Cub Summer Camp (JULY - AUG 2012)

Miranda Van Heel 

White Watch.

On Friday the 27^th of July the cubs went to Broadstone Warren for summer camp for 8 days! First we went on a hike. It was great fun but a bit tiring. Then the beavers came to camp, but they only stayed for one night.             

This years theme was Ancient Greek Olympics, and the 4 teams were, Sparta, Athens, Corinth and Megara. 

With the Beavers we did a course on the low ropes and none of the Cubs or Beavers managed not to fall off.   After lunch we went outside to work on our Athletics badge.  We had to run 1000 meters non-stop.  My sister Claire (a Beaver) came third, beating most of the Cubs including me!

After they left we split into two groups and went rifle shooting, and we did archery.  The instructor asked us not to aim at anyone else’s head….

We went on a treasure hunt and when we came back we played a game. Later we play Push Ball, the ball was huge, bigger than any of the cubs. 

Over the week we did lots of other activities like climbing, and built Umbrella rafts, which all sank!

On one of the days we went to the Lama Farm, were we got to stroke and feed the lama’s there. They were very friendly. In the evening it was raining very hard so we couldn't play out, so instead we build catapults out of bamboo and elastic bands, with a jelly pot as the shooter. We fired ping-pong (table tennis) balls at each other for hours. It was brilliant! 

Overall the camp was great fun, and we all enjoyed it very much and can’t wait to go on the next camp! 

          

Cub Boating Day (JULY 2012)

By Finn Morgann-Murrell

On Saturday 14^th and Sunday 15^th July I went on my first boating weekend with 4^th Streatham Cubs. It was an amazing experience for me!

I went to the Boathouse in Putney and I loved it so much that I can’t wait to go again! I did lots of different activities on the Thames including kayaking, power boating, stand-up paddle boarding, and rowing in both gigs and coypus. 

The first day it was raining lots and the next day it was nice and sunny. However, the rain did not bother us because we still had fun. My favourite activity was kayaking and, to be honest with you, there was nothing I didn’t like.

On the stand-up paddle boarding I fell into the Thames and although it was cold, it was also fun!

Kingston Regatta (JULY 2012)

By Harry Joseph - (A.P.L. Falcons)

On Saturday 30th June - Sunday 1st July our scout group went to the National Sea Scout Pulling and Kayaking Regatta in Kingston, London.

We met at the hall and packed all our equipment and personal kit into the trailer and headed off to what we never knew was going to be our BEST amazing performance yet!! We drove straight to the competition and found a nice place to sit down and watch the races.


Me and my friends Lewis and Jack were called up to do the under 12½ double dinghy heat and we won by a mile!!! We were so happy but tired and unfortunately the under 12½ gig heat with; Me, Lewis, Ben, Jake and Jack coxing us was straight afterwards. We went to the start line and started the race but as me and Lewis had just had a race and we were on 1st stroke and 2nd stroke (the 2 stronger rowers) we didn't have as much power as we should of, we could have won if we had a rest break, but we lost (Thought it was a close race). Ben Also took part in the under 12½ Kayaking heats. He came won his race and went through to the semi's as well.

The under 14 double dinghy crew was Hugo, big Jake with Stefan coxing. They did amazing and won by a mile as well!! So far a good competition for the double dinghy crews. The under 14 gig with Josh J, Ewan, Hugo, big Jake with Eleanor coxing them. They all pulled their hardest and came through with a great win! The under 14 kayak was Josh J, who unfortunately didn't win but he got through in the gig so he could still win a trophy.

After an amazing first day we drove back to our camp and pitched up all our tents and put our personal kit in them. Then with some shoes and cones we made 2 football goals and had a very long game of football and we have no idea who won. While some people were playing football some other people started to build a fire which they made HUGE!!! Meanwhile some leaders were getting us some fish and chips or sausage in batter. After eating all that we carried on to play football while Eleanor briefly died by the camp fire and we had to gather round in a circle round her while small Josh did his voodoo dance and raised her from the dead!! After a very tiring night we all went to bed and had a good nights sleep to get ready for the races the next day.

Sunday:

We woke up bright and way too early for another amazing day of rowing. The under 12½ double dinghy semi final was a breeze and yet again we won by a mile and got into the final!!!

The under 14 gig semi final was a great race and they won again and knocked Leander out of the gig section. The under 14 double dinghy semi final was another amazing win and they also made it to the final. So far 3 wins 3 finals!

