Scouts this Thursday, not to be missed, it's fire!

Scouts are back at the hall this Thursday night the 25th Feb and this is definitely not a night to be missed, we will be making fire, Man vs. Wild style!

Yes, one for the pyros, making fire, but with a twist (really!), you will use no matches, lighters or accelerants of any kind, just natural materials which you will need to locate and bring with you beforehand.

If ever you are ever caught out in the bush with nothing, then this is a good survival technique that could get you warm, cook some tucker, keep the mozzies away and light a signal fire, knowledge worth knowing and could save your life!

Attached is a list of materials you will need to locate over the next few days to bring with you on Thursday evening. We will likely not have spares, so you will need to get these beforehand if you want to build the tool to light your own fire.

But in summary required is:
A small pocket knife, or knife capable of whittling off the end of a small stick.
Heavier, well dried sticks of about 300m long and 20mm thick which will be a source of ignition material, so, they need to be very dry and not green.
A less dried, greener and more flexible stick of about 400mm long and 15mm thick, which is capable of bending into a bow without snapping.
A length of braided cord about 1 metre long and 4mm thick, such as heavy boot lace or blind cord.
So you can apply pressure to a spinning stick with the palm of your hand, Dave suggests a strong sea shell (like a mussel shell) or perhaps even a steel bottle cap or soft drink cap may suffice.
Perhaps also bring a small amount of some dry tinder material such as dried long grass, coconut fiber or hessian that can easily ignite from a small spark.
That’s it, so get out collecting!

If you have some friends who might like to try out scouts, then invite them along as this will be a great activity for them to experience, but do let them know the list of materials to bring.

Lastly, not related to the fire making, but I would need to know who might be available and wishes to attend the overnight district camp at Kariong planned for the weekend of the 13/14th March.
So we can plan resources and equipment for this, I would need to have an idea of definite numbers of attendees this Thursday night, so if you could please discuss with your parents to determine availability if you wish to go and let your patrol leader know on Thursday, that would be great.

See you Thursday, oh, we will have some visitors too, so full uniform please (for those that are members).

Musca.

Founder's Day Sunday 21st Feb

This is our annual ceremony to celebrate our Founder, Baden-Powell.
There is a formal ceremony to start, flag raising etc. then activities will follow.
Most activities will suit the younger family members, cubs and younger scouts.
Swimming will be available later at the bush water hole, when supervision is made available.
There will be no swimming until leader supervision is present.

*** Due to the ceremonious nature of the occasion for all members attending please wear full uniform, properly please, no bright boardies or the like! ***

If swimming bring swimmers and towel. Full, enclosed footwear must be worn at all times (no thongs or bare feet!) I would recommend water shoes or old shoes for the swimming activity.

*** Slip, Slop, Slap, please bring a hat and wear sunscreen. ***

Bring a picnic lunch, all members of the family and friends, welcome and encouraged to attend!
Make a picnic of it, amongst the gum trees and have a wonderful day!
I do not believe there will be any food or drink available for purchase, so you will need to bring your own.
Have fun!

Scout Swimming Tonight Thursday 18th Feb

By PL request, we will be swimming this Thursday night at the Peninsula Leisure Centre, Woy Woy.
If you did not pick up the permission note at scouts last week (or lost it!) go to our website at http://www.avocascouts.com/calendar.html scroll down to the activity and click on the Permission Note link to open and print it.
Details of the activity are in this note, so please read it.
But please note the admission fees of:
Ages 5-16 $3.30 each.
Age >16 (adults) swimming $5.20 each.
All spectators, no swimming $2.40 each.
These are payable to the leisure centre on entry.
The time I have on the form is from 7-9pm, but we will have to be out of the pool by about 8.45pm as the centre closes at 9pm sharp.
All family and friends welcome and encouraged to attend, invite your mates along if they are at a loose end for a Thursday night!
You can of course swim earlier if you wish to, but you would need to be accompanied by parents as there will be no supervision from Avoca Beach scout leaders before 7pm.
There is also a small canteen there if you want to bring some spending money for a drink or whatever.

Avoca Beach Scouts make the front page news!

Wow guys, we're on the front page of the Community newspaper Coastal Tidings!

Scouts this Thursday - 26th November 2009

Avoca scouts,

In the past few weeks we have gone from hiking/camping overnight through the bush, to community service and now this week onto the environment! Whew that’s a lot in two weeks!

So this Thursday night to solve the question about what happens to all that stuff that goes into your yellow/green recycle bin, we are about to find out!

We have a special presentation at scouts on Thursday from the Thiess contractors about recycling on the Central Coast.

Now if possible, please, we need to be on time to start as close to 7pm as possible, as the presenters need to get started as soon as possible after that time. So, please be on time….

We also will have a scouts visiting from Bensville for the recycling, but once that finishes, it could make for a very interesting game of capture the flag (err, cats, Avoca style…).

