Moot

The final countdown

The Irish contingent to the World Scout Moot is currently making final

preparations for its trip to Canada this August. 20 young people from

across the provinces, including 2 representatives from Irish Girl Guides will

travel from the 5th to the 19th of August to join 5,000 other Rover Scouts

and young adults in the experience of a lifetime in Canada’s bustling cities

and expansive wild places.

Contingent BadgeThe contingent badge has been launched and incorporates elements of the main Moot logo as well as some uniquely Irish elements. It will be worn be the Irish participants throughout the event.

Moot activity packsBeaver Scout and Cub Scout activity packs to learn about Canada can be found online on scouts.ie. They give great programme ideas including tips on making the tasty Canadian treat beavertails, instructions on how to make a dream-catcher and templates for making your own totem pole.

Best of luck to Trevor, Andy, Micheál, Ciarán, Breda, Sophie, Jessica, Lucy, Brendan, Andrew, Paul, Alex, Dave, Steven C, Aisling, Denise, Callum, Steven L & Máire.

As well as participating in the event, Ireland will run an activity at the Global Development Village on Road Safety. This will be run by 3 Rover Scouts selected from around the country. An Irish participant will also be involved in the delivery of the Messengers of Peace programme path.

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Scouting Irelands Photo Storage Area

Scouting Ireland s communication team maintain a storage area online

for all photos of events and even county events. We have recently have

updated the look of this and we think it looks really Cool.

To have a look at it just click on the link below or the image of part of the

page.

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Camping Adventure Skills Conference

The adventure skills team organised a one day conference in the

Applewood Scout Training Centre in Swords Co. Dublin, on Saturday the

29th of June.

This conference was open to all. The day was a great success and was

very informative for all who attended. The International Commissioner was

on hand to talk about International Camping. Big thanks must go to Dave

Batt and his team for taking on this initiative.

Assessments for level 9 were also done on the day. Many Scouters achieved Level 9 but this was not easy as this required logging and backup paperwork (submitted in advance) – to include a 2 night wild country camp, a week long but preferably 8 day standing camp, and a international camp. The candidates needed to have been the camp chief on such an event and not just participants or leaders They will also needed to log participation a minimum of 57 nights camping to include 2 x 8 night camps.

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Summer Camp is just around the corner so it’s a great time to ensure that all of your sections that are planning on travelling abroad or staying at home have all of their T’s crossed and their I’s dotted.

• Have all of the Scouters going on Summer Camp completed their Child Protection Awareness training?• Have all of the Scouters going on Summer Camp been Garda vetted?• Has the Scouter in charge has completed the appropriate scout skills training course covering overnights?• If heading abroad, has the appropriate additional travel insurance has been taken out?• Is there a first aider available at the venue or does at least one of the Scouters travelling hold a valid first aid qualification?

• Has the Scouter in charge filled out and submitted the Scouting Ireland Overnight and International Approval Form to National Office?• Have any youth members transferring to adult membership while on camp been Garda vetted? This can be done from the age of 17½ to allow for the time it takes for the Garda vetting process to be completed.• Are all Youth Members and Scouters travelling registered members of Scouting Ireland on the database?• Is the ratio of Scouters:Youth Members in line with the ratios outlined in the Camping and Adventures in the Out of Doors Guidelines?

Group Leader Checklist for Summer Camp

Countdown to Summer Camp

SIF 26/11 - Scouting Ireland Overnight and International Approval Form

SID 71.10 - Youth Programme Abroad Policy

SID 77/11A – Camping and Adventures in the Out of Doors Guidelines

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Over 550 Beaver Scouts descended on Larch Hill recently in search for

the buried treasure below.

This was all part of the theme for this year’s Beaver Scout Camp called

Mad Hatters on the Hill. This was to be a fun-filled Alice in Wonderland

themed adventure!

When everyone was Set up in their sites each subcamp headed down

to the tea party to meet the Camp Chief. Everyone was then treated to a

fireworks display. You Wouldn’t Believe the First Aid base.

Turbo Tie Dying base where each Beaver Scout got to tie dye the white t shirt they brought with them!

Rooting for Loot where the Beaver Scouts panned for gold which they could use to buy goods at the trading fair later on in the day!

Foolish Fire by Flint where the Beaver Scouts were thought how to use a flint and steel to light a fire!

Pool of Tears (water activities!) . These included:Down the Rabbit Hole where we all got a go on the slippery slope!

The next day there was a series of wacky and imaginative bases for the Beaver Scouts to take part in. Here is a description of some of the bases that took place:

Batty Backwoods where bread twist were made.

Bizarre Branding where each Beaver Scout got to brand a leather woggle with whatever symbol they wanted and their initials!

Slay the Jabberwalky which included trying out part of the obstacle course.

Caterpillars Catipults! Here everyone got a go at trying out the catapult where they fired wet sponges and catching wet sponges in a bowl on their head!

Bungee run base. Here two scouts were attached to bungee ropes and had to try get to the end of a slippery slope while some of the other scouts threw wet sponges at them!

Catch the Queen’s Gold where the scouts had to work as a team to use water to raise the Queens gold which was stuck in a pipe full of small holes.

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Mad Beaver Scouts on the Hill!

Learning about recycling from Oscar the Grouch.

Splatoon where everyone got a water gun and got to shoot each other.

The Tweedledee Race where they did 3 legged races and wheelbarrow races.

Lickety Split where the Beaver Scouts had to get into water and collect rubber ducks with the right numbers on them

Collywobbles base which turned out to be grass sledding! Battle of the Suits. Here the Beaver Scouts got to have a go at gladiator fighting against each other!

Jumpy Houses where all the Beaver Scouts got to go on bouncy castles, a bouncy obstacle course and a bouncy slide!

Balloon modelling where the scouts were taught how to make balloon animals, balloon swords, etc. Nature base where the scouts learnt about nature and built a house suitable for a mouse.

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Arts and Crafts base where everyone got to make wristbands, headbands and a Mad Hatter poster for the troop!

Ponkers pioneering which was pioneering using elastic bands and bamboo sticks.

Alice’s Escape which was the zipline! This was definitely one of the more popular activities on the weekend!

Kooky Kitemaking where the scouts were thought how to make a kite with cloth and bamboo sticks and then try to fly them. The Blindmouse Trail where the Beaver Scouts did a blindfolded sisal trail while being guided by another Beaver Scout.

Flutterwacken where they learnt about drumming and drums as well as rhythm.

Winter Olympics where the Beaver Scouts tried to use grass skies, hoopla and tried welly tossing!

One of the big attractions was the Campfire. What a site to see over 550 Beaver Scouts and their Leaders in full voice.

All in all a great weekend was had by everyone! Congratulations to Camp Chief Philip Sheridan, his assistant Ryan Fay, Staff/Programme Co-ordinators Lauren Mulhall and Gina Meehan on a successful event.

Big thank you to Douglas Scout Group as All the Pictures to illustrate the events. These were taken from the Douglas Scouts Website. Check it out it is a great example of a Group Website.