The under 16 singles was Freddie and won his heat by a mile and made it through. Then in the under 16 single semi final got a great win and made it to the final, leaving the other boat far far behind again.

The under 16 gig with Freddie, Nathan, Liam, Jaz with Ben coxing but unfortunately they lost their race, but they did really well, and it was neck and neck all the way, Jaz who was 11 years old and rowing Bow Oar in their boat, did amazingly well too, to keep up with the big boys.

The under 18 single was big Josh S, who won his heat and got through to the semis! The under 18 gig with Josh S, Mitch, Xander and Ash with Johnny coxing and they won and got through to the semi final!

The under 12½ double dinghy were racing in the final but came 2nd because our boat got sabotaged and my oar came out twice, if it hadn't come out we would of won! But Mowgli and Sparks said we had perfect pulling all the way, and were very proud of us!

The under 14 double dinghy final was an amazing race and we won but the umpires said that leander won but thats a lie we won and we appealed but it didn't work and we were placed 2nd, even though everyones knows that we actually won. The under 14 gig final was another amazing race and beat them by a boats length and got the trophy!

The under 18 single unfortunately lost the semi final and didn't get through. The under 18 gig also lost their semi final race as well and unfortunately didn't get through either.

So at the end of the weekend we had three second places and one first place. It was our best ever performance ever and we got a trophy and lots of runner up certificates!!!!!

Sparks and Mowgli are so proud of all the 4th Streatham crews that took part in the races over the weekend, and look forward to next year.

Queen Diamond Jubilee Pageant (JUNE 2012)

By Jack Sharp ("Sona")

Senior Patrol Leader & Young Leader.

The Thames River Pageant for the Queens Diamond Jubilee, the first in 300 years. Organised chaos is the term I think would best describe the River pageant in all its glory, having stayed over in the boat house the day previously one might expect the baggy eyes, yawns and general bad tempers usually indicative of a night’s camp. Not so, for come morning, the 4^th were raring to go with two Home Counties Gigs, bedecked with purple bunting to get on the water.

A pity then perhaps that the larger part of the morning was spent waiting for the elusive boat inspectors to arrive. The scene at the slipway though was enthralling, boats everywhere of all different shapes and sizes, gigs, dragon boats you name it and it was probably there. It was at this point that we split up with the other scout group, Netley, who had been staying with us for the night and perused the mystery man who was meant to be inspecting our boat. Eventually finding him and then having been given the all clear we found out that we couldn’t put boats on the water for another 2 hours!

Bored to tears waiting around, a satisfying pastime came out of the blue. Television reporters seemed more than happy to give a few of us a quick interview Lights, camera, action everybody, fame and stardom awaits. Or not, for some reason the only thing the reporters were interested in was the frankly terrible fashion disaster of several people wearing 3-D glasses (mentioning no names of course!) not exactly our passport to fame but good fun all the same!

Then, after a long and drawn out 2 (3 and a half) hours we finally launched onto the water, and became a part of the pageant, of course not, no, in actual fact we had to row another two miles just to get to the start point! Minor exhaustion setting in before even reaching the start point hadn’t been planned but all the same, the atmosphere was amazing even before the start, the bridges were lined with people waving and cheering, if you wanted motivation there was no shortage in supply.

 Of course this wouldn’t be the start point. No apparently there was a muster point and a start point. Thoroughly confused, brain food (sandwiches, crisps, chocolate etc.) was handed out. Still none the clearer from our meal we were eventually told to move on to the start point, talk about hidden charges!   Having reached the start point and watching in awe at the magnificent sight of the royal boats, Gloriana and the spirit of Chartwell, the puckish gods of weather saw fit to attempt to dampen the occasion, quite literally. The skies opened and the rain fell like the angry, childish chorus of MPs debating which their favourite brand of beer was. As if to add to the din, the orient express turned up and spent quite some time it seemed trying to get into the perfect position for the cameras, before finally sounding its horn and setting the pageant underway.

Nothing however was going to dampen the spirit of the 4^th! Oh no our two teams of plucky rowers kept on valiantly pulling. A rhythm was found and we started to pull on. I must say enjoying ourselves greatly at the onslaught of cheers kept the pace going. Soon enough we were hopeful and got up to the point at which the spirit of Chartwell was moored tossing oars respectfully as we went past, we even had a little conversation with prince Charles who apparently could think of nothing better to ask us, the shivering blue lipped crew if it was “a little chilly” “errrrrrrrm yes?” in the grand scheme of royal lines Kate managed to trump him with a simple "hello", and William even wished us luck for the rest of the day it really makes you feel good to know that people can be polite!

