Brian & Tracey went to Elmore and back and survived to tell the story! |
| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Jan 14 2007 at 10:24 AM |
Below from Brian & Tracey:
Our trip to AJ2007 began at 3.30am on Friday 5th January 2007 and ended with our arrival at the Elmore site at around 2.15pm, it was a very long drive even though we stopped for both breakfast and lunch on the way.
On arrival at AJ2007 we were directed to the visitors carpark then paid a donation to enter the site, we were both given a coloured wristband to be worn while onsite, the colour of the wristband changed each day so that security staff and administrators around the site could easily spot the visitors as opposed to Scouts, Venturers, Leaders, security and emergency services or the large team of local volunteers who manned the coffee shop and other convenience stores around the site. There is a warm dry wind blowing which has been typical of the Jamboree so far, it means that clothes dry fast on the line however as is the case on any farm the dust that comes with the wind leaves the clothes slightly offwhite.
The Central Coast Lakes district has two troops at Jamboree 251 & 261. Our first target once inside was troop 251, ‘Dusty’ Claude Nicole from Wyong was the only person in camp at the time so we took a short walk down to 261 hoping to visit with our daughter Peta with the 1st Tumbi contingent, again only the duty Leader ‘Jarrah’ Mark Peters from Terrigal was onsite.
While there are around 30-36 Scouts in each campsite they are divided up into Patrols and each has a roster for the activities each day. One of the most popular was the aircraft joy flights taking off from the onsite airstrip built for this event, with 15 planes and flights taking off every 3 minute AJ Elmore has its own control tower and is the busiest regional airport in Victoria for the duration on the Jamboree. With the available time and only three available seats in each plane, only around half of the scouts onsite were rostered for this activity, luckily Central Coast Leaders are not backward in coming forward when it comes to looking after our sons and daughters and I understand that Ross Jackson & Mark Peters have arranged for all of both 251 & 261 to fly.
We decided to have a look around the onsite activities of which there are plenty.
I always thought that mud masks were applied to the face to improve the complexion but I am obviously wrong, we ran into our own Sally Hunt with Jack Musich & Andrew Sharpe, all of which were covered from head to toe in very sticky mud. We passed on the offer of a welcome hug from each of them and continued our search for local scouts.
I had heard that the Scouts were going to do some driver training during Jamboree, we thought this plan had somehow failed when we passed an area where scouts were taking turns to attack one of five cars with a sledge hammer. Immediately we recalled the sign in the car park stating that cars parked incorrectly would be considered a donation to the activities section and that took on a new meaning. We checked that none of the vehicles were ours and carried on. Driver training was being conducted in another area on a controlled course with slightly more roadworthy cars (though by the end of two weeks you may not tell the cars apart from these ones :-) )
Other activities included climbing walls, mud tunnels water cannons and an engineering section where Scouts had to work together in their patrols racing other patrols to build a watercourse out of a set selection of PVC pipe lengths and various angles. This watercourse must be assembled and held together along the way without any part touching the ground, the challenge was to get a full bucket of water from one end to the other without losing any or wondering what happened when the water did not flow through any uphill sections.
Besides the activities the Scouts must get signed off in their Jamboree book there are a number of spare time activities around the site. Not that they have a lot of spare time when you remember they must wash there own clothes, prepare their own meals and oh yeah shower from time to time. The amenities onsite leave little excuse for when you scout tells you they could not shower for whatever reason, Leaders are constantly asking who has not showered and sending them up, they have been told they must shower after certain activities such as river or dam where they tend to stir up a bit of mud in their enthusiasm.
Water is not an issue for them with a tap situated between every four or so campsites and facility blocks around the whole site plumbed, water is sourced from onsite dams, recycled water, (both treated and filtered) and some fresh water trucked in, depending on the purpose of the facility as to which one it is connected to.
