Issue 108 Issue 108 October 2016 September 2016
From the Courtyard
FROM THE COURTYARD SAC SCOUTS NEWSLETTER
GSL’S NOTE In this issue Cubs.. The cubs do Halloween
Our Group Scout Leader tells us what’s on! Mission accomplished.
Scouts.. Against all odds
Ventures.. When the going gets tough...
The new addition to SAC HQ, set up and ready to receive guests during the group’s 100Year anniversary celebrations. Way back in 1983 when I joined our Group I never expected to be part of the Group thirty –three years later, let alone being Group Scout Leader and in charge of the Group’s 100th Anniversary celebrations. I started thinking about this two years ago when Fr Rector Jimmy Bartolo told me that the College will finally be passing on the room next door to us. When we realised what a daunting task getting the new room was going to be I started getting cold feet. Besides the financial aspect, I was afraid there won’t be the commitment required and I always told my fellow leaders that come what may, if we are going for this project it has to be ready for our 100th Anniversary. We finally put out minds, bodies and souls in this mission and I am proud to say we managed to get it done in time for our 100th Anniversary. I must admit it was not easy because there were various opinions amongst our leaders of how to go about reaching this objective but ultimately we focused on the common good. Accordingly, I must thank most leaders, rovers and unit and troop members that helped especially in the last few weeks to get all things in order. Many of them, spent long hours at our HQ, even through the night to get the place spick and span for the official celebrations on 15th October. The actual official celebrations for the 100th Anniversary were held on October 15th. For this occasion the Group invited H.E. the President of Malta Dr. Marie-Louise Colerio Preca. The event started off with a thanksgiving mass at the College chapel celebrated by Fr Rector Jimmy Bartolo, the Association’s Chaplain
From the Courtyard
GSL’S NOTE
Issue 108 September 2016
Fr Anton Briffa and three other Jesuits. Group members were responsible for the singing, bidding prayers and offerings. The celebrations then continued at the headquarters where on her arrival the President was greeted by myself and fellow leaders, Fr Rector, the Chief Scout Mr George Cassar and Chief Commissioner Mr Leslie Portelli. Speeches followed to mark the occasions by myself and the President who gave a very encouraging message to all members and augured all the best for the next one hundred years. A plaque was then unveiled by the President to mark this historic milestone. The final chapter for the occasion was a gangshow at the college theatre very ably organised by Mark Cassola and Andre Brincat. It was a fun filled packed event where all sections contributed in singing, dancing and acting making this a truly Group event. All parents and friends that filled the theatre enjoyed it greatly and I am sure many will remember it for a long time. From here on, it is basically, carrying on with what we do best. Scouting for members using traditional methods and projecting our experiences ensuring we keep the spirit alive.
GSL’s note
Once again, thanks to all those that contributed in some way to achieving so many targets this year.
Thanksgiving mass underway in the St Aloysius college chapel. 2
GSL’s note
From the Courtyard
Issue 108 September 2016
GSL’S NOTE
Address by H.E. the President of Malta Dr. Marie-Louise Colerio Preca following the unveiling of a commemorative plaque.
T-Shirts New stock of activity t-shirts has arrived and are available for sale at €10 each.
Edward Cassola Group Scout Leader St Aloysius College Scout Group
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From the Courtyard
THE CUBS DO HALLOWEEN
Issue 108 September 2016
The Cubs had a super spoooooooooky & awesome time at this year's Halloween Party !!!! The end of October was with us already and it was time to plan and prepare the Pack's Halloween Party for 2016. The date was set for the meeting of the 26th of October and the Cubs were informed to come dressed in costume if they liked. Being the newest of the leaders of the pack, it was my turn this year to organise the party. With the help of other Pack Leaders preparations began for a super-fun-filled party.
The Cubs arrived at HQ all excited and dressed up in a variety of scary and funny costumes such as: Zombies, Ninjas and Morph Man. After Fall-in, the Pack was divided into three groups and sent off to do
From the Pack
Games, Activities or Crafts.
Kaa and his monsters ready to have fun! Rama, Kaa and Baloo organised the following games; Ghost Bowling, Apple Bobbing Relay Race, Wrap a Mummy and Ghost Sack Race. They had a superb time playing these four games. Akela, Blue Smoke and Hawk Eye were treating the Cubs to four different activities in our new troop room perfectly decorated for Halloween. The Cubs really enjoyed the 'Pick the Brains' activity where they had put their hand in a box full of brains and search through them to find the sweets. They also enjoyed guessing how many sweets there were in a jar, searching for bones to put a skeleton back together and playing a Halloween memory game.
At the Craft Station, Raksha, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi and Hathi helped the Cubs make some crafts to take home. These were: Mr Skeleton & Mummy Jars.
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From the Courtyard
Issue 108 September 2016
THE CUBS DO HALLOWEEN
At the end of our party we feasted on some food, drinks and sweets and enjoyed the last half an hour of the party together. Before it was time to go, we had our final Fall-in and the Cubs were each given a
From the Pack
goody-bag, their mummy jars and their skeletons to take home with them !
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Spooky Mummy Jars and Skeletons! All in all, we had a super, spooky time and cannot wait for our next Halloween Party in a years' time !!!
Nicole Mifsud - Hathi Cub Leader
Cub Craft and costumes
From the Courtyard
AGAINST ALL ODDS
Issue 108 September 2016
From the Troop
The Troop ventured towards our sister island for the yearly Bulwark Expedition, traditionally characterised by weather which is less than ideal. This year, they may have gotten more than they bargained for!
Group photo of all the SAC members, unit, troop & leaders, with the Swieqi Rangers who accompanied us. With the wind howling outside, the SAC troop gathered in the Cirkewwa ferry terminal building, awaiting the trip to Gozo. The excitement was palpable. The crossing was sure to be rough and the activity was going to be a new experience for many. But there was a moue of disappointment as word came out that the ferry service was going to be suspended due to bad weather. Reverting to Plan B, the troop leaders stated getting things organised to transport the troop back to HQ, with the assistance of some very helpful, and very patient parents, who stuck out the waiting game with us! As soon as we were about to leave, however, another bit of news sped through the terminal… a ferry had departed from Gozo, meaning that it would definitely return, as the ferries do not berth at Cirkewwa. In a flash, everything was reversed. The leaders with cars rushed out into the vehicle queue to try and get through the melee of vehicles that had lost all sense of organisation, as drivers desperately tried to wedge their way onto what everybody feared would be, the final ferry of the night. In the meantime, the SPL and scout leaders that were accompanying the troop on foot got everything ready and waited in earnest for the ferry to dock. Fortunately we all made it onto the same ferry, but Murphy’s law wasn’t done with us yet. The moment we got off the ferry it started raining. And the precise moment that we got to the hall where we were spending the first night, the rain stopped, allowing us to go outside again and shake water off our raincoats! The weather, and the threat of the ferry not working the next morning, preventing other
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From the Courtyard
AGAINST ALL ODDS
Issue 108 September 2016
leaders with supplies from reaching us, were problems that we had to sort out that evening, but after the stress of actually getting to our sister island, these problems were more like small teething issues that could easily be addressed by our contingency plans. We basically all felt that if we made it past this hurdle, nothing was going to stop us now! And, it turned out to be true to a certain extent. I’m sure a brick to the face would have stopped most people in their tracks, but thankfully we didn’t have to deal with that, and the whole weekend proceeded with much success. It was a fun, competitive and challenging weekend that the scouts handled with remarkable aplomb. In some cases, the leaders in their safety cars were only just ahead of the patrols on foot, so effective was their mapping and understanding of when and where to use country lanes. And there was ample opportunity to do so as a few of the checkpoints took the boys to some of the most beautiful, and remote, parts of Gozo’s north coast. The view from Isopu Tower for example, was just stunning, with the sea whipped up to a frenzied foam of
From the Troop
white waves, crashing on the shores of Dahlet Qorrot below us.
The view from Checkpoint 4: Isopu Tower, on Saturday. The tower can be seen at the far right of the picture. The wind died down during the second night, when we were camping out, a most fortunate event, as trying to get some sleep in a tent that is flapping for all its worth is quite a tall order for most people! Although there are those, whom everybody envies, who can apparently sleep through anything. To add insult to injury, these individuals tend to be the loudest snorers, just to make it that much more difficult for those of us who are light sleepers to get some shut eye.