Although eventually the boats had to be taken into tow due to some frankly awful mathematical calculations somewhere (yes, funnily enough if you have boats going at 4 knots they are going to be overtaken by boats going at 8 knots) and the freezing cold starting to set in towards the end. The day in general was enjoyed by all with plenty of support from everyone it was a great feeling everyone wants you to succeed.

As the final boats passed under Tower Bridge they let off fireworks from the top, which we missed as we were at the front of the flotilla but never the less would have been amazing to see! There was also lots of talk about the Jubilee Bells, which were afloat, to which we never saw or heard, due to the same reason of being at the front. Gee, we rowers just got all the best bits of this one!

By the end, a cold and rather bedraggled 4^th set of back to Streatham with the spoils of the day that were; jubilance and the need for a hot cup of tea. 

 It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and a great experience. Everyone who saw us said it was magnificent and I know it’s not something I’ll forget in a hurry.

The two crews for the pageant were:

"Thames Scout":
· Derek M (Sparks), - cox,
· Roy M. (Flags),
· Freddie K (Baloo),
· Nathan N (Rann),
· Jack S (Sona),
· Ewan B (Ko),
· Hugo C,
· Joshua J,
· Johnny P,
· Jake R.

"Marie Louise":
· Narden M, (Mowgli) - cox,
· Barbara P (Akela),
· Alex B (Trick),
· Jordan T (Sub),
· Huw F (Jaunty),
· Frankie P (Mysa),
· Alexander S-K.

HMS BRISTOL CAMP (JUNE 2012)

By Joe Collar

In half-term I went on a Sea Scout camp to HMS BRISTOLS, a Royal Navy training base situated in Portsmouth.  HMS Bristol is a decommissioned destroyer built in the mid 1960s.  It saw active service during the Falklands war.  It weighs over 7000 tons and can carry a crew of 397.


I have been a member of the 4^th Streatham Sea Scout group since May 2006 (I’ve been going for over half my life!).  I’ve learnt lots of skills- many of which came in handy on this trip. Harry, Ben, Lewis and Ewan also came on this trip.

When we arrived at the base we saw the HMS Bristol for the first time.  This was to be my home for the next week.  I was struck by how big it was compared to all the other boats in the harbour.  We were split into 6 “divisions” with Sea Scouts from all over England and Wales. We were assigned a “mess” which we would sleep in for the nine nights. We had lockers, and using my skill that I learnt from school, I organised all my kit into my locker. We each had to make a bed, and every night officers would inspect our rooms to make sure we were living under organised conditions and weren’t messy.

We were woken up on the first morning at 6:30 am, and I remembered I had been sleeping on a ship; the beds were surprisingly comfortable. The beds where also triple bunk beds! I made my bed the best I could to make sure I could have a good night’s sleep again.  We then had to get dressed into our uniform before we had a filling breakfast on the base, ready for the day’s activities.

Throughout the week, activities included:

• Kayaking on the Solent,
• Dingy Sailing, where I learnt to ‘catch the wind’
• Off Shore Yacht Sailing
• Codebreaking,
• Climbing (on a fancy mechanical treadmill-like climbing wall),
• Ropes,
• Power Boating on RIBS
• Navigation and Chart work at sea on one of the two "Fast Motor Launches" called Blue Swan and Black Swan
• A gruelling 9-mile expedition along the South Downs
• A reaction-testing device (you had to kick targets dotted around a room).
• A Trip to HMS Illustrious (a Invincible class light aircraft carrier)

My favourite was power boating; I even got to drive all the way over to the Isle of Wight! I felt responsible and was keeping my fingers crossed that I wouldn’t destroy a buoy or the boat itself!!!

My least favourite activity was the expedition. We were driven into the Hampshire countryside and had to navigate a course and answer questions about the surroundings and other things in general. We were given “ration packs” to carry all day which were about the size of a box of tissues, containing food that needed to be cooked over a stove, so we had to eat the revolting “pork sausage and beans” and other items cold. They also contained snacks, and people were gobbling Teriyaki beef jerky and Oreo cookies like it was the end of the world. On return to the base I climbed to my bunk with a gigantic sigh of relief.

Living on the ship was fun, and also quite challenging at times. It was difficult to sleep with air-conditioning pointing at me on the first night, so I adjusted it to dry laundry.

