st peters press - St Peter`s Sea Scouts

JULY 2013
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Edited by DLWH
GROUP LEADERS LOG
On June 30th I completed the National
Scout Census for St Peters. We have
18 leaders and 67 youth. Managing a
group of this size is not without it’s
challenges but it also has its rewards,
such as when sections are running
well that are supported by effective
and strong leaders. St Peters is fortunate to have a number of these leaders, and I know that if I want a job
done or something to happen that
these leaders will willingly do it. Supporting the sections and leaders is a
very effective committee, which quietly
gets on with the job and makes things
happen. The group could not function
without the backing of the committee.
The most recent and public example of
this was the very successful quiz night.
What a fantastic night it was. When I
looked around the room though the
thing that struck me was the absence
of our own scout families. While there
were some St Peters families, there
were also a large number of people
from outside of St Peters, which shows
the amount of support we have in the
community. There are parents who go
the extra mile and help with events,
activities, and fundraising though we
don’t always want to rely on these parents and families. It is through fundraising that we can keep the fees to
the current level. Money received from
fundraising is directly linked to the fee
structure and in being able to send
leaders on training courses, as well as
with the running expenses of the group
such as paying for the insurance, power, building maintenance etc.
The National office has recently published the revised policy on the wearing of the uniform and placement of
badges. When a child joins a sports
club, a band, or wears a school uniform, these organisations expect the
uniform to be worn correctly. So does
Scouting. It is a uniform that sets us
apart from many other organisations
and presents Scouting very positively,
and as such needs to be worn correctly, and which gives a sense of pride
when wearing it. There will be emails
at times about these changes.
The recycling of your old mobile
phones is ongoing. There is a collection box on the table just inside the
hall. Drop your old phones in the box
anytime during the year.
The annual Scout and Guide church
parade for the Scouts and Guides of
the Waikato is to be held at 2.00pm on
Sunday 1st September 2013 at the
Waikato Cathedral Church of St Peter
(opposite the Central Police Station on
the hill). This is a non- denominational
service celebrating Scouting and Guiding. A flyer on the Church parade is in
this newsletter.
I look forward to term three’s scouting
activities.
Ron Dick - Group Leader
Inside This Issue
Kea Corner
2
Cub Chronicles
2
Scouts Script
3
Venturer Voice
3
Chairman's Chat
4
Leader Awarded
4
Scouts Attend
Aviation School
4
Church Parade
5
Photos
6
Spirit of NZ
7
Photos
8
SPECIAL DATES