The Bullaloes (Buffalo & Bull patrols merged) and the Wolves happy with their sleeping arrangements.
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From the Courtyard
AGAINST ALL ODDS
Issue 108 September 2016
All in all, this has to be one of the most successful Bulwark expeditions in recent history. Nobody got utterly lost, we were on time like clockwork and nobody grew desperately homesick, or just sat down at the side of the road and gave up on life after their blisters grew blisters. Bulwark is always the most anticipated activity on the Troop’s calendar, and we’re already looking forward to the 2017 edition! Andrew Agius
From the Troop
Troop Assistant Leader
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From the Courtyard
WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH...
Issue 108 September 2016
We will get to Gozo... Against All Odds! Our Unit were invited to join in the fun during this year’s Bulwark expedition. We should have known. The weather reports told us for a whole week before.. our parents questioned our sanity at WANTING to go anyway... the total mess of sea water, broken bus stops and debris littering the roads towards Cirkewwa were an obvious sign.. but we pushed on, because we were going to Gozo, Against All Odds! And so we assembled at Cirkewwa, along with the brave scouts from the Troop and the Rangers from 8 th Swieqi Unit. All were excited and eager to go, but apprehensive at the thought of crossing the stormy channel. And then the ferry was cancelled! Bits and pieces of information started flooding in about what was going on... the ship had run aground, 4
From the Unit
storey high waves had swept the crew away, the Kraken had risen in the channel.. luckily all these were figments of scout imagination and, just as the Leaders had convened and decided to call off the activity, Gozo Channel announced that the ferry boat was on its way to pick us from Malta. It was ON! When the boat arrived it was a welcome sight, battling the strong current it slowly edged to the jetty where it raised the ramp for all of us to go aboard. Oddly enough, the trip across to Gozo was very calm, despite the really strong winds outside. Mother Nature however still had a few surprises for us as just as our brave hikers stepped off the ferry boat... it started raining. Heavily. All the way up to Ghajnsielem, where it waited until the last one of us entered the shelter of Fondazzjoni Arka’s hall. And then it stopped! After all that excitement, the rest of the evening seemed quite uneventful as the Unit prepared their equipment and gave some tips to the younger scouts as to how to pack their rucksacks. Having come up to Gozo so late, it was soon time to go to sleep as we all settled down in one huge snoring slumber. We woke up on Saturday morning to a very strong gale force wind. This didn’t bid well but unabated we all had a quick breakfast and gathered with our kit out in the street. Surely enough, it immediately started raining, so giving up all hope, our valiant Ventures donned their rain jackets and ponchos and headed off to their first checkpoint, taking the lead for yet another great expedition. The route of the first leg of the day took the boys and girls from Ghajnsielem to Hondoq ir Rummien, Qala Church and Isopu Tower. Here, all participants found some cover out
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From the Courtyard
THE TOUGH GET GOING!
Issue 108 September 2016
of the wind and took the opportunity to cook lunch which was Hotdogs. Moving on, the Ventures, Scouts and Guides headed down towards Ramla il Hamra where they experienced the real force of the wind which was blowing fine jets of sand and sea spray into everybody’s faces. This did not seem to deter our intrepid Ventures who arrived at the checkpoint leisurely strolling along the menacing beach. Next, all teams had to climb up towards Xaghra where they would find the sleeping
From the Unit
site for the day in fact it was quite unusual for the hike to finish so soon, however none of he participants complained as this would
Ventures at ir-Ramla l-Hamra
mean getting out of the rain and wind. One by one as the patrols arrived, they immediately got to work to set up the tents in which they would sleep safely through the night. Once this as done, the scouts and Ventures finally had some tome to socialise with our prettier friends from the Swieqi Rangers. Soon it was getting dark, so we found the shelter of a neighbouring farmhouse in which all the teams cooked their different pasta meals. Tired from the day’s exertions, after having eaten and done their duties all the teams headed back to their tents while a few indefatigable ones stayed on to chat outside. During the night many of us woke up to the surprising stillness of the night and went back to sleep happily, knowing that the gale had died out and nothing would disturb us any longer. On Sunday morning we were awoken by the beautiful sound of birds... being shot at! Hunters in nearby fields kept pumping shots into the air and, thinking we were in Afghanistan, we all hastily woke up and got out of our tents to an otherwise beautiful fresh morning. Knowing we had a tight schedule for the day ahead we all mucked in to strike camp and prepared to leave. The Venture Unit took a little bit longer to get started and thus ended up having to skip breakfast not to be left behind. This was no problem for them since, against all odds, they managed to prepare and eat their Nutella sandwiches while walking, and even
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From the Courtyard
WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH...
Issue 108 September 2016
caught up with two patrols in the meantime! The first checkpoint for the day was Ta Hamet church where our boys heard mass. Here we also had our customary group photo taken by the mysterious Gozitan Times of Malta photographer who always seems to find us at some point of the expedition! Shortly after, our Ventures took off for the next checkpoint which was Ta Cenc where we enjoyed the view while having Timpana for lunch. Right after lunch, the Unit moved off to Mgarr ix Xini bay, for this tract of the hike they were accompanied by Nicole our new Cub Leader, who felt like walking. The walk down to Mgarr ix Xini was quite easy but this was followed by the steepest of climbs as the Unit chose to climb up the opposing cliff to shorten the walk to Fort Chambray by about an hour or so! At Fort Chambray the Unit was glad to hear that it was the last checkpoint and they could proceed on to Mgarr Harbour. As one by one all the patrols arrived at the Harbour it was soon time to board the ship, and right on time, since against all odds, the last group of participants, the Rangers entered the Terminal while the ferry was
From the Unit
already loading! All in all this activity was a great opportunity to practice some real scouting resourcefulness. The Venture Unit would like to thank all the Troop Leaders for their invitation to take part once again. All participants thoroughly enjoyed the experience and are all looking forward to next year’s challenge. Andre Brincat Venture Scout Leader
Here’s what two of our participating Ventures had o say about the activity:
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From the Courtyard
THE TOUGH GET GOING!
Issue 108 September 2016
Daniel Pace This year, Bulwark was a blast, better than last year since we ventures had to team up with the rangers. On Friday we met at 7.30 but it took us 2 hrs to depart from Malta to Gozo due to the horrible weather. Fortunately, we all arrived in one piece to our sleeping location and we finally slept. Next day we woke up had breakfast and left at 9.00. At 12.00 we ate hotdogs and at 3:00 we arrived at the sleeping location. Everyone including us had used a lot of footpaths throughout the expedition. Also on the day it was raining till the evening. At the end of the day we cooked Pasta with tomato sauce and finally we slept in our hike tents. On Sunday, we woke up lately in the morning, so we didn’t have time for breakfast. So ironically we had it while we were walking. One used the butter knife while someone else held the jug of Nutella. By noon we were on our way back and we had timpana for lunch. After two more checkpoints we arrived at Mgarr and returned to Malta at 3:00 in the evening. During Bulwark 2016 us Ventures always did very well in the tests and checkpoints, like last year. I hope I
From the Unit
will attend next year’s Bulwark 2017.
Daniel Mallia We met as a group at Cirkewwa. The scheduled boat was cancelled due to stormy weather and wind. Eventually a boat was able leave the port and we were headed to Gozo. With our great luck came rain of course! As soon as we got off of the boat rain started drizzling and it only stopped as soon as we arrived at our sleeping destination. Our leaders went to pick up our pizzas that were ordered from the boat and soon enough we all had satisfied stomachs. The next morning we woke up and had breakfast. Later on we packed and were given our checkpoint paper. Without any surprise, us, the ventures were the first to leave and first to arrive at our sleeping destination in the evening. Our tents came up quickly and the rest of the day was easy going and cold. The next morning breakfast wasn't all that pleasing. With a little bit of humor, we managed to spread nutella on our bread whilst walking to our first checkpoint of the day. As soon as we arrived we listened to Sunday mass at a small chapel. Again we were on our way and before we knew it we had finished Bulwark '16. It was a great experience overall, as is every year, and we are all looking forward to next year’s adventure!!
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