Issue 128 Issue 1282018 July/August July/August 2018
From the Courtyard
From the Courtyard SAC SCOUTS NEWSLETTER OVERNIGHT CAMP This August saw the return of an overnight camp for cubs organized by Pack Leader, Baloo.
In this issue
The Camp was held between the 14th and 15th August and consisted of activities such as obstacle courses and command tasks, scavenger hunts and the much anticipated cooking session with camp
Cubs..
cook, Zarby where the cubs made meatballs with mashed potatoes.
- Overnight Camo
The camp was a resounding success with cubs, leaders and parents and we hope to make this a per-
- We’re of to the
manent fixture in our activity calendar.
Beach!
Following the camp, we asked the cubs for some feedback by asking:
Scouts.. - Medjam
1) 2) 3)
- Giving Back
Ventures.. - John A. Mizzi Cup
Rovers.. - Quizzical Rovers
Why did you enjoy the Weekend Cub Camp? What was your favourite part of the camp? Should we have another Weekend Cub Camp?
Here’s what our cubs thought of the camp! Michael —Greens
Nico— Browns 1.
It was a bit of a challenge sleeping at HQ instead of
1)
interesting and beautiful
somewhere else and being with my friends. 2.
The water games because we got wet in the boiling sun and Kaa wetting us with the hose.
3.
1)
It was really fun and enjoyable. I also like when we cooked with Zarby and the movie
2)
The water games
3)
We should have another camp.
things Baloo did for us. 2)
3)
Nathan—Greys 1)
When we did the cooking and water games
Yeeeeeeeeeeees
Gianluca—Blues
There were a lot of
I love the water
Antone — Yellows 1.
Water games
3)
Yes
I really enjoyed making meatballs, the water activity
games 2)
Yes
and the food 2.
Making meatballs
3.
Yes for sure!
From the Courtyard
Issue 128 July/August 2018
OVERNIGHT CAMP Julian —Blues
Ben—Greys
1)
1)
It was a nice day to play water games
2)
3)
Taking English
Incredibles 1 2)
My Favourite
Breakfast and playing
part was
water games
water games
Yes
3)
Nigel —Greens 1)
Watching the
We played a lot of water
2)
The film that Kaa prepared
1.
We had good food, fun activities and a fantastic movie (also water games and sleeping)
2.
When we built, planned, made and tested the obstacle course
3.
Yes
Yes!! Luke—Blues
Matteo C— Yellows 1.
games and we made an obstacle course
Julian— Browns
1)
The obstacle couse, making
of fun packed activities.
the meatballs 2.
Sleeping
3.
yes
2)
From the Pack
Yes of course
Caydon—Greys 1)
Making and going through the obstacle course.
3)
for us 3)
The leaders prepared a lot
yes
Sam—Blues
Benjie—Browns
1)
1)
We played water games
Because of the activities
We had lots of games &
and cleaned the Troop
lots of activities including
Room.
2)
Water games and cooking
When we played water
3)
Yes!
an obstacle course and cooking 2)
The Obstacle Course
3)
Yes
2)
and games we did
Games 3)
YES !!!!
1)
Matteo P — Yellows
Alec Borg—Greys
1.
1)
We cooked meatballs and got
Dimitri—Greys
wet
We ate really good food
2.
The water-balloon fight
2)
The film
3.
Yes
3)
Yes
The leaders are awesome! And we done loads of fun activities!
2)
The water games
3)
Yes
Isaac —Greens
All in all, a resounding success, we’d say!
1)
do
Here are some photos from the activity:
2
We did things I don’t usually
2)
The film night
3)
Yes
From the Pack
From the Courtyard
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OVERNIGHT CAMP
Issue 128 July/August 2018
From the Courtyard
WE’RE OFF TO THE BEACH!