For our visitors both from Thiess and Bensville, let’s please show them Avoca scouts are great hosts and that we really are scouts, so please wear your full uniform, including scarves, cords (show ‘em off!), sew on your badges and all other correct scout accoutrements…

Also we do have a presentation and special investiture (need that fire again…) to welcome another new scout to our troop, so again full uniform for that please, and it’s great to see we’re growing again, two new scouts in as many weeks, that’s fantastic! Please, let’s get more, invite your friends, scouting is only fun with lots of your mates!

Remember also toys for the Christmas boxes please and term fee payments are now due.

See you Thursday, another not to be missed night!

Musca.

Scouts Go Totally Wild!

Scouts from South Australia's Mt Lofty Scout Group will appear
nationally in each episode of Totally Wild next week from 24-27 November
at 7:30 am on Channel Ten.

Every story in each episode will be 'introduced' by Scouts in uniform
which is a total of 18 introductions over the course of the week.
Each link is about 50 seconds - even though the Totally Wild! stories
are on other topics, the Scout introductions are there to each give
each episode a real "SCOUT" flavour.

The TV audience for the week is estimated to be 2.8m persons all in our
target demographic. The shows are also shown throughout SE Asia, NZ,
India and the Pacific.

Each episode will refer to a 'fun day at camp', including stories on
camping, camp cooking including the infamous kick the can ice cream
making, 'billy carting', fishing, Challenge Hill and more. The Scouts,
Cubs, Leaders and Parents involved have worked very hard, and if you do
see an episode(s) (that early in the morning!) - we hope that you will
agree that they have represented 'Scouting' with great pride and
enthusiasm.

Scouts, don't forget to watch it!

Musca.

Scout Activities for Next Term and Anzac Day

Dear Scouts,

Here is a quick update before we all take off on our holidays, so we can "be prepared" for next term!

Firstly, there is no scouts on tonight, Thursday 9th April, we finished the term last week with the ice blocking and BBQ.

Scouts will resume the first full week of the school term, so that's Thursday evening the 7th May at the hall.

We will have a meeting if possible on the Thursday beforehand with the Patrol Leaders (Phil and Tom) to map out the term program, but PLs only please, if available...

Now coming up in next term is an important event, the Region Rally. This is a great overnight, challenging, competitive camp and bushwalk and one for those up to it I would like to see some Avoca Scouts attend if possible. We haven't been for a year and the last patrol we sent in 2007 came real close (they did have a lot of fun though...) and would like to see an Avoca patrol make the the top twenty and get invited to the State rally this year, I reckon some of you guys could do it, you're good!

I can send you an application form for the Region Rally if interested and would like to see if we could form a patrol (or two!) to send, maximum of eight in each patrol. Note that with the term break, we will also need to send in applications as soon as we come back (possibly earlier, I'll confirm that), same week on the Friday, so this is the advance notice. I have sent out separate invitation letters to the Patrol Leaders so they know what's on.

Scouts, for the Region Rally you and your Patrol will be spending the weekend of the 23rd – 24th May hiking in the Wallaroo State Forest (North of Raymond Terrace, Newcastle), you will be relying on yourselves to find the bases, camping out in hike tents, cooking your own food and carrying everything with you that you and your Patrol needs for the week-end. It's self sufficiency, a bit tough, but a lot of fun camping and working together with hundreds of scouts from across the Hunter and Coastal region, many of whom you would have met at the Corroboree. At $12 camp fee for the weekend plus food, it's not an expensive activity...

It would be really good, if you could let me know soon by return email whether or not you may be attend this activity, so I can advise the numbers and start putting the patrols together. At this stage I do plan to attend as the troop leader.

Other things...

** Very Important** during the term holiday break we do have the Anzac Day dawn service at Terrigal memorial (next to the surf club) to which we have been personally invited in writing by the Terrigal-Wamberal RSL sub-branch, this is always a big event and one Avoca Scouts have always attended, it is early at 5.15am but very rewarding. FULL uniform please! This is a very moving and worthwhile service, to which you should also invite your family and friends to participate. At the end, breakfast at Maccas at Erina for all!

Also we have also been invited to participate in a memorial ceremony/service at The Palmdale Group's Greenway Park, Avoca Drive, Greenpoint where they need some people to raise the flag, (scouts are ideally chosen for this as we know how and we are really good community citizens...) this is at 11am, whether we do it or not will depend numbers I can get, it's optional but would be a nice gesture to do for the retired RSL folk and their families. This would be important if we could, as we will conduct the flag raising, but I do know people are also busy on Anzac Day.

Lastly, after a long Anzac Day, you're welcome to join me on Copacabana Beach for the last surf patrol of the season for fun and surf, as I will be on! Whew, what a day!

To help me with planning for these activities if you could please email me back when you can and indicate:

"I will attend (scout's name) or not the following:"

1. Region Rally (yes/no)

2. Anzac Day dawn service Terrigal (yes/no)

3. Anzac Day Greenway Park (yes/no) "

That would be appreciated.

All the best, have a great holiday, have fun and keep safe!

Musca.