Issue 115 Issue 1152017 June June 2017
From the Courtyard
From The Courtyard SAC SCOUTS NEWSLETTER
GSL’S NOTE In this issue GSL’s Note - Newsletter throwback
Cubs.. - Safety at Sea - Testing Teamwork
Our GSL tells us what’s on! As we expected, June was a quiet month for most sections due to exams. This being said, plans for our Group summer camp, annual fundraising pasta night, the Venture Unit trip to Sicily other events are well underway. In spite of the weak attendances in the last weeks, leaders are continuously meeting to plan events and activities and dedicating a lot of their personal time to the group in order to ensure that we have a great summer.
Scouts.. - Operation Dlam Cappa
Ventures.. - Letting off Steam
Pasta Night – 29th July I would like to urge all members and parents and friends, as well as former scouts to join us on Saturday 29th July at our Annual Pasta Night. As usual, this fundraiser will be held in the College car park and further information regarding prices and bookings may be found on our Facebook page.
Rovers..
Please do not leave booking until the last minute as we can cater for a maximum of 250 pax as we are usually are fully booked a week in advance! Maintenance at HQ
Coming up
During the summer months we also try and take the opportunity to carry out some odd jobs here and
Pasta Night—29 July
there on equipment (tents, benches, tables & kitchen equipment) and the premises itself. We’d like troop members to help out when asked as much as the Unit and Crew members do regularly (well at least most of them J). It seems to have become a trend nowadays that some scouts are averse to hard work and think that things happen on their own. Our Newsletter, The Courtyard – Interesting Fact. Sometimes things pass us by so quickly that we hardly notice time pass and the work we have done over the years. The first newsletter was issued in August 2005. Thanks to the dedication of a handful of people the newsletter is in its twelfth year. We never stopped preparing it and disseminating to
From the Courtyard
GSL’S NOTE / NEWSLETTER THROWBACK
Issue 115 June 2017
members and former members and I think this is a milestone we should be proud of. As a matter of fact, if one were to think about it in terms of age, our newsletter is older than our cubs and some scouts. We are not sure if it is read or not or if others find it interesting or appealing and whether readers find it as informative as much as we hope it would be. To this end we’d like members and other readers to provide us with their opinions and comments so we can gauge the effectiveness of our newsletters. In the meantime, allow me delve into the past and take an excerpt of the July-August 2007 issue which happened to be issued during the 100th year celebration of Scouting in the World.
From Issue 20 of the Courtyard 2007—10 years Ago. “Crew @ Scouting Sunrise by Timmy Zammit (RCC)
Feature of the Month
‘Scouting Sunrise’ was an activity organised locally by the Scout Association of Malta to commemorate the 100 years of scouting around the world. Activities similar to this were held all over the world, as scouts from around the globe watched the sun rise over the second century of scouting. In Malta activities on the Granaries (Floriana) started on Tuesday 31/07/2007 in the afternoon when Groups were invited to set‐up stands about their Groups. The activity was officially opened by the Chief Scout who sounded the kudu‐horn, just as Baden Powell when he declared the experimental camp at Brownsea Island officially open way back in 1907. A campfire was held whilst contact was made with a number of different associations from around the world through the use of the internet and wireless radio. The following day, at around 0445hrs, all those present made their way down to the Grand Harbour breakwater in order to watch sunrise. Prayers were said there in a number of different languages prior to walking back to the Granaries were a prayer service was held in the presence of the Archbishop of Malta Mons. Paul Cremona. The closing ceremony for ‘Scouting Sunrise’ was held soon after and was attended by the President of Malta H.E. Dr. Edward Fenech Adami, Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Tonio Borg, Minister responsible for Education Dr. Louis Galea, members of the Girl Guide Movement, scouts from a number of countries as well as ex members of the scout movement and the general public. The preparations for this event went some four months back and were led by the Chief Scout Vincent Cassar himself assisted by George Mangion (Birkirkara Scout Group). In true Rovering spirit, members of the SAC Rover Crew were involved in the organisation and running of this event. Timmy Zammit was responsible for the first aid cover offered during the event. Pierre Sant was a member of the IT team, that was responsible for establishing contact via the internet with a number of different associations around the world. Andre Brincat and Matthew Zarb were involved as story tellers during the event, whilst Andrew Agius helped out in the translations into Maltese of the information packs distributed during the event and at the Information Desk during the event itself. Another member of the Crew, Kyle Mangion, helped out members of the Troop and Unit in the setting up of the Group’s stand on the Granaries. ‘Scouting Sunrise’ which was attended by scouts from all over Malta & Gozo as well as by scouts from the United Kingdom, Italy and Bosnia was deemed a huge success by all those attending
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From the Courtyard
NEWSLETTER THROWBACK
Issue 115 June 2017
it. Preparations will soon be underway for activities commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Scout
Feature of the Month
Association of Malta. “
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The 2007 Rover Crew and GLS Edward Cassola. Fun Fact—all members pictured here still contribute to the group in one way or another.