AGORA 2013 - “REACHING OUT”

On the 10th of April Karen Bradley and Brendan Murphy travelled from

Ireland to Kandersteg, the International Scout centre in Switzerland, to

participate in Agora. Agora is an event hosted by the European region

of WOSM which is run by Rover Scouts for Rover Scouts. This year

there were four members on the planning team, two of which were from

Scouting Ireland. An Agora is an educational tool that uses the Scout

Method to reach the educational objectives for the Rover age section

and that has a special emphasis on youth empowerment. This year it

involved 34 Rover Scouts (seen in the picture) representing fourteen

interesting and also beneficial to us. It lead to more detailed discussions and debates, all the while having fun and learning new things. Everyone was willing to work as a team and share their ideas and experiences. We all had the same focus of working together and coming up with ideas that could help improve Rovers in our own native countries. Many different things were addressed during the activities and workshops, including Citizenship, Creative platform, International night, Youth Empowerment, Youth vs. Adults, Youth Participation, World Café, Messengers of Peace, Young Spokesperson and Project Management.

National Scout associations from twelve countries across Europe (Romania, Malta, Slovakia, Ireland, Lithuania, Iceland, France, UK, Finland, Spain, Portugal and Denmark). The theme of this year’s Agora was “Reaching Out”. It has shown us that Rovers have the energy, desire and above all the ability to make changes wherever we are. During Agora we had various discussions, took part in many activities and socialised with other Rovers which was

The first evening was the Academy Awards which involved each country presenting a video about their association and then talking about it and answering questions. This was the beginning of seeing how other countries run their Rover sections and we discovered many differences. For example in Lithuania they have to become candidates and complete certain criteria before they can become Rovers.

The next morning we got a walking tour of Kandersteg, however it was also very educational. The task involved following and finding clues

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around the village to get to different bases which involved various discussions. Discussions included citizenship, facts on different associations and how we make, or can make, a difference in our communities. The evening session was the beginning of the “creative platform”, of which there were a few sessions of during our time at Agora. These involved sharing events that we have previously attended or in some cases events we want to attend. These all came together to make a variety of events that Rovers could attend or ideas for events we could run. The creative platform provided us with ideas that we used for our project management session. We felt this session was very useful as it was very realistic as it involved all the key resources and information necessary to make any event happen and possible to organise. Resources included making budgets, human resources, logistics, marketing, applying for grants to get the funds, allocation of tasks, teamwork, evaluations/reviews and meeting actual time deadlines. We really enjoyed it and it was done through fun activities to make it more interesting and engaging.

to Youth Involvement and Youth Participation on numerous levels. Cynthia Marquez from Messengers of Peace also came and gave us a presentation to help encourage people to bring it back to their associations. Messengers of Peace is an initiative which encourages scouts in different countries to work for peace by solving conflicts, building links between divided communities, teaching their peers about health and wellness, and repairing environmental damage.

One of the many other activities was the World Trading Game. We found this activity to be a real eye opener as it made you realise what resources you need to run a business and the difference wealth of countries can make. Karen’s group was America and they had all the main resources which meant all the other countries were always begging them to trade. Many of the other countries had nothing or limited resources with which to make shapes. This is really what our world is like. Another session was the Young Spokesperson. It was a useful session as it showed how the media can help scouting but

Then we had our International evening which was more a socialising activity and really helped the group get to know each other better. However we still found it very educational, as we learned about several different cultures. Just by talking to other Rovers we started to gather more knowledge of how other countries run their Rover sections and different methods which they use. We tasted food from different countries, saw others talents such as dancing, singing, action songs, and played different games.One of the days included a session on Youth Empowerment. We found this session very interesting and it was a topic that was discussed in great depth throughout the event. It included youth involvement in decision making and problems within our society. We also discussed barriers, looking at what prevents young people actively participating in various activities. We feel Youth Empowerment is very important as it leads

also do damage to the reputation of scouting if the stories aren’t correct. We had the opportunity to work in pairs and pretend to be journalists or the person been interviewed. This was interesting as we experienced first-hand how journalists can twist things and ask awkward questions which can make up a story that was never intended. It can also be very stressful for the person been interviewed as they are under a lot of pressure to say the right thing. On the final night we had a campfire which was a brilliant way to end our time at Agora. Everyone joined in and the spirits were high. Many people sang and danced all night.

In conclusion we feel that Agora was an amazing experience and we feel that we have learnt a lot of new skills and broadened our knowledge of scouting which we hope we will get the chance to share with other Rover Scouts in Ireland. We think that something similar to Agora in Ireland would really benefit all Rover Scouts as the workshops and activities were brilliant and really got the main messages across. A lot of this information we gathered would be useful at all levels of our

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organisation. We would like to thank Scouting Ireland for sending us to Agora as it is an experience we won’t forget and we know that the skills and knowledge we gained will be invaluable to us in the future, at all levels of the organisation.

(Left to right)Brendan Murphy and Karen Bradley (Agora 2013 representatives) Ruairi Mc Hugh is currently working as a staff member or ‘Pinkie’ at KISC.Máire Fitzgerald & Ciara Beatty (not pictured) were involved in the organising of the Agora.

ImagineOn Monday evening’s from 7pm to 9pm you can lift your phone and talk to a friendly helpful person

from the Adult Resource Team on all adult related manners.....

Well, it’s true and they are awaiting your calls with keen

interest and a willingness to help. 01 4956300

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COMMUNITY Celebrations are building up!

The Association is buzzing with talk of what we can do in our communities.

With the launch of the COMMUNITY Celebrations in April Groups have

started to Plan what they will do. A number of Groups have already

logged their projects to get those plans into operation. We have a variety

of activities happening. These range from the green fingered clean up

machines helping to tidy the towns across the country to Groups going out

helping other COMMUNITY Groups.

So if you haven’t logged your project yet, there is still plenty of time. The resources are on the website at:

You can find lots of things to help you Plan Do and Review your project. Just remember; It’s never too late to start helping in YOUR COMMUNITY!!”

We also got ones with a little twist. One Group is helping with a Maritime festival. They have Scouts running stalls with loads of craft ideas for people to try out, they’re running scavenger hunts, fancy dress competitions, art competitions and all with a big interaction with the local COMMUNITY!

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Up and Coming National Events

The Phoenix Challenge 2013

The Phoenix Challenge 2013 ‘Peace’, takes place this year in Castle

Saunderson from the 15th -18th August.The weekend promises to

challenge you and your patrol and we can also guarantee you a lot of

fun along the way. Being held in Castle Saunderson the theme has been

chosen as Peace.

Venture Scout Challenge 2013

The Scouting Ireland 2013 Venture Scout Challenge will be based in The British Isles. As well as being a physical, mental and personal challenge, the aim of the Venture Scout Challenge is explore your “own” culture and “other” cultures.

For more information on this event Check out the Scouting Ireland Members site at the Link Below.

Each patrol should come to Castle Saunderson and dress their campsite to incorporate the theme of the event. Each scout should also bring a costume to represent their patrol’s interpretation of the theme.For all the information including application forms for staff are available on the Scouting Ireland Members site at the link below.

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World Scout Jamboree Japan 2015

The World Scout Jamboree 2015 is taking place in Kirara-hama Yamaguchi

City Japan

The Event will run from Tuesday 28th July to Saturday 8th August 2015

The GOOD NEWS is Scouting Ireland are Organising a Contingent to

attend.

We have now a Dedicated page of the Public page of scouts.ie for

Jamboree Information and Booking forms etc. Check it out at the link Below

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National Cub Scout Challenge Day

Earlier in the Year the National Cub Scout Challenge day took place.

This event again proved to be an outstanding Challenge for all the Cub

Scout Sixes that came from all over the Country. The day was a mix of

various Challenges and Quizzes in line with the Adventure skills. All Cub

Scouts really Enjoyed the day and can’t wait till the next National Cub

Scout Event.

