The Eagle Eye - Issue 2

I ssue 2 January 2017

Bukit Panjang Eagl eScout Group Newsl etter

THE

EAGLE EYE

EDITOR'S FOREW ORD

Hello, welcome back to a brand new school term!

In this second issue of The Eagle Eye, we will be going over what Bukit Panjang Eagle Scout Group has done for the previous year.

Whether you are looking forward to be a Scout, finding out about Scouting, or you are a parent who is interested in learning more about us, this booklet is meant to help you! Our Scout Group has had a long history in the Scouting World!

Founded by Mr. Tan Lian Huat, our first Group Scout Leader, we have been in motion, seeking to accomplish our mission, since 1958. Part of being a Scout involves "... contributing to the education of young people, through a value system based on the Scout Promise and Law..." This process involves teaching different forms of life skills that one would need to become a responsible young adult who is productive and successful in their own right, playing an active role in our society.

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I ssu e 2 January 2017

EAGLE EYE A dv i sors Jonat han Loh Cheryl Lim Ignat ius Sim

Edi tors Jeremy Wong Nicholas Toh Wong Ying

Being in the Scout troop for my 5th year and counting, I have learnt many things such as leadership skills and Scouting skills.

Scouting has not only taught me skills, it also developed me into a better person. As scouts, we not only train ourselves in scouting skills, we also give back to the community by collaborating with Lam Soon Community Centre in events such as a '1000 Cans' initiative where we go around the neighborhood collecting canned foods and distribute to the less fortunate. Scouting also involves many national and area events in which many scouts from Singapore can participate in. This allows us to make friends from all parts of Singapore! The most recent national event is the National Patrol Camp where Scout troops from all over Singapore came together at the Sarimbun Scout Campsite to compete for the best patrol. This event was not only a competition but also a camp to let the scouts make new friends. Quoted from the Scout hymn, "To be the best, the best that i can be." , this aspired me to do my best in everything I do! May you enjoy the following pages we have thoughtfully curated! Happy Scouting!

Contri buti ng Wri ters and Ph otograph ers

Yours-in-Scouting,

Tey Zi Pin

Jeremy Wong

Pang Yao Ming

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Samuel Yeow Ang Jia Wei Ong Wei Xiang Oon Jie Rui Nicholas Toh Ken Yeo Clement Tony Chew

CONTENTS 04 Secon dar y 1 Or ien tation Cam pfir e 05 Fou n der s' Day @ SP 06 An n u al M ar ch Scou ts an d Gu ides Cam p Sol ar is 07 H an dover Cer em on y 08 Ven tu r e Fou n dation Cou r se 09 After l igh t H om ecom in g Din n er 10 58th Cam pfir e After l igh t 11 W est Ar ea BBQ 12 Nigh t H ik e 13 Nation al Patr ol Cam p 14 Rover Expedition 15 M eet th e Team <ISSUE2>THEEAGLEEYE- 3

SECONDARY1 ORIENTATIONCAMPFIRE The Secondary 1 Orientation Campfire is the first campfire of the year. Planned and organised by the Scouts and Guides, this campfire marks the end of the Sec 1 orientation programme and the start of the academic year for the Sec 1s. Being part of the planning committee, I was in charge of the gateway. I learnt the importance of adapting to changes quickly, as halfway through the planning process, some unexpected changes rendered my plans impractical. Nevertheless, the gateway was done in time with the help of the committee and advisors. Similarly, during the campfire, I also observed the need to adapt quickly. Delays and minor problems that were overlooked arose, but were quickly addressed.

The sight of the programme department communicating efficiently backstage to ensure that the campfire ran smoothly was heartwarming. A month of hard work by the committee was worth the joyous faces of students and parents. I hope the new batch of Sec 1s have enjoyed the campfire programme as well as the time spent with their classmates that evening. Looking forward to the next campfire!

Samuel Yeow Senior Patrol Leader

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FOUNDERS' DAY@SP For this year's Founders' Day celebration, the west area committee organised an orienteering competition at Singapore Polytechnic for the scouts section. This was the first west area event since the district system was dropped last year and hence there were many more units competing compared to what we were used to. I remember hilariously getting lost inside Singapore Polytechnic before the event even started. Pretty ironic considering it was a competition where we were supposed to find our way around.

My patrol started off well enough. We managed to solve the riddle and find the coordinates of the first checkpoint. However on the second checkpoint we plotted wrongly and somehow ended up outside Singapore Polytechnic. But we recovered quickly from that and managed to find the next few checkpoints easily. After the last checkpoint we had only three minutes left so we ran all the way back to the starting line. We made it just in time.

Even though we didn't win any prizes it was a great experience to be able put into practice the orienteering theory I been learning for the past 4 years. I enjoyed working together with my patrol especially since it was my last Founders' Day. At the end of the event all the scouts sang the scout hymn together which made me feel proud to be a scout.