From the Courtyard
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PASTA NIGHT
Issue 115 June 2017
From the Courtyard
SAFETY AT SEA
Issue 115 June 2017
The heat has descended upon our islands and it looks like it’s here to stay! We all know that the best way to cool off is to jump into the sea, so our Cub leaders put together an informative
From the Pack
session, teaching cubs how to be safe by the sea.
In preparation for summer, one of our Cub meetings in June was all about ‘Safety at Sea’! Together with the Cubs we discussed the meaning of the term ‘Safety at Sea’ and discussed ways in which we could keep safe while at the beach. The Cubs also had a quiz at the end of the session to test their knowledge about what was discussed. Important points we learnt from our session on ‘Safety at Sea’:
Always using the Buddy System when going to swim – This means that we should always go to swim with a friend and never alone.
Taking note of the direction of the wind before using a lilo or a dinghy to prevent floating away too far from the shoreline.
Making sure the water is deep enough before jumping in.
Swimming and/or floating on your back if you get tired whilst in the water.
As Cub Scouts we must also know how to help a person to safety if they find themselves in difficulty whilst swimming. It is very important that we DO NOT jump in and try to rescue the person ourselves but we help out by doing the following three things:
Throwing something for the person in difficulty to hold on to and float eg: an inflatable tyre, a life jacket.
Seeking the help of an adult who is close by.
Calling 112 if need be.
Let’s all have an awesome and safe summer! Nicole Mifsud Hathi
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From the Courtyard
TESTING TEAMWORK
Issue 115 June 2017
One of the important underlying skills of every scout is the ability to work in a team and we are constantly looking out for fun ways to teach this skill. One of the cubs’ June sessions tackled this very skill. The activity given to the cubs scouts on the 21st June 2017 were a series of command tasks to the cubs with 5 different tasks needing to be done. The tasks done were: Create a friction bridge using wooden bars. A ski race were the six would connect their feet onto a spar and try to move as one. Guide a blindfolded member through a rope maze. Folding a plastic sheet as many times as can be done with all members standing on it. Bucket and rope challenge where the six must move the bucket without touching it.
From the Pack
The cubs were divided into 5 groups, 3 members in each six and a rotation was done with each task being observed by a leader each. Results: Friction Bridge Greens: No Blues: No Yellows: ½ Greys: ½ Browns: No
Ski Race Bucket Rope Challenge Greens: (Time) 08:02:36 (Steps) 11 Greens: 7:56 (4th place) Blues: (Time) 08:14:24 (Steps) 10 Blues: 8:30 (5th place) Yellows: (Time) 09:43:00 (Steps) 3 Yellows: 6:30 (3rd place) Greys: (Time) 10:06:96 (Steps) No completed Greys: 3:21 (1st place) steps Browns: 5:16 (2nd place) Browns: (Time) 08:27:10 (Steps) % Rope Maze Greens: 5:40 (3rd place) (Time subject to correction) Blues: 6:34 (4th place) Yellows: 6:37 (5th place) Greys: 3:19 (2nd place) Browns: 2:00 (1st place)
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Plastic Sheet Folds Greens: 8 folds Blues: 8 folds Yellows: 7 folds Greys: 8 folds Browns: 7 folds
TESTING TEAMWORK
Issue 115 June 2017
From the Pack
From the Courtyard
Cubs getting to grips with their teamwork challenges
Andrew Zammit Montebello Tabaqui
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From the Courtyard
PASTA NIGHT
Issue 115 June 2017
This Year’s annual Pasta Night will be held on the 29July. Adults: €15 Children: €10
Book early to avoid disappointment! https://goo.gl/forms/isSQdw3nCIpDARF62
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From the Courtyard
OPERATION DLAM CAPPA
Issue 115 June 2017
Operation Dlam Cappa is the Troop’s yearly night hike, during which the scouts meet at some destination, Hagar Qim this year, and then hike it back to SAC HQ and spend the night. This year it represented the first activity after the final exams of the scholastic year, and we were very pleased to see a few faces that had been missing for the past weeks due to academic commitments. Here’s hoping that all our members did well in their exams! We met in the Hagar Qim car park at 18:00 on Wednesday 5th July. By 18:30 we were on the move, following the route that Jake Busuttil (Tigers PL) and Andrew Abela (Hounds PL) had planned the week
From the Troop
before.