Health & Hygiene is paramount across the entire site and with so many people living in tents for so long it must be, left unchecked dysentery could got through the entire Jamboree in a matter of days. The scout association has put a lot of money into improving the site for this event and Scouts are often warned of the importance of personal hygiene including washing your hands every time you enter any sub camp site.
When we arrived two campsites (not ours) were just coming out of quarantine where there camp is taped off and nobody is allowed to enter of leave until the campsite is thoroughly cleaned and all campers have been cleared, these sites are given a separate shower and toilet and must show that there are no illnesses for two days. Authorised medical personal must lift the quarantine.
Disinfectant handwash is available in all toilet facilities and at the entrance to every campsite and the Leader appointed to Health & Hygiene ensure all entering that campsite uses it. Following the quarantines all scouts onsite were again reminded of this and with the threat of being restricted to camp for two days we often heard a chorus of ‘Wash your hands’ every time someone entered any campsite we walked past. If nothing else scouts will be more aware of personal hygiene matters when they come home.
Back to the fun stuff, offsite activities are something for them to look forward to, this is where they can captain a commercial paddle steamer or drive a dirt buggy through even more mud and water, or they may have been on a tour of the sights of the neighbouring towns depending on what their patrol was rostered for that day.
I would be surprised if any of our scouts came home and told us they did not make any new friends, there are people visiting the various campsites regularly looking to swap badges and this can often lead to interesting conversations if that person happens to be from another state or even one of the 35 other countries that have Scouts in camp. Speaking of which one enterprising young Sri Lankan scout was found making a lot of money selling one of two rupee coins to others for 1 dollar, sounds good but those who are aware of exchange rates will know that one Sri Lankan rupee is worth around 0.011798 of an Australian Dollar. I wonder how the rest of his troop plan to pay for their Jamboree!
All in all the scouts are in good spirits and despite the odd argument, (usually in the afternoons when they come back tired from their activities) they are all getting on well. Tracey & I reminded them all that they need to ring home even if just to let their parents know they are still alive, Telstra have replaced some of the phones and they are all aware that half the phones now take coins or phone cards, but rest assured that if you don’t here from them it means they are having too much fun.
We were invited to join 261 for dinner on Saturday night then stayed in Bendigo (we did have the choice of staying onsite sleeping on a stretcher and showering in the provided showers but there is nothing like a real bed and not having someone knocking on the door to get you out of the shower On Saturday we spent the day back on site and followed one of our troops with a video camera while they were learning some of the tricks of being a clown. Jack Torley took another camera up into one of the planes and managed to get some good shots of the campsite from the air, you just don’t get the full feel of the place till you see it that way and compare it to your quarter acre block housing one family, imagine that same quarter acre is about three of the troop campsites so you are eating, washing & sleeping with around 100 people in that same quarter acre for fourteen days without any major dramas.
Peta took our other camera offsite to the paddle steamer and managed to get a shot of her at the wheel but it doesn’t show that she nearly ran the steamer aground before the captain took over from her :-) )
After having dinner with 251 on Saturday night we stayed in Bendigo again then left for the drive home at about 7.30am, both of us have had two full days and are feeling the pains of it, we have no idea how the scouts still have so much energy after a week of day activities and night entertainment.
Visiting this Jamboree has also pointed out to me the dedication of Scouting Leaders. Aside from the paid security, emergency services personnel, and volunteers in the food areas, most activities are being run by Leaders, we have a very diverse array of talents within the association from those teaching the circus acts to driving instructors. Leaders are not allowed to instruct any activity without the right credentials, if the association cannot find the right qualifications within our ranks they will hire outside experts. As you are no doubt aware Scout Leaders are volunteers so I take my hat of to all those who have actually paid around one thousand dollars to spend two weeks of their January with our Scouts.
Brian & Tracey Perrem
* Note - Brian & Tracey also took many pictures, plus downloaded pictures from other digital cameras to their laptop, to bring back with them....they are being uploaded to the 251 Gallery at the moment, so keep an eye out!*