Ang Jia Wei Patrol Leader

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CAMPSOLARIS

?Fall in!? This was a phrase commonly heard during the 3D2N annual Scouts and Guides March Camp, to get the campers to gather. This camp serves as an orientation for the newly recruited Secondary One Scouts and Guides, and never fails to bring enjoyment and unforgettable experiences to each and every camper. Being a senior, I was expected to look after the younger and inexperienced campers in my patrol. This gave me an opportunity to exhibit my leadership and communication qualities to the members of my patrol, and eventually earn their respect. Through fun-filled and challenging activities such as the Archery Tag and Amazing Bike Race, I feel that I was able to step out of my comfort zone to encounter eye-opening experiences. The most exciting event of the camp would be the campfire organized by the Secondary 3 Scouts and Guides.

As the Programme IC, it was heart-warming to watch the emcees and game masters successfully carry out the campfire programme that was worked on for months. The hardships that the committee faced during the campfire, such as delay in timings, were nerve-wracking, but thanks to the committee?s quick-thinking, they were swiftly taken care of and the campfire participants could be seen having a whale of a time, with everyone beaming a smile of exuberance. All in all, the 2016 March Camp left me with the greatest impact as compared to the other camps, and I believe this will also be a good experience for future seniors.

Ong Wei Xiang

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Patrol Leader

HANDOVERCEREMONY The atmosphere that surrounded us as we stood at attention as Handover began was tense and filled with anticipation, everyone hoping that they would be conferred the rank and position of their choice. Despite going through the Handover Ceremony twice before, I was terrified.

Soon, we were each called out to receive our new appointment and rank, and as we saw our friends march pass one by one, the realisation dawned upon us that we had finally become the seniors and for better or worse, had to lead the rest of the troop. And as the ceremony ended, emotions ran high. Everybody was cheering, the Sec 2s and 3s happy to be promoted while the Sec 4s glad to be finally relieved of their duties. As a sort of ?parting gift? the Sec 3s also bought an Oreo Cheesecake and as we ate, we talked, and as we talked, we celebrated. For myself, in the joy of the moment there was also confusion. The new workload frightened me as much as the prospect of success thrilled me.

I looked around at the other Sec 3s who were not merely CCA mates, but also my friends who had gone through the tough times with me since joining scouts and I saw the determination in their eyes amidst the celebration. And I thought, ?We can actually make this work?.

Oon Jie Rui Troop Leader

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VENTUREFOUNDATIONCOURSE The Venture Foundation Course is an event that let me dip my feet into the world of Venturing. It taught me the fundamentals of being a Venture and what I should expect in the future being one. Each of our patrols was tasked with producing an activity which all other patrols had to partake in. We would have to teach the other patrols how to tie a knot, or set a map. What I learned is the art of teaching, for the purpose of a Venture is to guide and teach the Scouts. I also had fun as one lucky group was to plan games. However, I think the most important thing I gained from this event, is friendship. For I have made countless friends whom have shared their scouting experiences with me, and that is the most precious thing to me that I have learnt, to make friends.

Nicholas Toh, Venture Scout

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HOMECOMINGDINNER It was the first ever homecoming dinner organised by BPESG with the intention to gather old scouts from all batches for a reunion dinner filled with fun and laughter. At the same time, strengthening the fellowship between our units. It was my honour to be given this chance to plan the event. The planning was not easy as everything was planned from scratch, from the seating plan to the execution of the event. Also, we didn't have any platform to reach out to those scouts from early batches, so we had to send out emails and patiently wait for their replies. However, the dinner was a great success as old scouts from the 1960s batch turned up for the dinner. I believe the night made all BPESG Scouts a family again and gave all scouts a chance to come together and share their memorable scouting stories.

In the end, the positive responses received and smiles on all the scouts' faces made all the hard work worth it. May the brotherhood last a lifelong time!

Wong Ying Venture Scout

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58THCAMPFIRE This year, BPESG along with the Girl Guides hosted their first campfire for scout troops only and seven different schools' scout troops were invited to join us. Preparation for the campfire started at the start of the year, giving us slightly more than six months to prepare for this event. A lot of effort was put in by the scouts and guides to put up the amazing performances, act out the script, build the campfire pit and not forgetting the very unique gateway necessary for every campfire.

On the very night, weather was good and all our effort was put into good use. Things went smoothly with the help of the Rovers and the best of all the hype of the audience. The scouts from other school were so participative and made the campfire really awesome and fun for both the emcees and the whole crowd. That night was brilliant!

As the Programme-in-Charge for this campfire, I was proud of my team and really grateful to them and the people from other departments for making this campfire a success. The crazy loud cheers during the campfire itself and the good feedback, Instagram posts after the campfire made all our hard work and effort worth it. It was the best reward that the planning team could receive.

Hopefully there will be another campfire like this next year!

Cheryl Lim Venture Scout

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WEST AREABBQ As you grow older, the amount of free time you have to meet up with your friends grows to be inversely proportional to the increasing commitments & responsibility you bear.

