Laser tag, rocket building and a graveyard hunt – without a knot lesson in sight.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Welcome to Scouting 2018 style.
Six hundred Scouts along with 200 leaders and support crew camped at Tocal near Paterson for five days of fun and adventure from January 17-21 for the Hunter and Coastal Region Scouts Corroboree.
Regional Commissioner Bruce Leverton said the regional camp attracted Scouts from across the Hunter, Narrabri, Sydney and even Queensland.
Showing the changing face of Scouts, the campers participated in adventurous activities such as camel rides, flying foxes, canoeing, archery and rock climbing. The Scouts also designed and manufactured water-filled rockets – complete with a computer chip which was used to measure their distance and height.
The corroboree has been held in the Hunter for 45 years with the most recent few years being held at Lostock before a return to Tocal which Mr Leverton said gave the group a warm welcome.
“We have made good use of the IGA at Paterson for groceries and the Barrington Bakery for fresh bread,” he said.
“We’ve gone in to Paterson for a town walk, visited the rail motor society and the courthouse museum and as well as a tour of the historic St Paul’s Church site (the Scouts) had a graveyard hunt looking for specific graves such as the oldest.”
The 600 Scouts were joined by 150 scout leaders, 25 junior leaders aged from 15-17 and 20 Rovers aged between 18-26.
The large group of campers struck some high temperatures during their camp but the military-precision organisation ensured everyone was well hydrated and well fed.
The food consumed included 1784 loaves of bread, 1600 hamburger rolls, 107 kg of mince, 107 kg of bacon, 1600 rissoles, 66 watermelons, 9000 pieces of fruit, 288 dozen eggs, 3084 litres of milk, – and 11 birthday cakes. By Friday the camp had already used 1000 rolls of toilet paper.
On Saturday night they held a “street party” with everyone moving out into the centre aisles of the tent city when the sun went down. Sunday saw the traditional Scout zone closing parade.