On the way to Qrendi. Still enjoying views of Filfla!
Trying to follow a map, however, whilst in the middle of the myriad little streets of Qrendi, proved slightly challenging. So it was time to fold the map away for a little while, and just use that ever present landmark, the local church, to orient ourselves. Once outside Qrendi, we followed the main road to the edge of the old part of Luqa Airport, and continued alongside the airport fence until we got to Montekristo estates. There we stopped for a short break and we met Luca Tufigno, who was on call as our ‘safety vehicle’. Those who needed a water refill were able to do so from the 19L water drum that Luca was carrying in his car. After this break, we moved on, towards the Lufthansa hangars, on the lookout for the little country road that we had marked on the map, which would take us down into Wied Qirda. This road was located a little before the end of the airport perimeter. We went down it, and a friendly local confirmed that this was the road we were looking for. By this time it was getting quite dark, and the footing had changed from flat tarmac, to a narrow country lane. So torches on, and the pace slowed as everybody had to be a bit more careful where to place their feet. A night-time walk through one of Malta’s largest valley systems was just the sort of adventure some of us were looking for! A few others would have preferred a little less of the spiky undergrowth, but spirits were high.
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From the Courtyard
OPERATION DLAM CAPPA
Issue 115 June 2017
A little further on, we came to the realisation that we were not actually in Wied Qirda, but in the neighbouring valley, Wied Hanzir. In the dark we had taken a wrong turning and ended up in a valley that ran more or less parallel to the one we wanted to be in. Not a big deal however, once the mistake was realised, we corrected for it and quickly redrew the route. About 20 mins after that, we were out of the valley and on the way to Zebbug. Once through Zebbug, it was a short, and by now familiar hop through Black Valley, to get to Imriehel, and shortly after our HQ. We arrived at SAC HQ at 23:00, so we had made fairly good time. Just 4.5 hours of walking to get from Hagar Qim to Birkirkara. We turned in soon after. Just enough time to set up sleeping arrangements ad have a bit of a chat before lights out at midnight. The next morning, reveille was at 07:30. The scouts had a spot of lumbering up whilst the leaders set up the venerable electric grill we keep at HQ to make toast for breakfast. The event formally finished at
From the Troop
09:00 when the parents came to pick up the members. All in all it was an excellent activity, well attended and executed in high spirits. There was even enough energy about three quarters of the way through, for a very enthusiastic singalong, led by the formidable voice our Daniel Mifsud Baron, one of our stalwart SPLs!
Trekking through Wied Hanzir.
Andrew Agius ASL
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From the Courtyard
Issue 115 June 2017
LETTING OFF STEAM
Now that O levels and A levels are finally over, and Venture meetings have resumed we have also picked up on the monthly activities. The Venture weekly meeting is prepared by the ventures themselves. Every month, a group of 2-3 ventures have the duty to prepare an outdoor activity for all other members. For the month of June, the activity was planned by Lorin, Max and Quentin. The activity consisted of pioneering basketball. We started to gather at half seven. The group in charge told us what equipment we needed for the activity. Spars and rope, which were stored on the roof, had to be taken to the activity area. We started by building two tripods. After the tripods were built, a wooden board and a bucket were attached to the top of the tripod. These represented the basketball hoops. After building the hoops, it was time for us to test them. The Unit was split up into two teams. Adam and James were the captains of the two teams since they have experience playing basketball in the national league. The game started.
From the Unit
Although official basketball is played with 5 players on each team, ours was closer to rugby with almost 20 players in the field at one go! Nonetheless the game was balanced, and was a very fast paced game. At first, both teams found it a bit difficult to score since the majority of us did not know how to play basketball. But after some time, both teams managed to find the basket! The game finished after about an hour, when one of the teams reached 10 points. All in all this was a really fun activity where we all got to vent off some of that steam we built up during the exam period. Andre Brincat Venture Scout Leader
The Unit, looking very proud of themselves after a great game of basketball.
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From the Courtyard
Issue 115 June 2017
BRAIN VS. BRAWN
The Crew’s monthly activity program has now been going on steadfastly for a good 7 months and as a result of the success of this initiative, our crew members are thinking ever bigger when it comes to planning these activities. For this month the crew’s activity involved an Obstacle Course! ... Or, to be more accurate, two obstacle courses! When it comes to activities the Crew works with the mentality of go big or go home! For the purpose of this activity the crew was divided into two teams, each of which was tasked with designing an obstacle course for the opposing team to go through. This was meant to inspire both teams to come up with entertaning and tough obstacles for the opposing team, in order for them to be able to gain an advantage. After the two courses were constructed each team was to attempt the obstacle course built for them by the enemy team and the team with the shortest time getting through would win. The teams were chosen through via the age old rover tradition of the ‘Kettle of Truth’. Except this time
From the Crew
around it was given a bit more of a modern twist because Albert was too lazy to actually go down to our basement and fetch our famous kettle! So instead teams were chosen through the ‘Kenwood of truth’, (which doesn’t quite have the same ring to it). Everyone’s names were chucked in to the ‘kenwoood of truth’ and then, one by one, the members’ names were drawn out of the kenwood and divided into teams. The final teams were; Team 1: Albert Galea, David Pace, Liam Curmi De Gray, Jamie Maistre and Simon Gauci andTeam 2: Timmy Zammit, George Zammit Montebello, Andrew Zammit Montebello and Luke Maistre. After an hour’s crafty designing and building, the two teams completed the construction phase of the activity! Now it was time to explain to the opposing team what each obstacle involved and then laugh as you watch them go through it! That is until it’s your turn to actually give it a shot! Team 1 used devilish wit and designed
a
demanding
physically
obstacle
course
knowing full well that the second team would find it quite difficult
to
complete.
After
having explained what each individual
obstacle
involved,
team 2 set off on their timed run. Luke Maistre went first and completed the course in modest time but it went all downhill The obstacle course was designed to challenge the opposing team, not (intentionally) injure them, so safety testing was carried out...sort of!
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from there, with his team mates all struggling to complete the
From the Courtyard
Issue 115 June 2017
BRAIN VS. BRAWN
course, to the mighty amusement of all the onlookers! Amongst the obstacles Team 2 had to face one
From the Crew
could find monkey bars and a climbing rope.
For those of you who have never seen a climbing rope, this is how it’s done. However our smiles were wiped off our faces when it was our turn to try out the obstacle course designed for us by Team 2. Team 2 realised that Team 1 consisted, pretty much entirely of relatively fit people (with the exception of the writer of this article). As a result they couldn’t base their course on physical strength and fitness. Instead they used devilish cunning in order to come up with obstacles which, whilst not physically demanding, would take very long time to complete. Amongst the obstacles Team 1 had to face, one could find a tight rope, crawling under a mesh which was pegged into the ground and going over and under benches (after becoming completely disoriented by spinning around for what seemed like a lifetime). It was during this second obstacle course where pretty much the entire crew ended up on the floor in un-controllable fits of laughter when Albert Galea attempted the tight rope and, after only a couple of steps ended up slipping and landing with a leg on either side of the tight rope, letting out a shriek of pain as he probably watched all dreams of ever rearing a family disappear before his eyes and felt rope in places he would never have expected to! Albert however quickly continued the rest of the course and once the team had finished it was time to tally up the scores. After a couple of agonising minutes the results were out, Team 2 Had deservedly beaten Team 1! Sly cunning and ingenuity had Damsel in distress, attempting to escape from his tower of isolation.
won out over physical fitness! David Pace Rover Crew Member
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From the Courtyard
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PASTA NIGHT
Issue 115 June 2017