Issue 128 July/August 2018
We interrupt your weekly scheduled meeting at HQ to bring the Cubs a one-off activity including some extra fun a.k.a. WE’RE OFF TO THE BEACH!!!! On 22 September 2018, we met up earlier than normal, in order to enjoy more time in the sea...and so we could sneak away from the Troop so that they couldn't find out where we were going. Having arrived in Ghajn Tuffieha we found our perfect spot and made it our little, temporary, SAC Cubs land. The meeting started off as any normal meeting would. and with that out of
From the Pack
the way, we all ran into the sea to enjoy the fresh clear water. The first activity with a quick game of Quidditch - back at Easter camp the Cubs loved playing it but this time, we gave it a summer twist. The cubs were divided into 2 teams and the objective was to get the ball through a hula-hoop which a leader at each end of the field was keeping it in the air. Once team Gryffindor won the game (because they always win at everything), the next course of action was to enjoy the water in all of its splashy goodness. Once everyone had gotten their toes wet enough, it was time for the main event of the activity; TO CONSTRUCT THE WORLD’S LONGEST SOFA SANDCASTLE Malta has ever seen! This provided a great challenge for all the Cubs because, while we mostly ask each six to work together to accomplish this task, everyone had an individual role in this one, with a little of motivational support by Kaa who even he got his hands dirty to assist in the construction of the Mega Sofa. The Cubs managed to fully accomplish this task in record time with every cub (including Kaa squishing in) taking a seat on the longest sandcastle sofa!
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From the Courtyard
WE’RE OFF TO THE BEACH!
Issue 128 July/August 2018
As the sandcastle building was happening, the other leaders were busy cooking to prepare meals for the Cubs, and once the Pack completed their task, they were nicely rewarded with a Hotdog for the services rendered in completing Kaa’s sandcastle dream! Throughout the activity, we were lucky enough to have the weather on our side whilst the rest of the island was suffering from some rain showers! Concluding the activity, we ended with a Grand Howl after which we all hopped back on the coach to make our way back to HQ where the parents picked up their little Cublings. Liam Curmi De Gray
From the Pack
Kaa
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From the Courtyard
MEDJAM 2018
Issue 128 July/August 2018
Medjam 2018 The word ‘medjam’ is short for ‘Mediterranean Jamboree’ which is the first of its kind. Similar to the national scout jamboree but held in the Mediterranean. This year it was held in the Għajn Tuffieħa campsite. The scout groups which attended were split up into five groups: the reds, the blues, the pinks, the oranges, the purples and the yellows. There were a total of six activities done during the camp, but since there was such a large number of scouts, the colours were used to split up everyone so that everyday every group had a different activity and no groups had the same activity on the same day. Scouts were told apart by the colour of the bands on their hands and by their identification tag but this was only really needed for the morning activities as that was the only time spent the time with your colour groups. A typical day of the five in which we had activities was waking up for breakfast, which was in different
From the Troop
orders depending on which activity your group had on that day. After breakfast, you had time to prepare for your activity. We had six activities: an adventure day which consisted of a few indoor activities as well as archery and paintballing; a day for on-site activities like abseiling and climbing; a day at splash and Fun, a water park; a boat party in the Blue Lagoon; a Day in Valletta, the capital city of Malta; and a day at Esplora, a relatively new centre to introduce basic science concepts while also having interesting exhibits to show how those concepts work. After half the activity we had our lunch, which was sandwiches which were just thawed out that morning (occasionally you would find a piece of ice in the plastic packaging) with more butter and salad than anything else that the sticker on the packaging said, then we would finish the activity then go back to the campsite. After that we would have our showers where you could get stuck for an hour in line, then we would have some free time and after that we would have dinner and after washing any cutlery or messtins that we had used and putting them back in our tents, we would go to see what was the night activity for the day in the amphitheatre, after which we would go back to our tents and sleep. Neil Borg
6
From the Troop
From the Courtyard
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MEDJAM 2018
Issue 128 July/August 2018
From the Courtyard
GIVING BACK
Issue 128 July/August 2018
Sometimes, our members combine schooling with their scouting commitment to give back to the group while boosting their coursework. Member Ben Bezzina is currently completing his Systems of Knowledge project and has chosen to complete his voluntary hours with the troop. These journals highlight a couple of his experiences so far. Journal 1: Rafting Saturday 10th February 2018, Mistra Bay Although I had been helping with the troop section of the Saint Aloysius College Scout Group for some weeks, rafting was my first activity as a troop helper. This activity involved getting each patrol to construct a raft out of wooden spars tied to barrels to keep them afloat, the 5 patrols were then to race the raft and the patrol which takes the less time wins. The previous Wednesday meeting, the troop were given some time to plan out the design of their raft. I helped the five Patrols design their raft and keeping in mind their attendance for the activity, buoyancy of the raft, maneuverability, and how fast would it be in the water and together we came up with the plan
