1st Blairgowrie Scout Group

Our amazing Scouts spoilt the Cubs with an obstacle course tonight. Great fun was had by all!

With only two more weeks to go till Mandela Day, let's ask our friends, families, and communities to help us collect plastic tops and bread tags so we can support people in need of wheelchairs in partnership with Breadtags for Wheelchairs

Recycle those bread tags, bottle tops and plastic lids so that in Mandela Day week we can weigh our contributions in the hope to have collected enough to supply one or more people with wheelchairs. Be sure to keep the bread tags and plastic lids separate as they each go to difference recycling companies. Find more info on https://www.scouts.org.za/2023/06/12/lets-champion-tags-tops-new-beginnings-this-mandela-day//

As our late Patron Nelson Mandela stated, “It is in your hands, to make a better world for all who live in it.”

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Photo by by Killari Hotaru on Unsplash

The Cubs and Scouts took part in the Wally Kohler Enduro Cycle Rally yesterday. Well done to the Scouts who placed second in the senior section and third in the juniors. They also won the Spirit award. The Cubs placed first and second in their race. Let's go 1st Blairgowrie..

What an awesome way to end the first term of 2023! Massive thanks to Ground SAR South Africa for bringing along the search and rescue dogs to chat to us about how the dogs work in the field. The Scouts got to practically see how the dogs do it, and even got to be "rescued"!

These wonderful people are all volunteers, so please spread the word and support them if you can!

A few pics of last weekend's Senior Scout Skills camp that we ran for our up-and-coming leaders in the Troop.

After that storm yesterday, the hills are alive with the sound of chainsaws...

What a cool snippet from a log book of Finlay, one of the Scouts that attended Liam's 1st Class hike two weeks ago...

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We pushed further, with the rain spitting at us and our feet blistering. So far the hike was ‘A walk in the park’ however it now truly started to feel like a scout hike over the Magaliesburg mountain range.

Spitting turned into thundering, the cracks shooting like gunshots, our patrol leader, Liam, guided us around the next ridge to where we would set up camp for the night. We dropped our packs in sync and whipped up our tents, Lee’s tent (our first aider who was probably tired of patching up our various wounds) flipped over in the wind. We were all soaked and our stomachs growled back at the thunder. After a hefty struggle we finished pitching the tents and went to cook dinner under the cover of trees and rocks, then, with our combined effort we brewed our scout classic ~bully beef and smash~ the dish is timeless and it nourished us greatly.

The sun peaked past the distant rock formations, the storm had blown over and the sky was clear. After our long rest, we packed up camp and headed on (not leaving a single item of litter behind). I will never forget our next stop, it is a place unbelievably serene and beautiful. We trudged, tumbled and turned, winding our way further and further down into Tonquani kloef. We could faintly hear rushing water, it came closer, grew louder and we had finally arrived… the small stream rushed over the mossy rocks and gathered to form lush rock pools with spectacular waterfalls hidden underneath the vegetated canopy that grew on the two towering cliff faces next to us. If I had to describe it in one word, I would say it was “Alive”.

Scouts has given me memories that I will cherish until the day I die, it has taught me leadership, friendship and respect. I am forever grateful for it and the people who have watched over me throughout the whole journey. Thank you.

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WIN! a Tentco Senior Wanderer 3.0x3.0m canvas dome tent!

Camp Delta is raising funds towards improvements at the campsite, and we need your help!

Buy a raffle ticket for R50 through the Camp Delta website OR at the Monthly Market on the 1st Sunday of each month and stand a chance to win this awesome 4-5 sleeper heavy-duty canvas tent worth over R5,000!

T's and C's and purchase instructions can all be found here: https://campdelta.org.za/fundraising/

The draw takes place on 4 December, so don't delay!

First Blairgowrie cubs joined the region on Saturday at our Cub Funday. Thanks to a cub Dad for this amazing video. https://youtu.be/Jk4WkMCA4aE

Cub and Meerkat fun day 2022

More family fun. Thanks to the Scouts formour wonderful obstacle course!

Family funday... fun for all at 1st Blairgowrie

First Blairgowrie wishes all Scouts a wonderful Kontiki this weekend. May your achievements be great and your hearts be warm!

Tonight the Cubs visited a magical kingdom of all knowledge and worked on their Scholar interest badges. Much fun was had by all.

Some shots of our Scout Troop hike in the Magaliesberg this past weekend. It really is such a beautiful area we have just on our doorstep...

A long time ago we told our Scouts that, if the whole Troop arrived at a Scout meeting in 100% correct uniform, including all their badges sewn on correctly, we would throw them a pizza party.

We like to think we are as good as our word...

First cub group camp since 2022. So great to be outdoors again. Thanks to everyone involved in making this a success.

First posted on Scouts South Africa. We're looking to sharing 2022 with all our members and the broader Scouting community.

Sadly the District campfire was postponed this year due to the weather, but perhaps we saved the parents from some trauma...

Let's build the heritage we want to see

Message from Chief Scout Brendon Hausberger

For many of us Heritage Day is a day when we look back at what came before and made us who and what we are today.

I suspect many of us have found ourselves asking - especially over the past 18 months - what led to the place and circumstance we find ourselves in now. Belabouring what we could have done differently in the past or whatiffing is something that few of us have found any peace or comfort in .

So instead, this Heritage Day, I want to ask you to look to the future. What is the heritage you want to leave behind? What is it that you want future generations to say about our generation and our time? And once you know what that is, what is it that you are going to do today to make that future perception of our actions a reality?

Heritage is not something that happens. It is the result of conscious decisions each and every one of us make today. I know that the challenges we face as a world and a country often seem insurmountable, unable to be changed by just one person. Well just remember how in sci-fi movies time travellers are always terrified that the one little thing they do will change the entire path of history. Consider for a moment how you can change the future by doing one little thing. That one thing you do today may change everything, or it may change nothing, but what I can reassure you is that if you do nothing, nothing will change.

So make the decision to build the heritage you want to see and start being that difference, today, tomorrow and always. Who knows – we may be the generation that made the step to leave the world a better place.

Last Friday's Scout meeting... Definitely had Scouts overcoming their fears!

Massive thanks to Jazz and Matt for coming along to show us these critters!

During this third wave lockdown, some of our cubs (and their siblings!) have taken time to learn more about covid and earned their covid challenge badge in the process. Here are their covid posters Well done cubs!

Please keep yorselves safe.

Some of the many piles of wild dagga that our Patrols have been removing from Camp Delta Scout Grounds for their Star Patrol community service

It was raining on the night we built this, so it's only a small one, but time to get back into the Pioneering spirit with a Monkey bridge!

Tonight the Cubs went "Under the Sea". Super time had by all...

First Blairgowrie welcomes Raksha to the team of Pack Scouters. We appreciate your willingness to serve and wish you many happy Scouting Adventures at first Blairgowrie.

Tonight we turned our cubs into covid-19 superheroes. We learnt all about covid, how to prevent transmission and protect ourselves and others. Well done superheroes!!

We finished our "uncamp" with a wonderful second day. So proud of all our cubs have learnt this weekend.

With covid protocols preventing us from overnight camping, the cubs met today for day one of our first "uncamp". Much learning was done and much fun had as we became pirates for the weekend.... Tonight they camp out at home and tomorrow we will finish the uncamp in person again..

Belated congratulations to Hilton Goodhead, one of our Assistant Troop Scouters, for receiving a Regional Commissioner's Commendation last Friday for his services to Scouting!

This is why we do what we do!

Huge respect to this month’s Leo Gleadell. Leo heard the family dog barking upstairs, so he ran up and found his mum had experienced a seizure in the bath. He pulled her out of the water, got her breathing again and saved her life.
Scouts

A greeting card made by one of our younger cubs as part of his artist badge. Thank you James - I love being your Akela.

The senior cubs got together this morning to leave their legacy in the First Blairgowrie Scout Hall. We now have 3 four-square courts and a basketball ring for Cubs and Scouts to play on. Still to follow - adding the hoop.

Well done Cubs - you can be proud of your hard work today.