To view More images of the day check out the Scouting Ireland Photo

gallery at the link below.

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For more images of the day check out Scouting Irelands Photo Gallery at the link right

Cub Scout Pioneering Day

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2003 Special Olympics World

Summer Games & Scouting

A special and unique time - Fourteen days in June 2003

itself, while millions in both Ireland and across the world, joined the event via media. The 2003 SOWSG was the largest sporting event ever undertaken in Ireland and the largest such event anywhere in the world that year. The theme of the games themselves was “Share The Feeling”. Scouts and through them Scouting and its role at the games shared and contributed in no small measure to that same sense of pride, Scouts themselves spoke of the pride in what they did during the games, the uniform they wore and the role they undertook. Scouts had never before been used in the provision of the Awards Teams at international Special Olympics games, but following the contribution

place. The oath of the Special Olympics athlete “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt” was taken, as was the oath of the coaches and that of the referees and officials. The games were declared opened during that ceremony by Nelson Mandela, many, many other well known individuals who spoke and bands and groups who performed also were in attendance at the ceremony, along with over 7,000 athletes, their support staff, their families and friends and over 75,000 spectators in the stadium

of Scouting in providing and staffing all the Awards Teams during the games and their overwhelming success in undertaking this role, it was clear that Scouting in other countries where the games would take place in the future would be an integral part of those subsequent games. This success of Scouting was recognised both within and outside of Scouting at that time and since. Many, many people including in the final reports on the games themselves, spoke and recorded accounts of the professionalism, the care, the attitude, the humour of the Scouts and Scouters in undertaking their role, equally too the hugely significant contribution that Scouting had made to the success of the games, in their provision of the Awards Teams. One quote from the time summed up best what Scouts and Scouters achieved in delivering the award ceremonies at the games that Scouting proved as stated it could do “a damned fine, professional job”.

To read the full article check out the Scouting Ireland Website at the link

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This article has been prepared at this time, the 10th Anniversary of the

2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games, to both commemorate the

games themselves and to pay tribute to the role of Scouts, Scouters and

Scouting in those games.

On Saturday 21st of June 2003 a unique and special event occurred on

this island, on that date in Dublin, in Croke Park, the Opening Ceremony

of the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games (2003 SOWSG) took

Kayaking at Aghada

The 66th Cork (Aghada) Cub Scouts were on the water last Monday rafting

and kayaking. It was not just all plain sailing as the cubs had to build their

own raft which is no easy task for the cubs who were aged 9, 10 and 11

years of age. They had been practising all their knots in the previous

weeks and making sure their barrels were air tight. Making these on land

and then lifting them carefully to the waters edge. The excitement was

great and there were even gasps and shouts saying ‘It floats’. It seemed

for some that there was even a near expectation that it might sink but

I think there was no such danger. With all the rafts on the water, there

followed a little race to finish off the evening.

metres in a lifejacket and then tread water for 5 minutes to see how they coped. The weather was great on both nights.

At the same time there was another group learning the skills of Kayaking from Sea Scout Instructors Elaine Seacy and David McGowan who gave the Cubs a great night on the water. Safety is paramount on the water from the earliest age and a great deal of attention is given to this.

It was not just all for the Cub Scouts for earlier in the week the Scout Section in the group were on the water as well undertaking a swimming and life jacket test. The Scouts had to swim 50

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Province News

Ballincollig Summer Camp Two Ballincollig Scouters hang up the Hiking boots!

On June 7th the Friday cub section of Ballincollig Scout Group set off for

their summer camp at Cuskinny adventure Centre near Cobh, Co. Cork.

WE experienced some great activities and the best weather so far this

year. We camped for 2 nights and for many it was their first night under

canvas. On Friday night we went to Garryvoe beach for some Kite flying.

Saturday was filled with on-site activities including orienteering, tree

climbing and archery.On Saturday night we went into Cobh in time to see

the Cruise ship Marina leave its berth and out of Cork Harbour.

On Wednesday June 12th the Wednesday Scout section held their last meeting before they broke up for the summer. For their two leaders, Caroline O’Keeffe and John Walsh it was also their last meeting as they have stepped down as Scouters after many years of dedicated service.

John was a former Scout in Ballincollig and also a Cub, Venturer and Scout leader during two spells as a leader.

Caroline started as a Cub Leader back in 1998 and helped start a new Scout Section in Ballincollig in 2009. She is well known in the Lee Valley for her involvement in County events over the past 15 years. Caroline also went on many summer camps with the Scout Group including Switzerland, France and the UK.

The parents arranged a surprise party and presentation to John and Caroline on Wednesday night. Many happy memories were spoken about over the night.

The Scout Section go to Carlingford Adventure Center on June 29th For their Annual Summer Camp.

On Sunday we packed up our tents and headed hope after a wonderful weekend.

Many thanks to the staff at Cuskinny and our leaders Declan Cahill and Richard Linehan.

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Province News

Cluain Toirc Beavers County

Camping Weekend

Back in January 2013 a group of leaders sat around a table in 18th Santry

hall planning the upcoming County events.

Amongst the events was a call for a County camping weekend for the

beavers. The notion was taken up as good in principle and the leaders

would put it to the beavers to gauge interest. Each troop had individually

been camping, but with the exception of large events such as ‘Jamoige’

had never camped with other troops.

Although initial interest was high, the take up was less so. Two troops took

up the challenge (18th Santry and 44th Whitehall) and plans were made for

a weekend in June. The spirit of scouting grew from the start. The sharing

And like two pieces of paint being blended together to make a different colour the two groups got ‘stuck in’ loading the gear onto the bus.The first sign that this ‘County camp’ was a good idea was when you saw some of the Beavers from the two troops sit side by side on the coach with indifference to the troop they were from. No longer two troops, now something bigger, now a scouting family… ‘B.P Style’.Arrival on site, and the pitching of tents. Each beaver was encouraged to lend a hand with the phrase ‘if you don’t help put up your tent you will have no where to sleep. The child like curiosity sparked was sparked with ‘where do you think the best place is to put up the tent

of equipment, knowledge and ideas grew to what was looking to be a great weekend.With a special thank you to St.Olivers Scout Group, Whiteriver, Collon, Co.Louth for the use of their campsite and facilities. On the Friday the bus arrived and two troop with different ‘neckers’ stood face to face, not knowing which way this weekend was going to go. The stand-off was immediately broken with words like ‘I saw you at the county challenge weekend’ or ‘your in my school, I saw you you in the yard’.