On the Friday morning the ship was swaying because of an aggressive storm (blowing a Force 8 on the Beaufort Scale), so aggressive that the gangplank to shore had to be closed off temporarily. That Friday night, we had a end of camp Disco.

The HMS Bristol summer camp was a once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity, which I would love to re-experience in the future.

ShelterBox Scavenger Hunt (MAY 2012)

By Luca Morris & Dylan John

Green Watch

On Saturday 19th May, 22 Cubs and 11 Scout from the 4th Streatham joined 378 other Cubs, Scouts and Explorers from across the country in the Shelterbox's London Scavenger Hunt.

I thought that the scavenger hunt was loads of fun because wherever we went we had a picture taken and I liked the quiz.

WE EVEN SAW PELICANS!!!!!!!!

We went to Buckingham Palace, the Mall and Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly, and Leicester Square, and finished in St James Park. Dylan, Nathaniel Adam and Andrew were in my group. Mowgli was our leader. Our team came 13th out of 38!

IT WAS GREAT FUN! I liked running round London & carrying our green flag. I liked the quiz too.

About Shelterbox...

Shelterbox aims to provide emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families around the world who are affected by disasters, at the time when they need it the most.


In the 11 years since ShelterBox was founded, they have responded to almost 200 natural or manmade disasters in over 75 different countries and provided lifesaving aid for well over one million people. 


Each large, green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and filtration equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items. 


Find out more on their website: http://www.shelterbox.org/

BNI Competition (MAY 2012)

By Joshua Joseph
(PL for FALCONS)

In May, 2 teams of Scouts from our group (and one team of Explorers from our group) went  to a competition called the BNI (Bloody Near Impossible) hoping to defend our 1^st place  trophies won by our group 2 years before.

Day one. The Arrival.

On Friday 4th we set off for a camping site called "Hamlet Wood" in Kent. Once we arrived we went to put up our tents. We tried to time ourselves as if it was one of the real competitive activities we had to do in order to win. We put up the tent in 37minutes and 37 seconds. After we put up our tents, we were invited to go for some food. When we got there, there were hot dogs and orange squash! When we tried to put our dining shelter up, one of the poles didn’t fit! Then we had to get creative, we tied two poles together with a sheer lashing. Eventually, it would stand up on it’s own so we could go to bed. We unpacked our bags and went to sleep.

Day two. Let the games begin!

Today we had many challenges in front of us. We had no idea of how hard or how easy things would be at each base. None the less, we were raring to go. First, we had to go to pioneering which we came first in. We made a bridge with a zip wire to get across. We put it up in 1 hour 37 minutes and put it down in 12! Then we rehearsed our performance for the next day.

Day Three. The rest of the Challenges.

This day was important; it was either win or loose, eat or be eaten. Our next activity was tent pitching and we were quite confident. At about 09:30hrs we started putting up the tent (storm haven with fly sheet). We put it up and down to  finished the base in  just 23 minutes! It was the best so far and it was the scout record! After that we felt indestructible. Next, we did the twig race. We tried our hardest and eventually pulled through. We also set the scout record for that at 6 minutes and 5*seconds!

Day Three. Drawing to a close.

After dinner we went to bed. After that, we went to do our performance. This was also one of the BNI challenges. Our performance was called the BNI factor. It was like Britain’s got talent. It was really cheesy (Purposely) and had acts that were meant to make people laugh. It was a success!

Day Four. The Conclusion.

After a long and tiresome weekend and having completed 10 different challenges over the weekend (problem solving, first aid, Leadership & Communication, Cooking among some of the other challenges not mentioned above) , everyone was eager to find out who won. But first the site had to be put away. We had to put down our tents and we did this like we put it up (Like a time trial). It didn’t take to long, about 10 minutes. Eventually, we finished packing up and it was time to find out who won. All the points have been counted and the scores have been set. 5^th Place… was our Starboard Team. 4^th place… wasn’t us. 3^rd place… wasn’t us. 2^nd place… wasn’t us. 1^st place………… The 4^th Stretham Port team!!! (And the crowd goes wild!) WE WON! We went to pick up the trophy and received it graciously. The Explorers also Won and retained the eBNI 1^st place trophy. Over all a great weekend for all the 4^th Streatham Sea Scout teams.  Then we went to get a picture of us and then we paraded around the camp site, ecstatic. It was great! The only down side after that, was that we had to do the toilets… But that didn’t take long, so then after we locked up we got in the van and headed for home.