29 July—Term 3 Starts

1 September—Church
Parade

7 September— Spring
Regatta

27 September—Term 3 Ends

28 December—Jamboree
Starts
PAGE 2
ST PETERS PRESS
Kea Corner
This term has been unique and exciting. The Term started off with a bang, having Cambridge Keas join us for an evening which
was awesome. With different activities and having bigger numbers, made the evening, as we played all sorts of games. All Keas
that attended that night will always remember that wonderful experience.
Moa has seen a lot of growth in the Keas, being such a small group. Next we had a Search & Rescue scenario putting their
knowledge to the test; what to pack in a daypack, making sure that they are safe, warm, food, equipped and imagining if they had
to search for a lost friend. Our latest activity “Wingin’ It” is always fun, with Keas searching on the internet to find the best looking
paper aeroplane to make and fly at keas.
It’s amazing to have silence for 20 seconds standing at attention after each night before they’re dismissed. Thanks to our parents
for making sure their Kea leaves home dressed appropriately for the night. We are ending the term with a few other goodies, and
badges, whilst finishing the evening with a little BBQ.
CUB CHRONICLES'
This Term the Cubs have been learning about ‘Our Community’.
So our 26 Cubs and 5 leaders have been out and about learning about and trying different aspects of our local
community.
We tried a new sport – indoor bowls. The Cubs thought it lacked action! Climbing at Extreme Edge is always a
favourite winter activity we have tried again this term. An evening with ‘Pyramids’ as a theme was fun; although I
take no responsibility for some Cubs take on the food pyramid!! We cooked kebabs over hot coals one night, and
spent an evening being creative with recyclable ‘rubbish’. Some amazing creations went home after that. Thanks
Jane for some neat ideas. Jane Hansen, Zone Leader visited us this night to award Akela. It was funny, as Akela is
sooo much taller than Jane, and had to kneel down to get Knighted, I mean her beads!
A visit to the Hamilton Observatory was an amazing night out. We all got a glimpse of Saturn and its rings. Plus we all
learnt of whole heap of interesting astronomical facts. Did you know there is something like 100 sextillion stars in the
sky! And do you know what our moon is called? Or the Sun’s name? Well ask a Cub, they’ll know!
We finished the term with a “Share your Hobby’ night. It was great too experience some of the other activities our
Cubs take part in, in our community. A very talented Pack of kids!
But for me, the high light of the term was when our community minded Cubs were asked if they could donate one
toy they no longer played with; to a family in Huntly who had lost all their belongings in a fire. The Cubs excelled
with this request. They donated a huge pile of toys for this family, who were totally overwhelmed and lost for words
when the toys were delivered to them. So once again St Peters Cubs, thank you for being awesome members of my
community.
Akela
PAGE 3
Scouts Script
Mako’s Log 13 April 2013
Kayaking Expedition – the search for the Missing Link
A flotilla of 16 kayaks and two support craft plunged into the
mists of the Waikato River in an attempt to prove a navigable
link between the Narrows and Grantham Landing. The party of
13 seasoned scouts (including one with a broken arm), five leaders and a retired sea scout disguised as a parent departed 09:00
hours in high spirits. The lack of wind, balmy air temperature
and gentle flow of the river did not flag our resolve. Once the
sun came out and conditions reached a scorching 22C we
beached our crafts on an inviting but deserted shoal and had a
spot of tea. Along the way we were threatened by a pack of
hunting dogs (Pekinese I believe) and noted the presence of
wild marine life (trout and carp)
After successfully circumnavigating Bigfoot island (see Kahu for
the whole story) the party arrived safely and in formation at
Grantham Landing 12:00 sharp(ish) A thoroughly enjoyable
morning. Thanks to all involved,
particularly Pekapeka Yana, and
Matata for organising, and
Kotare and Kahu for
accompanying us with their
boats.
PIO PIO
By Mathew Templeman
On the weekend of 10-12 May this term, 7 Scouts
from St Peters attended Pio Pio Adventure Camp.
This camp is held every year at Dawson’s farm
south of Te Kuiti and is for older Scouts due to the
many adventurous activities. We got to ride quad
bikes, go 4X4 driving, grass ski and board, abseil
down a real rock face, squeeze through tight gaps
in a big cave system, shoot at targets and clays, and
whizz down a flying fox to the archery base! We
camped in a big paddock (complete with toilet tent)
with a few extra Scouts and Leaders joining us from
Te Kuiti, Mangakino, St Andrews and 1st Matapuna.
Loads of fun was had by all. This camp is highly
recommended!
VENTURER VOICE
The Venturers had a great term and completed many useful modules and had heaps of fun! The activities done included:
Community
Service - tree planting at Graham Park, fieldays Fundraiser thanks to “The Tree Company”, Armageddon Fundraiser
Module – Cathedral Dean Peter Rickman (our new scout leader) kindly hosted a most interesting and thought provoking
discussion about faith awareness in our community
Outdoors
Outdoor skills module and training afternoon to hone our skills in preparation for tramping
Personal Development
Module - Hamilton Budgeting Services kindly visited to talk about tips on leasing a flat, and budgeting for your expenses.
Fun - Table tennis night and Go Karting night
New experiences
ANZAC service
Waikato Zone Venturer ball
Visit to Canterbury University open night to hear about Uni courses on offer
Velocity (Intro to Venturers) and Cooksey (leadership) weekend courses
Amazing Race – celebrating 50 years of Venturers in NZ – a mystery weekend trip with Venturer units from around our
region – see the photos!
By Jeremy Parry (with a few additions by Anne)
PAGE 4
THE CHAIRMAN'S CHAT
St Peters Sea Scouts was once again at the Armageddon event