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?’. Although some of the responses from the beavers were considered as locations for the tents, the one of up in the trees was not. Each beaver laid out the tent with their ground mat and sleeping bags all in a row, all text book in approach. And the running around and having fun began. With some games and friendships growing the nightime approached. A giddy start to the night with the requisite one beaver wishing to go home sleep overtook them and the rest is dreams.The Saturday morning begun ‘bright and early’ as any leader who has ever brought beavers away camping can understand.

just as well as Cubs and should be thought in the same manner.Following lunch the beavers were treated to a hike through forest, field and mud track. One beaver lost her boot to a muddy puddle and when fished out, cleaned up and put back on carried on like a trooper. One of our leaders who is blind constantly astounds beavers and leaders alike by proving he is as good as them in all ways by pitching tent and while on hike can avoid (or like the rest of us fail to avoid) the muddy puddles and low branches . An inspiration to all beavers who now have learnt to look beyond what they thought he should not be able to do, and see just what he can do. On returning to camp some 2.5 hours later dinner was devoured by all and in the spirit of ‘Oliver’ there was actually a few ‘can I have some more’.With free time and a few games under their belt we collected wood from the floor of the neighbouring forest (with kind permission of St.Olivers Scout Group) for that nights camp fire. Following the usual songs, and using up the last of their energies

With breakfast in their bellies the Beavers first job was to clear up their tents and set them up to sleep in for that night. Then the bases began. These involved ‘First Aid, Map and Compass, Pioneering, Axe and Saw (they seemed to take great pleasure in this base), Backwoods Cooking (it was amazing to watch Beavers who say they do not eat potatoes at home eat with delight ones cooked in tin-foil on an open fire. The Beavers were broken up into teams with each team given 20~30 mins on each base. Its in our experience that Beavers can learn

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the Beavers went to their tents for the quietest nights sleep and leader could wish for.The next morning with bright eyes (well some of them) the beavers had breakfast and the job of packing up for home began. Yet again the scouting spirit shone through with each and every beaver lending a hand to his/her ability.

With a final check over the site and a group photo all beavers boarded the bus for home. Some used this opportunity to catch up on their 40 winks, but in general they were enjoying the weekend up to the last minute.

Although the beavers were looking forward to the hugs from the parents, on the other side they were already missing their newly found (extended) family. And the thoughts that the different ‘neckers’ will never separate them again.

(yes that is mud up to their knees)

(little muddy boots all in a row)

Blarney Cub Scouts Sunrise Hike

The following report has come in from a Cub Scout through Christina Lee

from the 45th/62nd Cork Cub Scout Pack from Blarney. “On Friday last

our cubs had Icelandic and a Tepee to sleep in. We tried to stay up all night

and have a midnight feast. At 4am, Christina, Dee and Pat came to the

tents to wake us for the hike. Most of us got up but a few stayed in the tent

to get more sleep. It was very cold and still dark when we started walking.

“The first thing we all noticed was the fog over the field. It was really creepy

and it felt like we were in a zombie movie. We hiked along the track and

we could hear birds and animals in Fota Wildlife Park starting to wake up

and call out for their breakfast. There were lots of different birds and the

On the way back to the campsite we found a big wall with an old door on it. Over the door there was a big bell. We found some pebbles and took turns trying to hit the bell with the pebbles to make it ring. When we all made it ring, we continued walking back to the campsite. We sang a song we learned while we were walking. It was brighter than when we left but the fog was still there over the fields and it was still a bit cold. When we got close to the Wildlife Park again, we all stopped

monkeys were really loud. When we got to the trees, a rabbit ran past us and an owl flew out of a tree over our heads. There were sheep in a field too, and in another field the grass was cut and put out in straight lines, ready to be made into bales. We came to a gate and could see the Fota golf course. It was starting to get brighter then and there was a line of pink in the sky where the sun was starting to rise. We stopped for a rest and took a look around us.

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and stayed very quiet for a few seconds. We could hear all the animals still calling out for their breakfast. We got back to the campsite when the sun was shining in the sky. We were very hungry so we went straight for our breakfast. When the other Cubs woke up, we told them about the hike. It was really cool to hike so early in the morning because everything looked very different to how it looks in the middle of the day.”

The participants were, Jack Looney, Eoghan Sheehan, Seán McCarthy Oisín Sheehan, Diarmuid MacDonncha, Samuel Kiely, Michael O’Shaughnessy, Ronán MacDonncha, Andrew Crowley, and Ciarán Sexton.

Sunrise Hike Undertaken by

Bray Cub Scouts

5th Wicklow (Bray) Cubs Scouts took on the challenge of doing the Sunrise

Hike 2013, on their recent summer camp in Larch Hill. It was an early start

for the 17 Cubs and 7 leaders, getting up at 2am and then heading out

as quietly as possible, so as not to wake the other campers. Once out

of Larch Hill we headed to the Kilmashogue Forest Car Park ,the starting

point of the Fairy Castle Loop. The outward part of the hike takes in

some spectacular views of Dublin and these were even better at night. We

were so fortunate to have ideal weather conditions, perfect for walking. We

spent about an hour at the top of Two Rock (Fairy Castle), enjoying a well-

deserved breakfast and appreciating the wonderful sunrise over Dublin, just before 5am. Our descent, took us by Three Rock near the masts and through the Forest, back to Larch Hill, in time to see all the campers starting to get up. A great experience was had by all. We organised for the Meitheal staff, James, Seimi, and Ross to do the presentation of the Sunrise Hike 2013 badges before we left Larch Hill. A weekend to remember.

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Province News

Scouts Splash Camp!

The scouting year ended on a high (literally!) recently for 5th Carlow (Town)

Group Red Tribe Beaver Colony, when they camped overnight in the

beautiful surroundings of Oisin Park perched high above Carlow town in

the Killeshin hills. Beavers (6-8 years old) enjoyed fun, food and fellowship

and the good weather helped everyone dry out after getting soaked during

the water themed Splash Camp.

In the spirit of inter section cooperation, the Groups Venture (15-18 year

olds) and Rover (18+) Crews planned and ran a series of scouting skill

graduating to the Cub Scouts in September. For some Beavers it was their very first time under canvas and away from home so Well Done and Congratulations!

5th Carlow (Town) Scout Group currently has a lengthy waiting list for youth members. We are actively recruiting adult leaders to work with all age groups and enable us to extend our membership. If you are looking to combine adventure and fun with an opportunity to develop local youth please contact Group Leader, Sean Scanlan on 087 9372617.

Thanks go to Rossmore Killeshin Development Association (RKDA) for the use of their facility at Oisin Park. The location lends itself well for Scouting/Guiding ‘Slumber Nights’, short camps and other programme activities. Groups seeking to make bookings should contact RKDA Treasurer Brigid McDonald at brigid.mcdonald@hotmail.com or 0868596607

based activities, including backwoods cooking where the Beavers learnt how to make popcorn and hot chocolate over a campfire. This culminated in an afternoon of water based sports and team games, followed by a delicious BBQ and traditional campfire sing song. The camp concluded with an award ceremony at which presentations were made recognising the tidiest tent, most helpful Beaver Scout and ‘moving on ‘ badges were given to those senior Beavers

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29th Belfast Venture Scouts go

raft building

29th Belfast ventures CARRYDUFF as part of their adventure skills badge

recently decided to go raft building in Strangford lough, so with lots of gear

and tons of enthusiasm (and not much knowledge) the group headed to

Whitebay. The weather was glorious (at the start) and there was talk of a

trip across the Irish sea to the Isle of man or even Scotland. However the

one obstacle to overcome was the raft construction. After several false

starts two rafts (barely) passed the Pat Polin school of inspection and with

a bottle of Lucazade to name both crafts the intrepid ventures stepped into

the cold sea. Progress was swift, in fact too swift for one team and as the barrels started to pop out of their holders in a scene reminiscent of an early JAWS movie, the passengers started to clamber onto the three remaining barrels, (better knots next time I would suggest). With one platform becoming precariously unbalanced it was only a matter of time before the call went out from Captain Cassidy, “Abandon ship, its every man for himself. Caitriona, “Baywatch” Napier swam around rescuing lost souls from the clutches

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Province News

of the icy sea. The rescue team worked diligently to gather everyone together but in the end everyone returned safely in great spirits. The reality was if you didn’t fall in to the sea you were pushed so nobody stayed dry for long.It turned out to be a great afternoon and with pie and chips as a special treat on the way home sure what else would a group of teenager be doing on a windy, rainy Sunday afternoon..........what else indeed.

