Spring has sprung and there is plenty of scouting happening in the Western Cape! Read about it in this term’s edition of Western Cape Scouter:
Western Cape Scouter – September 2024
Western Cape Scouter – past editions
October month is “Painting the Lion Purple”. Set aside at least one Thursday evening and get your Group out hiking up Lions Head.
October marks the start of the new Financial Year. We therefore take stock of our numbers in the movement on 30 September. Please assist in ensuring that we get an accurate account when completing your Annual Census. If your group’s records are up to date on Scouts.Digital, then your job will be an easy one. Scout Group Leaders will lead their Groups in completing this task.
As usual, we have a very loaded calendar. During the school holidays, we ran 2 PLTC courses to ensure that we do not slow down the progress of our scouts since PLTC is a requirement for advancement.
During August we hosted the National POW WOW. Congrats to Nicky Jonas and her team on running an awesome event. I am still getting notes of thanks and at National level, