Major Mazels go out to our amazing racers at last weekend’s Fantastic Race. Josh’s patrol came 2nd out of 55 patrols! and Sascha’s patrol came 5th!!! This is a simply sensational result. I am sure all the racers are exhausted today. We are super proud of your result. Josh’s patrol won a GoPro as well as a luxury limousine ride to Scienceworks on Sunday!!

Well done to Sascha, Dara, Josh, Aiden, Aidan, Jacob, Debbie, Olly, Marcel and Mark for participating.

Thank you to our leaders for giving up their weekend to make the race even greater. Thanks to Eli, Charlie and Ari for keeping me company at South Melbourne Market and keeping me well fed. Gary for his first aid, scoring (and general schlepping) support.

And a big thanks to Peter Fowler and his crew at 5th/6th Moorabbin Scouts for putting in what must have been 100’s of hours of work to make this event happen and giving our Scouts such a great experience.

Limo Ride!! Winners are grinners!

At Scienceworks

Before the race

Racing…

We’re at the Zoo, where are you?

City landmark activity

City landmark activit

Lost? No way!

the South Melbourne Market crew

Hard work! But someone has to do it.

Who won 1st place at last nights annual District Swim Carnival?

It was us! Well done to our amazing swimmers for bringing the trophy back home.

15th Brighton Scout Group invited us to be part of a gourmet cooking camp at Rowallan campsite at Riddells Creek. The camp was organised by 15th Brighton leader Terry Better. Reports back from camp were fantastic. Weather was beautiful (very cold at night and just sunny during the day). Giant campfires were lit and enjoyed.  And above all the food was superb, cooked in patrols. a jam packed weekend of food and fun.

Thank you to 15th Brighton for the invite, and a huge thank you to Terry for organising the camp.  Final thanks to leaders Helena, Michael, Gary, Ari and parent helper Craig.

I was happy to support Dara and her Patrol Activity on Saturday. She and Blake planned a train trip to the 1000 steps in the Dandenongs. Whilst there the Scouts searched for and found 6 Geocaches. The weather was cool but perfect for a fun hike around the Dandenongs. We even spotted a Lyrebird!  There was even time for badgework on the way home.

I have to say it’s a pleasure to spend time with these great Scouts doing what Scouts do. Outdoors, enjoying each others company and nature.

What’s said on the train stays on the train

On the way up the steps

How’s the Serenity

Jacob found this VERY cleverly hidden geocache!

Clever camouflaged cache found by Jacob

Where is the cache? It’s in here somewhere

Found a German GeoCoin

oooh hello!

Time for a bit of badgework advice on the way home

Scouts last week met at Southland and enjoyed a Scavenger Hunt run by Sascha and Jacob.  By all reports the night was super fun with Patrols running all over Southland to get the most points.

Dara, Sascha, Blake, Josh K, Sam and Aidan S attended a 2 day camp up at Caringal Scout Camp 2.5 hours from Melbourne in May. This was also attended by other Scout groups in our district and is a great weekend where the more senior Scouts get to work on their leadership skills.

I know that these weekends are invaluable to our Scouts and impart competences that will come in handy within Scouts but also for the rest of their lives.

Thanks to Gary, Tristan, Eli and Ari for coming up and supporting the Scouts over the weekend.  Without your devotion to our Scouts they would not have experienced this camp.

Last night our Scouts visited Caulfield Police Station for a very informative night about what the Police do in our community and what goes on at a local Police station. Sgt. Michelle Krause was very accommodating in taking all 20 of us around the station and answering all of our questions. The police sirens were the best bit! Thanks to Michelle for last night and Dara for organising the evening.

Scouts, leaders and families joined for a laugh-filled full day of First Aid training at our hall last Sunday.  All of us completed a full course of e-learning prior to the face-to-face training.

Our trainer Tom Hickey put us through the ropes of the basics of first aid theory and tested our ability with practical use of defibrillators, CPR, and bandaging techniques.