Clare Scout County Cub Water Day

On Sunday the 26th of May, 200 Cub Scouts from all over County Clare

arrived in high spirits at the National Water Activity Centre in Killaloe. The

glorious sunshine and lack of wind made the water conditions for kayaking,

canoeing, rowing and boating excellent. Fun bases such as a bungee run,

inflatable human table soccer, sumo wrestling, basketball and climbing wall

gave a brief break from the water for those in need of a chance to recharge

their batteries.

The eager Cubs spent the gloriously sunny day moving from base to base and getting wetter and wetter as the day went on. Of course the day would not be complete without the ever popular 20m long slippery slope which lands the willing victim into the swamp at the bottom of the hill. This base proved irresistible for the Scouters who simply had to have a shot at it. The day closed with hot dogs and drinks for all. Many thanks to the 5th/22nd Killaloe Scout Group for hosting the event and to the fantastic volunteer staff of the Water Activity Centre and to all who manned bases for their help in providing a great day out for Cubs and Scouters alike.

In keeping with the theme of the day, the Killaloe Coast Guard manned a base where they explained the importance of water safety, floatation devices and weather conditions to the Cubs. They displayed all of their life saving equipment and gear. During the lunch break they provided a display on the water showing how a body could be retrieved from the water and to top things off, a boat sailing on the lake in front of the Centre got into difficulties and capsized allowing the Coast Guard to make an immediate impact on the situation.

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Province News

Cub Scout Leader Elected Mayor

in Clonmel

Order Cu Chullain Presented

A huge word of congratulations goes to Mr Pat English , 22nd Tipperary

Cub Scout Leader who was recently elected the Mayor Of Clonmel.

Congtats Pat from all in 22nd Cub Scout and all in Scouting.

Congratulations to Tom McKiernan, Group Leader of 1st Dublin Fairview who received the Gold Honour Award from Chief Scout Michael John Shinnick in Larch Hill last weekend

Many scout troops are making final preparations for their annual summer camp and the first of the campers left this weekend. For most scouts this is the highlight of their scouting year, where they can put many of the skills learned over the year into practise. This year most of the Cork groups are either staying in Ireland or going to England. To give some idea where troops are going, the following is just a cross section. The 49th Cork (Ballincollig) Troops are going to Carlingford, Co. Louth and the second troop are going to Birmingham. The 4th Cork (St. Peter & Paul’s), 2nd Cork (St. FinBarre’s Cathedral), 5th Cork

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Summer Camps for the Cork Groups

(The Lough) and the 7th Cork (South Parish) are all going to a Jamboree in the North of Ireland. The 109th Cork (Ballinora) along with the 29th Cork (Mitchelstown) are going to Cappa Na Laoi, outside Killorglin and the 41st Cork (Passage West) are off to Larch Hill while the 21st Cork Mayfield are going to Roscommon.

The 37th Cork (Togher) are off to Gilwell Park Campsite in London which was founded by Baden Powell in 1919. The facilities there are excellent and have been developed over many years. We wish all our scouts good camping especially all those who are going on their first summer camp.

Some Images from the Cluain Tuirc Beaver Challenge day Which took place in Demnse Park Santry. Great day was had by all. Beaver Scouts doing Scout Activities

Beaver Scout Challenge Day

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Cub Camp Mount Melleray

The cub camp held in Mount Melleray, Waterford from 21/06/13 – 23/06/13

was also my first ever REAL campfire experience, and BOY what an

experience that was.

Tom from Dungarvan was an awesome figure leading all the campfire

songs in his blue poncho or fire blanket. He strutted his stuff encouraging

all the cubs and leaders to join in, even though the weather was crap, but

the rain certainly didn’t dampen the fire. Its started off in tripod form in the

The campfire was still burning bright when we left to go to our tents, as we had been up since 3 am that morning to do our sunrise hike. Campfires are great, and I could still get the smell of smoke from my hair and clothes the next morning, reminding me of the great night and week-end that we had on camp.

Brid HenniganCub Scout18th / 26th FerrybankAge 9

middle of the fire ring, and the crackles and smoke were loud and blinding, and sparks flew this way and that. All the groups were encouraged to participate, and when it came to the turn of Ferrybank, we decided to do the bumble bee song and all the others joined in the actions even if they didn’t know the words. Lollipops were handed out, which are always a welcome sight, even though we ate and ate and ate, mostly sweets, all week-end.

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Dalkey Cub Camp 2013

This year the cubs went to Larch Hill June bank holiday weekend for

the ‘Mad Hatter on the Hill’ mini jamboree. We had an amazing time in

the Dormouse Warrior sub camp, thanks to Ross and Clare. What we

remember the most is that all the Cubs loved the smores (marshmallow

and chocolate biscuits sandwiches) by the camp fire, none of the cubs

liked tidying their tents, most of the cubs loved most of the activities, some

pioneered, some helped out, some disappeared when we needed help,

some talked too much, some talked too much too late at night, some slept

like babies and some did not sleep! Some could not find their bowl, their

Thanks you to leaders, parents and everyone at Larch Hill who made the weekend so enjoyable.

cup, their spoon, their jumper, their sunblock, some did not like chicken curry , some loved spaghetti bolognese, and eggy bread was popular with everyone! We had nettle soup and trangia cheese cake, we had treasure hunts, football, rugby and gingham style dancing. We dressed up, we dressed down, we made paper frogs, tiles and bracelets for trading. Some stayed one night, some stayed two nights and some stayed three nights, well done to you all!

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Province News

41 st Dublin group costume

Our camp bannerCubs making nettle soup

The De La Salle Scout Group is

85! Read all about it here.

Friday We all met up at the den in Faithlegg at ten in the morning (TEN IN THE

MORNING??) to get The Unit’s 85th birthday party off to a flying start,

Annamae and Megan had brought the tennis balls but the games were

soon forgotten as the building of the site took over, the 3rd scouts at one

end of the field, the 7th at the other, the erection of the sites was quick and

efficient. Both sites had been all but completed by the time that the Cubs,

Next up was dinner, a stew consisting of potatoes, minced beef, and vegetables, burnt as black as coal, but it would have to do… But the wash up was done afterward, not an easy task, and a very well done to Niamh Burke who did two-thirds of it by herself while everyone else was off helping the cubs or other such deeds. A midnight hike was called for by the leaders, a trek through Faithlegg house’s grounds and up the Minaun and back took just over an hour and a half for our super-fit scouts and we were all back in our tents by half two for bed.

Saturday Having agreed a lie in until 9:30 with the leaders, we were somewhat disturbed to find out that it was just 7:30 in the morning when the 7-year old Ed came into our tent bashing his pots and pans in our faces. Thanks Ed. Your size doesn’t make me any less angry with you. After that…. disappointment it was onto breakfast!The days most important meal, choco rice of course, an old favorite of the 7th, it’s all about the simple things. Still, it was better than what the 3rd got (trust me, you don’t want me to go there).

Ventures and the remainder of the scouts had arrived at 7pm. Just in time for us to pitch even more tents! Fantastic. Friday evening passed in a blur of comings and goings to the store, looking for ground sheets, spare pegs, tent poles, anything that you could possibly imagine to be associated with an icelandic tent, just to make sure that everyone had all the equipment needed toguarantee a good nights sleep… yeah, that’s it, a good nights sleep is always guaranteed on camp….

