SCOUT NOTES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 10, 27 January 1937, Page 9

SCOUT NOTES

COMMISSIONER'S OUTLOOK

Postponement of Soout Camps. I was very sorry to hav© to put off your camps and meetingis arranged for Christmas holidays. Of course, you will all be very disappointed, but a Scout is prepared for such things and TCtfll understand that under the eircumstances it was the wisest thing to do, Let us hope that the epidemio will not spread and that we shall be able io get in our camps before school starts again. If not we must smile and whistle and do as much week-end camping as possible when it is thought wise to do so. I wish you all, Cubs, Scouts, Rovers, Scouters, Committeemen and helpers a Prosperous New Year. Thank you all for the good work you have done. Mixing. If you watch mother making the Christmas eake you will see that she gives all the good things that she puts into it a good stir up, and adds baidng powder. If she did not do this the result would be a sogy lump. All the currants would be in one place, 'the raisins in another, the peel in another and the sug/ar somewhere else and the whole cake pretty lopsided. When Scouts of different Troops or districts or countries come together we should do our best to mix up. Don't let the "raisins" or the "currants" all stick together. and whatever you do don't forget the -"baking powder." That is the Scout spirit. That is what helps the whole "mixture'' to rise or liits it up. Very often a gathering of Scouts is rather "heavy" because they don't mix enough. If we are to be of any use as an international brotherhood wa must learn to mix. There is no need of an introduction. The Scout uniform or badge is enough. It is no good talking of international friendship until you have learned to mix with brother Scouts of other Troops and districts and get the "mixing" spirit. The Scout spirit should help you to do this. Good-natured competition among groups is gpod, but it becomes a danger if it turns to jealousy or superiority. When two or more Troops are camped close to each other visits should b© paid and mixed games arranged, and above all at Camp Fire Troops should mix up and not sit in separate Troops with the camp iire dividing them. Of all places the camp fire should draw brother Scouts together. I have noticed at many of our gatherings a reluctance for Torops to mix. Let us try to drop thi sunscoutlike habit. Cheeriol "L1TTLEJOHN." CAMR LNCIDENTS Well, here we are again. Ail our plans about camps were upset, so now we must look forward to a chance of getting a few days in camp at Easter. I wanted something to do and so I took a few »p to do some Work on the pathway down to the camping-ground at Rissington. Again our plans were to a certain degree upset, this time by the rain. However, we managed' to do quite a lot and made some good improvements, but unfortunately had to leave them haif-finished as we had to get heme once more. On the whole it was quite an excitmg time that we spent up there. The excitement was caused by the rain. The day we arrived was splendid and we hoped for a great time. The clerk of the weather said "No," however, and dealt us out rain in fairly large quantities. On the whole, though, the weather could have been a lot -worse and since we had older chaps (with only two exceptions) we spent quite a good ten days and we learned to get fires going with thoroughly wet wood and to cook out in the rain. Once you know how: to do this it is not so difficult as it sounds, it is certainly a useful accomplishment, and so even if we had done nothing else our time would not have been wasted. The greatest excitement was on the Saturday. I'll have to start the tale on the day before, though. Well, Friday started wet as usual, but "breaker" was going in great style and we were looking forward to a great feast of porridge, followed by# bacon | and some lovely looking chips. One B

humorous blighter thought that we would like 6ome mud with the latter, so he kindly tipped up the lot as: they were put on one side to keep warm (or as warm as is possible in" the rain and over an open fire). We ate them and did not suffer any ill effects. The one who upset* them was the only one to suffer. Then a certain member chucked a billy over to another for him to go and get some water from the river. The other could not catch it ahd the billy nearly rolled into the river while the lid came off and did gola. In the rather muddy water the lid could not be found. Then.a wash-ing-up , basin went for a . swim dowrvstream and was later recovered.. It seemed. to be a mugs' day for .us, for later a ooooa tin. followed in. and one boy had to go well down-stream to g|et it back. The joke- was that- it was discovered to havev been- an empty tin and not the one that still had a few days' supply in it, • Then came the news that the one who had the job of lowering the flag that night had had the fiag-pole halliards break. The break had happoned aboVe the flag and had been caused by fcbe naii which acted as a cleat becoming rusty and eating into the rope. The flag had caught on the guy wires and so we left it there as it was iate and our supper was ready. Anyhow we could not do anything there-and-then, for if meant erecting some means ot getting up to where the end of tha rope was fiapping, around. Saturday morning wa" actually fairly fine and after breakfast we thought that we would see about fixing up the rope and getting the flag up again. Worse iuck, one ohan tbouirht ive wanted the flag down, /and gafe it a yank before the older ones- got to the scene. Result — the end fartlier up than ever. Then came more rain, and in great style, too, so someone got up on another one's shoulders and managed to undo the flag

and hok up the free end of the rope and hope that the other end would not go any higher. »