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www.thevillagenews.co.za
10 March 2021
Busy weekend for Hermanus Scouts Writer & Photographer Taylum Meyer
T
he 1st Hermanus Sea Scouts had their first big meet this past weekend after the Covid-19 regulations were relaxed to Level 1. The troop took part in the Tide Turners Plastic Challenge which is a global initiative developed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), adopted by the World Scout Organisation as an integral component of its Earth Tribe Initiative. This challenge helps the youngsters understand the impact that people have on the planet when it comes to plastic use and how you can promote a clean, healthy planet that will contribute to a more sustainable world. The Hermanus Scouts decided to clean the area behind Hermanus Animal Welfare that is used to walk the dogs after their Troop Leader, Felix le Roux adopted a dog from HAWS and saw how much litter there was. On Friday afternoon the Scouts, armed with black bags and gloves, set about clearing the area with the help of Felix, Wepener van der Walt (Assistant Troop Leader) and friend of the Scouts, Mark Easter (also an ex-Scout). They managed to clean half of the area over two hours, collecting 27 black bags and one big bag, before their time ran out
for the day. They plan to go back another day to finish the job. Once they had taken all the bags back to the welfare’s offices, the Scouts were treated to some water and a snack bag from HAWS as a thank you for their fantastic work. The cleared area will now be much safer for both the dogs and their walkers. The Scouts were busy once again on Saturday as 18-year-old James le Roux completed his last requirement for the Springbok Scout Award, which is the highest award achievable by any Scout in South Africa. This must occur before the applicant’s 18th birthday in order for him/her to qualify, but due to Covid-19, an exception was made for James. The final requirement James needed to complete for the award was the Pioneering Project in which he had to build ‘an appropriately scaled model (1:10 or 1:20) of a proposed pioneering project’ that he had not built before; and to train ten Scouts and lead them in the building of the project. As there were not enough older Scouts (16-17 years) in the Hermanus troop to assist James, several Scouts from a troop in Somerset West drove through on Saturday to assist James and his team. They started at 06:30 and had until 19:00 to complete the structure. Although James and his team ran out of time before they could complete the build, they learnt much through the
process and had a lot of fun doing it! Scouting helps children and young adults develop leadership abilities, teamwork skills, self-motivation, commitment, perseverance, environmental and cultural awareness, and strong values. These are just some of the life skills that Scouts acquire while having fun and learning by doing. According to Scouts South Africa, positive peer pressure and outdoor activities all contribute to individuals growing up with the belief that they can and are changing the world in order to leave it a better place than how they found it. If you would like to get involved in Scouts, they are looking for a responsible female leader to join the troop, to become a role model for their female Scouts and assist them in regularly facilitating their Scouting activities (such as camping, hiking, first aid, etc.). Contact Wepener for more information on 082 468 7393. If you are interested in enrolling your child (between 11 and 18 years) in Hermanus Sea Scouts, visit www.facebook.com/1sthermanus/ for more information or contact 073 273 3624. The Scouts normally meet every Friday from 19:00 – 21:00 during the government academic term at the Scout Hall (between Hoy's Koppie and Hermanus High School in Scout Lane).
ABOVE: The Hermanus Sea Scouts embarked on a large clean-up project behind HAWS on Friday where they collected over 27 bags of litter. LEFT: James le Roux (18) and his team of ten Scouts between the ages of 16 and 17 years spent the whole of Saturday building James’s structure for his Pioneering Project, one of the requirements for the Springbok Scout Award.