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There was some free time after breakfast, used efficiently by getting to know our fellow scouts and such, before a certain Mr. Dean Purcell named out the 10 PL’s for the days bases; myself (Matthew), Adam, Orla and Alex from the 7th, Clodagh, Annamae, Megan, Becky and Shane together (god only knows why…) and Jennifer from the 3rd scouts and Josh from the 13th scouts the tenth PL. There were 5 bases, the volleyball base which was run by the lovely Jack Power (no ladies, he didn’t take off his top), the backwoods base run by the equally as lovely Bill

3rd and 7th Scouts kick start the group weekend as the sun shines down, for now at our Faithlegg Scout Centre Share a cokecake with De La Salle

was taken from the roof of the den with the numbers 8 and 5 being made out of all the ventures, scouts, cubs and beavers, a fitting way to mark the occasion. Later on in the evening was the much awaited campfire, led by Dean Purcell and finished with a resounding course of, “Oh I wanna go to heaven”, everyone was happy to see their sleeping bags.

Sunday With Ed gone home, it was time to lie in, and we did so in some style by staying in our trusty sleeping bags until well past 9 o’ clock (Ye won’t get away with that on The Phoenix now lads!). When we got up, it was another feast of choco rice that was awaiting us, although it could at least be accompanied by a jam sandwich, another favorite. We were living the high life! It all came crashing down soon enough though as the leaders informed us of our need to take down our site before we could go home, our spirits were slightly lifted however, with a much appreciated

Carton and Emily Costello. The zipwire, set up by the leaders, but with Ross Phelan pulling the strings, Jack Pickard and William Counihan directing the Maze as the Blindman’s trail was run by Shona Murray and Ciara Murphy. It might seem a bit pointless to go through the ventures who ran all the bases, but really, it’s not, they were all managed expertly. The bases were originally meant to be an inter-patrol competition, with 10 patrol’s made up of the ten senior PL’s and all the rest of the scouts, cubs and beavers. However, I think that in the end it was more for fun than anything else with said competition having no winners. The next few hours or so were spent fixing our site and getting really long motivational speeches from Roddy and Cunny, which had such an inspiring effect and stuff… Onto the birthday preparations! The barbecue was fired up by a specially selected panel of leaders, and the burgers were thrown on, everyone was fed and a fantastic photo of ’85′

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offer of help from the 3rd’s contingent on the weekend as they had already taken their site down. It was an offer which was short-lived though as they soon abandoned us in favor of a water fight. Serious lack of commitment there now lads. We got the site down fairly sharply

though with time left to join in on the water fight, all too soon it was time to go home though and we were sorry to be leaving. A big thank you to all the leaders, Sarah Lawerence, Dean Purcell and Ciaran Kelly for organizing the weekend for us!

L-R David O Neill(Assistant Group Leader) and David Ginter Collins(Group Leader) cut the cake

Drogheda Venture Scout Raises

money for Temple Street Hospital41st Dublin Gathering Event

Drogheda Venture Scout Aaron Lynch enjoyed a different perspective on

the sunny weather experienced on the weekend of 8th June, as he took

part in the annual Mini Enthusiasts’ Malin – Mizen run.

With 1001 miles covered in 3 days , over 20hrs spent in the car , and

a layer of dust and flies on the body , Aaron who was joined on the

challenging run by his dad Martin, pulled home just after 6pm on Sunday

9th June, 54 hours after they’d set off from Drogheda to Donegal the

previous Friday.

On June 8th, a very sunny summer weekend, the 41st Dublin hosted a ‘Gathering’ Event. We invited a party of 26 scout and Scouters to Dublin for an overnight. Our guests are members of the 6th Bebington Sea Scout Group which is based in the town of Eastham on the Wirral peninsula, near Liverpool. On their short visit, they had a trip to Dalkey island from Coliemore harbour, with a guided tour by our own tour guide, Brian Meyer. A total party of over sixty camped overnight Blackrock on the warmest Saturday night to date and were only cooled down by a swim at Seapoint the next morning.

Aaron says he gained a lot of respect for this ‘little motor’ on the trip and decided to round off the weekend by giving the car a much needed bath! The challenge was sponsored in part by Aaron’s Group, St. Oliver’s 3/4/6th Louth, with the little red Mini bearing the “droghedascouts.com” web address along with the Scouting Ireland emblem on the grill. Aaron completed the event in aid of Temple Street Children’s Hospital, raising over €750 for the charity.

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One Bebington scout, Jonathon Street, was presented with some genealogical research done by one of the members of our troop. Jonathon was delighted to have his Irish heritage confirmed as well as discovering he had some possible links with members of our troop, way, way back!

Our guests had a truly memorable visit, enjoyed their trip to Dalkey Island, loved their walk around the village which could only have whetted their appetite for further visits. Well done to everyone involved.

www.dalkeyseascouts.ie

12th Galway Group Camp

On Friday 31st May, 12th Galway, Claregalway Scout Group held an

overnight camp for all sections in the group. A total of 10 beavers, 22 cubs,

11 scouts and 14 rovers/leaders participated in the event. It was the first

time our group held such an event for all sections. This camp also saw

many beavers and cubs camping under canvas for their first time. We were

blessed with great weather which made our camp a success. Thank you to

all leaders, especially Gillian Buckley, for organising the camp.

on, shouting for their team but by the end they were dying to have a go themselves. Well done to the beavers for showing the older ones how it’s done! We then had ‘the traditional’ hot chocolate and

After setting up camp on Friday afternoon bases were set up for all members to participate in. They included pioneering, knots and ogham writing. Following the bases everyone enjoyed a barbeque which was well deserved. We then held chariot races between the different sections. The chariots were made by the cubs at the pioneering base with a little help from the Rover Scouts and a few leaders. It is safe to say that the races were great fun and the participation by everyone no matter what age was great to see. At first the beavers watched

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Parents were invited to the camp on Saturday afternoon to attend the Scouts Own which saw badges being presented to youth members. All beavers that will be moving up from the beaver section to the cubs in September took part in the ‘Swim Up’ and received their link badge. Likewise, cubs received their link badge which acknowledges their participation in scout events in the past few weeks. Congratulations to Mark, Kevin and Grace from Cubs and Brendan, Ailbhe, Diarmuid, Darragh, Cathal and Luke from Beavers who all are taking part in the transition.

A great weekend was had by all. Many left the camp with new friendships made and smiles on their faces. Well done to all who took part.

marshmallows to end a great day. We hoped this would settle them down before bed. However, some cubs are the exception to the rule!By 7am the camp was beginning to wake up and breakfast was being served. Once breakfast was eaten we decided to break camp as it looked like rain was on its way. We began by dismantling the sleeping tents, followed by the mess tents. When the tents were put away we held another base which saw the beavers, cubs and scouts lighting fires in biscuit tins and cooking noodles on trangias. The noodles went down a treat with both youth members and leaders.