held at Claudlands Event Centre. This was our second year
there, doing all sorts of jobs, from taking tickets at the door,
checking wristbands, helping with the Fear Factor competition
and Star Minding. I did some time as a ticket taker on Sunday
afternoon followed by Star Minding. I was assisting Lance
Henriksen a Science Fiction/Action/Horror actor
(http://notbadforahuman.com/) he was charming and really
connected with his Star-struck fans as he autographed Photos of
his characters for them. We chatted about New Zealand and
pottery in the down time, he is a noted potter. Lance signed
three large photos as a gift to the Group, to be used for fundraising. These signed photos were worth $30 each at the event,
and are worth much more on the open market, they will be
listed on Trade Me in July, look out for them if you are keen to
purchase a rare piece of memorabilia.
Another great Group fundraiser was held on Friday the 5th of
July, a very successful Quiz Night, held in the Deanwell School
Hall because we could not fit in our Scout Hall. A big thanks the
Leanne Doull our Chief Fundraiser on committee, and Paula
Mathews-Boulton our multi-talented Secretary.
Remember all parents are expected to actively support the
Group. If you have some time to give the Group, please contact
me about our vacant Committee positions (021 144 5616), also
remember there is a need for more Leaders (contact Ron Dick,
021 260 8149). I look forward to meeting many of you in Term
three.
Frank Parry - Group Chairman
LEADER AWARDED
Recently Akela (Deborah Weir—Honnor) was presented with her Wood
Badge Beads and Gilwell Scarf by Jane Hansen the Zone Leader. These are
awarded to Leaders as recognition that they have completed Scouting
New Zealand's Advanced Training Course. Deborah attended the SAPD
course in April along with other Leaders from around New Zealand.
Previously she had completed all the modules to complete the Initial and
Practical Blocks of training.
The Gilwell Woggle was presented to Deborah on completion of the
Practical module.
Other Leaders who have earned their Wood Badge Beads and belong to
the 1st Gilwell Troop from St Peters Scout Group are: Alan Batey Ron Dick,
Sharon Cornwell, Anne Couper and Michael Swarbrick
SCOUTS ATTEND AVIATION SCHOOL
Aviation school was awesome!
We arrived in the rain, had to iron our new scarves and got to work in our
workbooks and patrols straight away.
I was in the Brown Patrol and Ben (Couper) was in Yellow. We learnt about jet
engines, combustion engines, the weather and cloud formations. We made
our own flight plan. We worked on badges through out the week and Ben and
I came home with all 9.
We got to fly a Cessna 172, a glider and a helicopter (Robinson R22). During
the camp we visited Ohakea Air Force Base and saw their Iroquois helicopters,
and out to Palmerston North Airport and up into the control tower. Also
during the school, there was a patrol competition and my patrol was lucky
enough to win. The prize was going back to Ohakea to fly in the A109 Helicopter Simulator. It was AWESOME!!!
If you have the chance to go to Aviation School, go, because it is a fantastic
experience, We loved every minute of it.
By Jonathon Porritt
PAGE 5
PAGE 7
SPIRIT OF NZ By Matt Couper
On the 16th of February I flew down to Dunedin for the experience of a lifetime, the 10 day Spirit of New Zealand voyage. I arrived
at the airport car park , where we were to be picked up by a shuttle, to find 20 other teenagers in the same position as me. I think
we were all slightly nervous, as none of us had ever met each other before, but after a few minutes a couple of the other guys
broke the ice and we started to get to know each other. We had a very diverse group, from all ends of the country. This was the
start of an awesome adventure on the 'Spirit.'
On the morning of the 17th we headed out of Dunedin harbour, and planned to arrive at Stewart Island by the next morning (we
sailed through the night). Amidst the rough 4m swells, many of the trainees spilled their guts overboard, leaving the 7 of us who
felt okay to help the sick ones! I think everyone must have got it out of their system after that day, as no one else was sick for the
rest of the voyage!
After the rough start, and the compulsory 6.30am swim (even in February, the southern end of Stewart Island is a little chilly!), we
inflated the rafts and for the next few days we stayed in Port Pegasus, which is on the South-eastern Point of the Island, and paddled to beaches and rivers in the bay while exploring the seemingly untouched coastline. When the wind eventually picked up, we
practiced sailing the ship. Despite having previous sailing experience, the enormous 150 foot square rigged ship was a completely
new learning curve for me.
One aspect of the voyage that most of us trainees found a bit of a challenge was getting up in the early hours of the morning for
'night watch,' which involved keeping an eye on the wind speed and direction, the depth of the water, listening for anything
unusual on the radio, as well as doing a visual check of the deck every 20 minutes.
Some highlights of the trip were watching the wildlife such as albatrosses, dolphins and penguins, getting chased by fiercely territorial sea lions on the beach, getting some air off the edge of the ship by swinging off the yard swing, playing a North Island vs.
South Island game of touch (where I ended up playing as an honorary Southey), and climbing 'Bald Mountain' in Port Pegasus.
But perhaps the part I enjoyed most about the Spirit was meeting lots of cool people from all areas of the country, and none of us
thought we'd be such good friends at the end of the trip when we first got together at Dunedin Airport.
Our arrival in Bluff on the 26th marked the end of the voyage #636, and the end of an experience I'll never forget. I'd highly recommend the 10 day Spirit of NZ voyage to anyone looking for a bit of a challenge, and wanting to get out of their comfort zone, as
well as having an awesome time!