Any Scout wishing to complete their ASM (Australian Scout Medallion) must complete this first aid course. Contact your Group Leader or Scout leader if you wish to be kept on the list for the next training session. But if you have an interest in getting trained and you are over 14 years old then you can join us (Scout or not) to get first aid trained.

Many thanks to Tom who traveled many miles to get us trained.

Tonight was special for me as Maya joins the 10th Caulfield Scouting community.  My father Ralph invested Maya’s dad Andrew into 4th Bennettswood in the late 70’s, as the photo below attests.  So it was with great pride that I could be part of Maya’s investiture into Scouting last night, just prior to our bike ride along the beach foreshore. Welcome Maya! We know you will have the same great memories of Scouting that your dad and I share.

Ralph investing Andrew

Gavin investing Maya

What a perfect night for a ride. The Scouts, leaders + parents gathered at the end of North road for a evening of cycling to Port Melbourne and back. We officially welcomed Blake to the group and invested Maya as well.

riders are ready!

The air activities badge day was run by Scouts Victoria for Scouts of all levels of badge work – Pioneer, Explorer and Adventurer! I was really lucky to get a place because the bookings fill up fast – it’s popular and they only run it a few times a year.

The day started with a theory session, which covered weather patterns, controls of a small plane, different types of aircraft and their functions within our society, use of the phonetic alphabet in control tower communication and many other subjects. Learning the theory was fun, because the leader was young and made it enjoyable.

Then we went on a 30 minute flight in a Cessna 150 (small plane), and we flew over Caulfield Park, Albert Park Lake and the City, and came back over the Bay. We could hear all the communication with the tower.

It was amazing!

Sascha

As is the annual custom, Scouts finished 2017 with a bang at Sidetracked.  Everyone drove a fast and furious go-kart session followed by a ultimate Laserforce battle. Who won? (apart from Matt and Tristan who have clearly spent too much time playing Laserforce), we are all winners!

Party time!

Last weekend our Scouts attended a major Scouting event, the 42nd Gilweroo at Bay Park campsite in Mount Martha. The weather could not have been better with mild nights and warm days, and all the torrential rain that hit Melbourne just gliding past us! Out Scouts participated is so many activities over the weekend, from BMX ridimg, sock wrestling, to Slot cars, Zorbing, Rocket lauchers, flying fox, T-shirt printing, Challenge valley, Archery, remote control cars and actually there were lots more.   Craig and I kept the Scouts WELL fed and watered in between activities. We were surrounded by over 1500 Scouts at Bay Park in amongst the wonderfully woody bushland of the Bay Park campsite. It never felt crowded with each Scout group dwelling in their own campsite. This is my second time at Gilweroo and it’s such a well run event. So many happy faces as patrols walked from activity to activity.

Major thanks to Gary, Tristan and Matt who organised the weekend. Thanks to Craig Spiegel for his help in the kitchen.

And a big mazel tov to our two patrols the Boyz and the Girlz who attained a Gold award for their efforts! Well done!

We bid a fond farewell to Joel and Daniel who were simultaneously invested to our time-honoured tradition of the “Shower Parade”. This occurs when Scouts enjoy their last camp as a Scout. Gary made sure most of Gilweroo witnessed the event, much to everybody’s enjoyment.

sunset and peace

Best watermelon eva

Did we eat well? YES!

just before the Shower Parade! so clean!!

Secured! No running away

mid-flight hot chocolate not so hot!

Muddy activities. Yes!!

Emu bob! Looking for rubbish after cleaning up our campsite

Move over Hunger Games. Bowling Games has arrived. 10th Caulfield was hungry alright! Maybe not for bowling but they did give it a red-hot go as they duked it out with 15th Brighton over Ultimate Supremacy of the much sought after Bowling Chalice of Doom*. And the winner was…. Scouting of course.

*we must get one of those one day!