Ken Geraghty Awarded the Order

Of Cú Chulainn

1st Kerry Scout Group - Summer Camp Killarney 2013

The Chief Scout visited the 1st Dublin (LHO) Scout Group on a beautiful

summer’s evening in June, there he met current members of all sections,

from Beaver Scouts through to Rover Scouts, as well as Scouters, parents

and past Scouters of the Group. This was a very special occasion for

the Group not only for the Scouts themselves, but had been arranged by

the Group to pay tribute to and recognise the service to and for Scouting

of Ken Geraghty, the current Group Leader. The Group celebrated one

past were re-lived by those present over refreshments in the Scout Group Den following the presentation.” hundred years as a Scout Group

in 2011, having been formed in 1911. The Chief Scout in company of all gathered including current and former Officers and Group Leaders of Tolka Scout County, bestowed upon a surprised and proud Group Leader and Scouter, Ken Geraghty, the Order of Cú Chulainn. Scouting memories were made that evening and many, many more such memories from the

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1st Kerry Scout Group held a group camp in Killarney from June 21st to 23rd.

The weekend consisted of a ‘small’ hike on Saturday, followed by a campfire that evening with plenty of songs and smores. Despite the rain on Saturday evening, everyone enjoyed the campfire and capped off the night with a mug of hot chocolate before bed.

Sunday morning the group headed to the Gleneagle hotel and made full use of the swimming pool before heading home.

Big thank you to the leaders who organised the weekend and we are looking forward to seeing everyone again in September.

More photos can be found at link

42nd Limerick Win Limerick

County Shield

Malahide Sea Scouts : From Drake’s Pool to Lapp’s Quay

42nd Limerick were the first ever scout group to win the Limerick county

shield 2013 with 3 sisters Shannon, Shelbie and Shania Pembroke in the

same patrol.

The Ocean to City race also known as An Rás Mór (“The Big Race”) is a traditional & fixed seat rowing race that takes place annually in Cork Harbour. From Drake’s Pool (Crosshaven) to Roches Point to Cobh, Monkstown and through Lough Mahon to Lapp’s Quay in Cork city. A distance of 28 kilometres takes you from a shelter estuary at Crosshaven round Camden Fort towards Roches Point .Here the Celtic Sea can turn up a swell that rolls in from the Atlantic Ocean and makes the sea tricky and lumpy

The crews boat, an East Coast Skiff, sharp at both ends handled well as the Malahide Sea Scout crew Ger Duffy, Rob McGrath, Colm Colgan, Cameron Newman ,and Andrew Malone of the Wednesday Scout’s who raced in the 28km course . They completed the massive race in a time of 2hrs and 45mins. Well done lads! and thanks to the supporters and shore crew who accompanied them to Cork for the weekend.

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Sea Scouting in Ireland 100+ - Report

Today was a step closer for Scouting Ireland’s 2020 vision but also for its

branch of Scouting, known as Sea Scouting. Last Year Sea Scouting in

Ireland launched and celebrated the Centenary of Sea Scouting through

numerous fun activities, conferences and workshops. As part of its launch

back in April 2012 in Croke Park the youth members from sea scouting had

an opportunity to meet and discuss with the Chief Scout their future. Since

then further visions were expressed at our Annual Conference in Killaloe

and out of this a promise was made and kept to go further and finalise a

plan of development for sea scouting.

The leaders present had their opportunity to air concerns and look at problems facing their group’s development within the community. Items of worry ranged from finances to membership to the present economic difficulties. However the way forward was expressed in a positive way by the willingness of those present to support the association’s development plan for 2020.The day’s events concluded with lunch. The afternoon planned program for going on the water had to be postponed due to the high winds. An expression of thanks to our hosts 4th Port of Dublin Sea Scouts (Dodder),the caterers ,Poolbeg Yacht & Boat Club, Chief Scout , Chief Commissioner Ian Davy ,guest speakers Ger Smith, Robert McKernan, Pauline Lucas, Kieran Bradshaw, the days’ organisers, Stephanie Mc Cann , Kate O’Farrell, Daniel Kennedy ,Kevin Rowan and finally to all leaders, ventures / rovers and scouts who travelled to Dublin Port. As part of the Annual Sea Scout calendar for the rest of the year a weekend seminar is planned for the autumn.

On June 23rd Sea Scouts / Ventures / Rovers and their leader travelled from our surrounding shores to Poolbeg Yacht and Boating Club in Dublin Port to focus on the Development of Sea Scouting and how the association can support this development. Separate sessions took place with the Watch Leaders and Venture Scouts /Rovers to look at their view on where Sea Scouting is heading in the next 100 years.

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Mitchelstown Caves Midleton Scouts cook up

Image of the Beaver Scouts from the 37th Cork (Togher) with their leaders

Brendan Murphy and Eamonn Dwane.

Midleton Scout recently had their section Barbecue at the scout hall in Midleton. The duty patrol was on hand to cook the fine food for the parents and scouts that were present. Scout Leader John Cooper also complimented the scouts on their behaviour and awarded the patrol of the year and scout of the year award. A great night was had by all.

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Awards Night In Phibsboro

19/36th Phibsboro recently held their annual investiture. On the night there

was some Special awards given out including a 30 Year Service award

for Vincent Cahill and a very special award to 17 of the Cub Scouts and

scouts who Received the chief scout award

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Province News

Scout Leaders Tie the Knot

There was great jubilation in scouting circles last weekend with the

Wedding of Seán Nation (group leader of the 55th Carrigaline group) to

Nicola Poole also a leader with the 55th Cork. The ceremony took place at

St Mary’s church Carrigaline and conducted by Rev. Elaine Murray assisted

by Fr. James McSweeney. Carrigaline Scouts and Venture Scouts

provided guard of honour at the Church as the beaming Bride and Groom

emerged from the church.

The Nation family are well known in Scouting with Sean’s parents Tony and Mary involved for many years in Frankfield and Carrigaline. Nicola is daughter of Cecil and Clair Poole

It was very much a themed scouting wedding and this followed through to the reception in Carlton Hotel in Kinsale where the tables were set out with the names of patrols for example the Stag, Bulls, and Curlews etc. The Eagle Patrol was the name on the top table as this was the name of Sean’s patrol when he was a Scout taking part in the ‘Melvin’ All-Ireland Scoutcraft Competition.

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from Carrigaline. Nicola became a leader with the group shortly after meeting Seán. The Best Man and Groomsmen were all former members of scouting in Carrigaline.

Former DLS Scout John Cummins

elected Mayor of Waterford City24th Tallaght have another Successful year.

Congratulations to Councillor John Cummins who has been elected Mayor

of Waterford City.

John is a past member of the De La Salle Scout Group and was part of

the team from the 3rd Scouts that won the Melvin Trophy for De La Salle

for the first time back in 2000. He was also PL of the team that won the

Campcraft Trophy in 2002. He is pictured left with another past De La Salle

Scout John Butler and right with the Campcraft Trophy! Best of luck to John

in his term as Mayor from all at the De La Salle Scout Group.

Schools out for summer!! Wishing all our Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Ventures and especially all our Adult Leaders a long deserved rest with their families for the summer. We had yet another great Group Camp weekend last weekend in Larch Hill, even got a visit from Michael J. Shinnick our National Chief Scout. Thank you all for your help throughout the year, see you all again in September for another fantastic Scouting Year of Fun and Adventure

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Leaders service Acknowledged

Some recent Presentations which, took place in both Gleann Na Boinne and Louth Scout Counties

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Declan Brady from 6th Meath Ashbourne receiving his 10 year service award from Gleann Na Boinne County Commissioner, Neil Kennelly

Scouters from 15th Meath Navan Scout Group receiving their first aid certificates

Ashling Silke from 9th Louth Ferdia receiving her Woodbadge beads and certificate from Louth County Secretary, Yvonne Lawrence

Rosie Kiernan from 5th Meath Kells receiving her 5 year service award from Gleann Na Boinne County Commissioner, Neil Kennelly

Scouters from 2nd Meath Trim Scout Group receiving their first aid certificates

Pauline O Brien presented with

the Order of Cú Chullainn

Pauline O Brien was presented with the Order of Cú Chullainn on Tuesday

25th June 2013 for a lifetime of service to Scouting in her Group the 49th /

136th Dublin, Swords and Scout County.