The V&R BBQ provides me with an opportunity to make time for that day and meet up with my fellow scout mates in the troop and from different areas.

Furthermore, it allows me to exchange and chat about our life experience and address issues if the need arises.

Free advice & consultation from your various Rovers alongside with great food with great company. What more can your ask for on a Saturday evening?

Ken Yeo, Rover Scout

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NIGHT HIKE

My group had to start hiking from our school at night to the Singapore Flyer at sunrise.

During the hike, my group had short but frequent water breaks in order to preserve our energy to continue hiking. We took turns to use the map and lead the way to the next checkpoint, so as to not leave anyone out and give everyone a chance. We went through many difficult situations, such as accidentally walking into an expressway and having to backtrack a long way. However, my group was optimistic about completing the hike at sunrise, which we did in the end.

It was definitely very tiring but fulfilling to complete the hike as I played a part in helping our group by finding our way to the first checkpoint. From this hike, I learnt more about orienteering, having good communication, and being able to persevere during difficulties. I would take part in the hike again as it was a great learning experience and improved the bonds between members of our troop.

Tony Chew and Clement Tan Scout and Assistant Secretary

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NATIONAL PATROL CAMP The national patrol camp was a challenging and competitive camp. It allowed scouts from different schools to display their scouting skills and learn from one another. It was a 5D4N camp where all patrols representing their schools set up their campsites and prepared for various assessments on their scouting skills. Our patrol spent months preparing for this camp as we strived to attain the gold award.

Throughout the camp, we had to overcome many challenges like the poor weather and time constrain.

Lightning showers happened often during the camp which hindered our progress, leaving us pressed for time. We learnt to take things in our stride by adjusting our plans for campsite development to score as much as we could during the day 4 assessment. There were many times when fatigue made us lose the drive and will to complete our work. However, we learnt to support one another and completed our work with determination. We also learnt to face all difficulties with a positive attitude throughout the camp as there were many times where we faced a lot of problems. For example, during day 1, we had to get the shelters up due to iminent rain. We did not falter in face of it but instead doubled up our speed to get our shelters erected. All these challenges that we encountered during day 1 did not dampen our spirits. Instead, we faced it positively by working harder to redeem ourselves in the following days of judging. The camp was certainly one of the most memorable ones as we reaped the fruits of our months of hard work and discovered the true meaning of scouting. Zi Pin Quartermaster

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ROVEREXPEDITION

Our Rover and Venture units participated in the Rover Expedition from 10th to 16th December this past year, where they travelled to Sa Pa, Vietnam for an eye-opening experience as they took on Mount Fansipan, also known as the ?Roof of Indochina? for being the highest point in the Indochina region.

It was an exhausting trek up the mountain that stood 3.14 kilometres tall for the six of our Ventures and Rovers, and even with a whole day, we were only able to reach base camp at 2.8 kilometres above sea level at dusk. However, the sights along the way were truly breathtaking, as we trekked to well above cloud level, where the views were indeed spectacular. At base camp, we settled in for a cold night, as is typical for weather in mountainous regions, to catch some sleep before tackling the rest of the climb to the summit the next morning.

We constantly had to watch our step as climbing a mountain is no easy task! But the rest of the climb yielded more fantastic views for us of the mountainside scenery. Our Ventures and Rovers took the whole of the second morning to finally ascend to the summit of Mount Fansipan, and we were all tired but truly felt an immense sense of accomplishment for having conquered Fansipan.

The rest of the second day was spent descending down the mountain to a rest point at 1.5 kilometres, when we had to watch our step even more because of the nature of descending.

There, we shared in the warmth of a campfire before settling in for another chilly night. The third day was spent descending down the rest of the mountain before hiking to Sin Chai Village, where we homestayed over in one of houses of the Hmong ethnic group that comprised the village?s population. Along the way and also in the village, we were met with the sights, sounds and experiences of a rural way of life, vastly different from the hustle and bustle of city life. Everything was much more relaxed and that really gave us the chance to enjoy the farmland scenery, which is totally unlike anything that can be found back home in Singapore.

Our host was very hospitable to us and after dinner, we talked to each other about our experiences over another fire, this time built in a hearth. The warmth of the fire brought us simple happiness as we chatted long into the night, before we went to bed. Such simple joy, also brought on by spending the night in a proper house, really made us appreciate the simple things in life and reinforced the idea that while one should strive for more if one so desires, he or she should also be thankful for what they have.

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Rover Scout

MEET THETEAM H O L N A H JONAT JEREMYWONG

H O T S A L O H C NI Cheryl Lim & WONGYING Ignatius Sim <ISSUE2>THEEAGLEEYE- 15

Bukit PanjangEagl eScout Group Bukit PanjangGovernemt HighSchool 7 ChoaChuKangAvenue4, Singapore689809 Email : bpesg58@gmail .com W eb: bpeagl es.org Facebook: tinyurl .com/bpeagl es