Scout Soapbox
October is often a nice month to be outdoors, with the countryside changing colour, and plenty of nuts, berries and fungi to look at and wonder what they are. This year we have also had weather that was better than a lot of August, and I can imagine a few Troop leaders wishing they had their summer camp in October rather than in the cold and wet of summer. The day of the Maddison Hunt was one of those amazing warm days, and many of the challenge bases in the Wilverley Inclosure were able to place themselves in the sunshine, to make it more comfortable while waiting for groups of Scouts to make their way around the hike route. This was a good thing since some of the bases had a long wait while one navigationally-challenged team got very lost, turning up at Don Rea's base on the north of the inclosure, when they should have been on the south. Despite this setback, they did manage to complete the entire course, right up to their final base, which was Don's challenge based, appropriately, on following compass bearings. All the teams completed all the bases, which covered shelter building, rucksack packing, first aid, fire rescue, pioneering, a blindfold trail, sedan chair and map making. As an extra surprise for the teams, we also had a group of ladies out in the woods looking for a lost dog, and asking the teams if they had seen it. The scouts did not know this was part of the competition, so they were surprised when we asked them at the end of the event a load of questions about the missing dog. The whole event finished successfully, and on time, and we finally awarded the Maddison Hunt trophy to the team from the 29th troop. Well done to all the teams, and thanks to all the leaders who staged bases to challenge the teams. Particular thanks to the Active Support unit for running the fire rescue base and for convincing performances in search of the missing dog.
Stuart Ganney