A large Group of family, frie

nds and the Scouting Community attended

the presentation in the Carnegie Court Hotel Swords, where her reward

was presented to her on behalf of the National Awards Committee by the

National Secretary Seán Farrell.

drive have been a catalyst for the development of young people at both local and county level”. After the presentation, congratulatory notes were read out from previous members of the Group from places as far and wide as Australia, America, Germany, Ireland and the Caribbean wishing Pauline well and thanking her for the fantastic work she had done for Scouting and for them individually. The most common comment was “Legend”

The citation for Pauline reads: “The Scout Law and Promise, comradeship, and a deep belief in the benefits of Scouting for young people are her steadfast principles. Pauline is a Scout at all times. She always does her best, and is cheerful, with a smile for all, even at times of difficulty, in true Scouting fashion.” “Scouting Ireland is very proud to have people of the calibre of Pauline O’ Brien in its ranks. Her dedication enthusiasm and

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12th Donegal (Manorcunningham)

Scout Group

12th Donegal Scouts – Jack, Conor, Shannon & Cara took part in a 3 part

cross community project. We stayed in Greenhill YMCA Centre, Lorne Girl

Guide Centre & The Share Centre. Everyone has such a fantastic time,

made some wonderful memories and a lot of friends.

Thank you NICE for a great experience.

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Province News

Lorne Girl Guide Centre

Greenhill YMCA Centre The Share Centre

12th Donegal took part in the

Letterkenny 10K

Everest climber given heros welcome

Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts & Scouts & Scouters took part in the

Letterkenny 10K which is an annual fund-raising event for 3 local charities.

This year the beneficiaries were Donegal Mountain Rescue, SNAP (Special

Needs Access Playground), Friends of Letterkenny Hospital. It was a

fantastic day and massive achievement.

Jason Black (A former Cub Scout & Scout of 5th Donegal (Letterkenny) Scout Group) was given a hero’s welcome in Letterkenny on his return following his personal, life long dream of climbing Mt Everest.

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A very special photo for Marian Malseed (Cub Scout Scouter in 12th Donegal (Manorcunningham) – who was one of Jason’s Cub Scout Scouter’s in Letterkenny.

Baronscourt Challenge Weekend

May 2013

Sleepover in Lifford Den

During our Baronscourt Challenge / Adventure Skills Weekend our Beaver

Scouts & Cub Scouts acquired various stages in Camping, Backwoods,

Pioneering, Emergencies & Hill-walking Adventure Skills. Our Scouts came

along to offer and pass on their skills. On Friday, after flag break, camp

set-up we enjoyed a moonlit night hike around the lake. Saturday we had

6 different bases covering the practical element of the various adventure

skills. The light rain arrived on Satruday afternoon making our campfire a

little damp, but our Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts & Scouts provided some

very memorable acts!

12th Donegal (Manorcunningham) & 19th Donegal (Lifford/Clonleigh) enjoyed a sleepover in Lifford Den, followed by a rather wet hike from Ards Friary (via the back beach) to Ards Forest Park. Thank you to Joe & Grainne Boland for hosting the sleepover and to Cathereen Wells Doherty for joining us on the hike.

Scouters & scouts had a great week. Baronscourt is a lovely small “Back to Basics” campsite – already our Beaver Scouts are asking when they can go back!!!(Ryan: “Thank you for feeding me all weekend Marian”)

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Waterford Cubs Summer Camp

Over 250 Cubs & Leaders from 10 Waterford groups descended on Mt.

Melleray for a fun filled annual camp at the end of June. Feedback to date

has deemed it one of the best annual camps ever!

Activities included a Sunrise hike up to the cross at 3.30am where

everyone renewed their Cub Scout promise (sure who needs sleep

anyway!)

their hats and opened “Cubway” barbecue where burgers and hotdogs were quickly devoured. We had a HB Ice Cream Party in aid of Down Syndrome Ireland for dessert and raised 770 Euros on the day. And we still had energy at the end of a very long day for a great camp fire led by Tom from Dungarvan, with songs from each group. Not sure how we will top this one for next year!The Waterford CPC’s

The morning was filled with a 5 mile orienteering course, followed by a much favoured and eagerly awaited massive water fight complete with water guns, hundreds of water balloons and waterslide. “Ready, Steady, Go…… get those leaders”It’s safe to say no one was spared! Just look at the anticipation on those faces. Priceless! For dinner, the leaders (led by Chef Gareth, 2nd Port) donned

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Participants: 2nd Port Dunmore East, 4th Abbeyside , 5th Comeragh, 11th Dungarvan, 15th Sacred Heart, 17th St. Pauls, 18th/26th Ferrybank, 19/29th Ballygunner, 27th Butlerstown, 35th Copper Coast

Woodbadges presented to

DLS Scouters

Congratulations to our Scouters who were presented with their ‘Wood

Beads’ at last weekend’s 85th Anniversary Group Weekend in Faithlegg.

The recipients were John Kinsella, Elaine Hayes, Yvonne Sinnott, Vicki

Butler, Seamus Grant, Tony Hennessy, Michael Kavanagh, Mary Keane

and Dean Purcell. They were presented with their awards by David Collins,

Group Leader; David O’Neill, Assistant Group Leader and Breda Collins

from the Scouting Ireland Training Team.

campaign in Zululand (now part of South Africa). He pursued Dinizulu, a Zulu king, for some time, but never managed to catch up with him. Dinizulu had a 12-foot (4 m)-long necklace with more than a thousand acacia beads. Baden-Powell is said to have found the necklace when he came to Dinizulu’s deserted mountain stronghold. Such necklaces were known as iziQu in Zulu and were presented to brave warrior leaders.Much later, Baden-Powell searched for a distinctive award for the participants in the first

The Woodbadge is an internationally recognized award presented to Scouters who complete the Scouting Leadership Programmes (six courses and a project). Scouters are presented with 2 wooden beads. The beads were first presented at the initial leadership course in September 1919 at Gilwell Park. The origins of Wood Badge can be traced back to 1888, when Baden-Powell was on a military

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Gilwell course. He constructed the first award using two beads from Dinizulu’s necklace, and threaded them onto a leather thong given by an elderly South African in Mafikeng, calling it the Wood Badge. Well done to all on their awards and thanks to Breda Collins and the Scouting Ireland Training Team for their hard work in supporting the development of the leadership team at De La Salle.

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The New “Scout” Range

The New range of “Scout” branded apparel designed by Communications

team in Association with the Scout is available for sale online at the link

below. It is also for sale from all the Scout Shop outlets and from Road

shows. Order your Road show today with the Scout Shop.

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Public Website:- www.scouts.ie

Members:- my.scouts.ie

Email:- communications@scouts.ie

Facebook:- http://www.facebook.com/scoutingireland

Twitter:- @scoutingireland

July 2013

Contacts Coming next month

Explorer Belters Return!Phoenix ChallengeNational NewsAnd Much More!