From the Troop
for the raft that they constructed on the day. Being the first time, I wasn’t easy trying to keep on time while at the same time making sure that the barrels were being tied correctly and that they won’t get loose as soon as the raft touches the water. It was a test of my analytical skills since I had to constantly be aware of what is being done by the patrols so that if something is being done wrong, I could show them how to do it in time so that they wouldn’t have to dismantle the whole raft to correct their error. Journal 2: Scout Trivia Wednesday 28th March 2018, Wied is-Sewda, Ħaż-Żebbuġ The main activity which was planned and run by me during Easter Camp was Scout Trivia. I was tasked with preparing a quiz on 4 different topics: 1) Scouting Knowledge 2) History 3) General Knowledge 4) Sports A week before we went to camp, at home I prepared twenty questions on each topic and an answer sheet. What I found challenging is to make the quiz interesting for the whole troop. Since this section of the group is made up of children as young as ten to teens aged fifteen, I had to keep in mind that for my activity to be a success I had to find the right balance between questions easy enough for the young ones to be able to answer and questions which would still be challenging for the elder ones. Even from something as simple as a quiz, from this experience I learnt first-hand that there are really no words to describe the rewarding experience of seeing the activity I had been planning for a week turning out to be a success and seeing the troop having fun and participating in this activity. Benjamin Bezzina Venture
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From the Courtyard
JOHN A. MIZZI CUP
Issue 128 July/August 2018
The John A. Mizzi cup is a traditional Rovers versus Ventures activity. It consists of a gruelling sporting competition which changes every installment of the cup (once a year). This year's sport was handball, played in the inner grounds of the college on Wednesday 25th July.
On the day, the teams looked fairly even. The Ventures were about 2 men down at the start, a standard feature since you can't join the venture unit if you're on time more than twice a year. The Ventures had a young, fast team and Andre (not young and not fast) helping out untill more arrived. The rovers on the
From the Unit
other hand had more men than the eye could see. Big, sweaty (the match hadn't even started yet) and hungry (not for a win but for the BBQ after) they looked like a team who could smash the young ventures. What they lacked in pace they made up for in size and numbers, the flying subs meant that they had fresh players on the court when needed.
The match was intense. The ventures took an early advantage and spirits were high. However the lack of players took its toll and everyone was tired after a couple of minutes of playing time. That's when the rovers hit back with vengeance. Goals came in left, right and center. But the ventures got back into it after half time and strengthened their lead. With only a couple of minutes left to play, and the rovers catching up to the ventures, the game took a nasty twist. After a tackle by Craig Bonello (Ventures) on Jonatan Pace (Rovers), Craig was confronted by Edward Apap Bologna(aka the wardrobe). After some heated words and Craig's first experience of flying, both players were sent off. The rovers almost caught up with the ventures with these men sent off, however it ended off in a venture win. Final score 21-19! Following this friendly
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From the Courtyard
JOHN A. MIZZI CUP
Issue 128 July/August 2018
competition, held in the name of fair play, we all gathered in the Courtyard where we were treated to a luscious barbeque which was prepared by Zarby and Baron. Our common love for good food helped us iron out our rivalry and thus was the perfect ending to a good evening. Till next year chaps!
Craig Bonello
From the Unit
Match top scorer
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From the Courtyard
Issue 128 July/August 2018
QUIZICAL ROVERS
For the monthly activity for July, Andrew Zammit Montebello treated the Crew to another of his infamous quizzes. While this was mainly a general knowledge quiz, this also included some other gems. Two teams of five members each competed. With the quiz, the teams were asked questions dealing with subjects ranging from music, locations, varying mythology, scouting knowledge, and more. The teams were given a chance to discuss the potential answer though within a time frame from getting the quiz masters attention After the questions where asked, the team that gave the answer was given a chance to earn ‘bonus’ points by performing a challenge, ranging in severity from mildly embarrassing to physically tasking. By the end of the night, of the two teams: team A had won with over 100 points, whilst team B was close
From the Crew
with 90. The Quiz challenges included such gems as:
Team perform ‘YMCA’ song
Recite the alphabet backwards whilst doing squats (repeat if makes a mistake)
Recite the lines to Bohemian Rhapsody without singing
Pass along an item through the team without using hands/arms
Fifteen jumping Jacks whilst whistling Mary had a little lamp (mistakes will have to repeat)
Re-enact the dance at the end of ‘dirty dancing’ for 20 seconds without dropping the teammate.
There are no photos to this contribution because all the participants were so busy focusing their concentration on winning! Andrew Zammit Montebello Rover Shere Khan
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From the Courtyard
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Issue 128 July/August 2018