• Introduction;
• Kaa's Report back;
• Scouts;
  • Mc Clelland Camping Competition;
  • Inter Patrol Pioneering Competition;
  • Inter Patrol Cooking Competition;
  • Car Rally;
  • Upcoming Events
• Cubs;
  • Travelling Supper;
  • Mother's Day Tea Party;
  • Father's Day Evening;
• General.

Dear Parents, Cubs and Scouts

Another busy term has once again come to an end.  Congratulations to Darryl Garner on obtaining his Springbok Award.  He’s currently working at a summer camp in the U.S.A.  We hope to have a full report on his activities in the next edition of the Kudu Horn.

We would also like to extend a big welcome to Wayne Roberts, who is now the new Troop Scouter.  Wayne is not new to our scouting group as he is an old scout and an ex Troop Scouter.  Welcome back Wayne!  Many thanks to Gareth Whittal and Nicholas Berry who kept the Troop going in the absence of a Troop Scouter.

REPORT FROM OUR ROVING EX-CUB HELPER, JULIET BERRY

Hi there Cubs, Scouts & Parents

This is Juliet Berry (Kaa) reporting all the way from London (yes, in England!).

I was a Cub Helper for many years before I left for the USA in February last year.

I spent a year in America as an au pair and then decided to try my luck in London for a while.  I have been living in London for about five months and am having a good time.  I spent 8 weeks helping a pregnant mother look after her 2 year old son, move house, then helped her with her newborn son after she had given birth.  It was a really enriching experience.  I learnt a lot about pregnant mothers and babies.  

I then decided to give up on children for a while and try my hand at a “real” job!  I managed to land myself a job working for a large outsourcing company called Capita.  I work in the Head Office’s Marketing Department doing administrative work as well as managing (or rather directing) the Marketing Director’s life.  I really love this job as I have a computer with E-MAIL and have access to photocopy machines and fax which is a big help when you live on the opposite end of the world to your family.  I am currently on a two month contract but they are discussing keeping me on permanently. I leave for a 45-day camping trip through Europe on 15 August.  I am quite excited but also rather nervous as I am joining a Kontiki (not the raft race) bus tour, but as yet don’t know anyone who will be doing the trip with me.  I also have to organize SIX visas in one month so things are getting quite stressful.  The trip will include places such as Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Greece, Munich, Swiss Alps, etc.  I am saving madly and babysitting many evenings to try and make my target spending money before the trip.

I hope all is well in the 1^st Cotswold Group.  I am continuously updated as to all the goings-on of the Group via the wonders of modern technology and am always delighted to hear about all the interesting things that are happening.  I do miss the cubs, especially the camps and hikes.  I hope all you boys are working hard at many badges and not giving Akela too many extra grey hairs!

Miss you all – keep in touch!

Love Kaa

PS.  I have been in contact with the Axsel family and will hopefully go and pay them a visit soon.  Please send the Wessels’ details so I can look them up too.  

Hello Everyone!

My name is Wayne Roberts or “Panther” which is my scouting name given to me by my scouts in 1990.  Just to tell you a bit about myself and what I plan to do at Cotswold.  You could say that I have come back to my roots because I was also a scout at Cotswold from 1981 to 1987 when I matriculated.  I earned my Springbok Award and Chief Scout Award in 1987.  I was also involved in PLTU and returned as Troop Leader for 2 years.  I really enjoyed my scouting and I have to thank my Troop Scouters for that (they were called Scout Masters in those days!).  They really let me experience true scouting and all the challenges and joys that go with really achieving something.  Scouts must be a fine line between working hard to achieve “To Do Your Best” and also having fun and enjoying the challenge.  I really enjoy scouts and I think that it is one of the ways that a scout can really learn and grow and it is very rewarding to see how they follow the scouting road and at all the crossings they choose the route they want to follow to the next challenge.  

I also attained my Wood Badge as an adult and this also entailed training and challenges for me to achieve so as to equip me with skills and knowledge to run a scout troop properly.  I have recently also been doing the job of Assistant District Commissioner: Scout Programme Assistant to Bruce Maree and learnt a lot during those 18 months.  I will officially be taking over the troop from this term and look forward to the challenges that lie ahead.  Myself and my two very experienced Assistant Troop Scouter’s Nicholas Berry and Gareth Whittal will have a plan put in place for the next six months which will include troop meetings on Friday nights, camps, hike and community projects.  At the moment there are only about 7 scouts in the troop and I would like to see this number grow to about 14 scouts by the end of the year.  To run effectively we need two patrols of between 6 to 8 scouts in each.

Lastly I want to thank the committee for agreeing to my return to Cotswold.  TO all the parents, I am looking forward to meeting you all and that you are welcome to visit the troop at anytime.  Please contact me if you have any concerns or questions.

Yours in Scouting

Panther

This last term has been relatively quiet compared to the previous one.  The following events were scheduled to take place:

• Mc McClelland Camping Competition (14-16 April)
  Only Rhino Patrol sent in an entry form but at the last minute had to withdraw, as they could not field a complete patrol.

• Interpatrol Pioneering (7 May 2000)
  Due to the resignation of Rhino Patrol’s PL and 2^nd we could not hold this event as scheduled.  I was pleased to see that Patrick Wilson (Kudu Patrol PL) had built a model of project as I had suggested.  It was a pity though that all his hard work was in vain!
  

• Interpatrol Mother’s Day Cooking Competition (12 May)
  As previously mentioned, the Rhino Patrol PL and 2^nd had quit and we felt that once again we had to postpone the competition until further notice.  Apologies to all mothers as they were not able to have their Annual Mother’s Day Supper.
  

• Mystery Car Rally (16 JUNE) - by Jared Prowse
  On Friday 16 June, we all had to meet at the Scout Hall for the Car Rally.  After getting our instructions we all set off.  Our route took us through Newton Park and down through town and into the harbour where we had a hard time finding an anchor, which was “hidden” in the Naval Base.  WE spent a lot of time laughing at the Zeelie’s who seemed to spend more time reversing than going forward!!   Eventually we got out of the harbour and finally reached our destination – Settler’s Park.  We had our picnic and a prize giving before going for a walk through Settler’s Park.  Everyone enjoyed themselves.  

Upcoming Events:

Haig 1^st Aid Competition  -  29 – 30 July
Scout Soccer Challenge    -  13 August
Walton Skills Trophy        -  25 – 27 August  
Senior Scout Challenge     -  15 – 17 September  

(PLEASE NOTE THESE DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

The cub pack is growing from strength to strength at the moment and the boy’s enthusiasm is very encouraging.  We would like to congratulate Lyall Blaauw on his investiture this term and welcome the Blaauw family to 1^st Cotswold.

We have had a busy, fun-filled term taking part in a traveling supper, Mother’s Day Tea Party, Father and Son Evening as well as making compost, rain gauges, Father’s Day gifts and most enjoyable of all – handing out tray cloths for the mothers at the Mother’s Day tea.  The mothers I might add, loved their gifts.

Glendon Roberts and Lyall Blaauw completed the final requirement of the handcraft badge by constructing wooden aeroplanes.  They really looked good.  Well done boys!

Two teams took part in the annual soccer challenge.  Although they did not make it to the finals, they played well and enjoyed the event.  Thanks to 1^st Newton Park for a great event.

The cubs continue to bring in newspapers, etc. for recycling which is very encouraging.  

• Travelling Supper - by Dylan Prinsloo (as spelt by Dylan Prinsloo!!!)
  We started the traviling supper at the Hall, where we had pizza and a marshmallow fish.  Then we were traviling down and up the roads, we got to a bridge and we crossed it.  We walked down Burt drive.  There were signs and wrightings on the road.  We got to our second island, we were pirates, where we ate hotdogs and had cooldrink then we played kims game, from there we went to Barbet st to the Zeelies place and had icecream and choclate sauce.  Then we went to Akela’s house where we had a treasure hunt and hot choclate.  That was of the traveling supper.
  

• Traveling Supper - by Denise Charlton
  On Friday, May 26 a traveling supper was organized by Akela.  Johan and Sharon Prinsloo did a great job painting graffiti on the tar giving directions.  Many thanks to them.  Trevor and Denise assisted Akela in looking after the cubs on their “journey”.  After a starter of pizza and marshmallow fish at the scout hall, they started their “journey” dressed as pirates, armed with maps for directions.  At the first stop in Burt Drive they were served with hotdogs and cooldrink by Johan and Sharon at the side of the road.  They then traveled further along Burt Drive, over the footbridge down Barbet Road to Len and Charmaine Zeelie’s house, where they were given ice cream and chocolate sauce.  After a brief visit, they went to Akela’s house where they had a treasure hunt.  Akela warmed the cubs up with a cup of hot chocolate before they went back to the scout hall.  All the cubs and helpers thoroughly enjoyed themselves, especially Johan and Sharon.

Mother's Day Tea - by a mom
		Akela and the Cub’s organized a tea for all the mother’s which was very well attended.  The mother’s all had to wear name badges.  The mother’s and cubs were divided into 2 teams.  We then had to play a game of squashing a balloon on a chair by sitting on it, which caused quite a few laughs.  The mother’s were served with tea and scones, which the cubs made on a fire.  Each mother was also presented with a tray cloth made by their son, which we were all proud of as they were well made.  It was an enjoyable afternoon.

• Father's Day Evening - by a father
  Wayne and the Scouts arranged an event for all the fathers.  After introductions, the fathers in two teams had to compete against two teams of cubs in an obstacle course designed by the Scouts.  Although the fathers applied a great deal of “creativity” they only narrowly managed to beat the cubs.

Thereafter, some of the scouts gave a rope-work demonstration while some of the others prepared the braai fires.  After everyone had eaten, the evening was rounded off with a quick game of indoor soccer.

We do raise a fair amount of money with waste paper.  Please separate any waste paper that you send in as we are paid in the following way –

5c per kilo for ordinary waste paper (till slips, old accounts, etc.);
8c per kilo for newspaper;
10c for cardboard;
10c per kilo for beer cans and cooldrink cans.

Many thanks to Madelein Roberts who did the hall hire for 2 ½ years.  Charmaine Zeelie has now taken over the hall hire.   She can be contacted at 3641678.   The cost of hiring the hall is R275-00.

Please remember our Scout Soccer Challenge on 13 August at 11.30am at the

Technikon Sports Field in 2^nd Avenue Summerstrand.  Please try and support this event.  Refreshments will be on sale.  

Important Telephone Numbers: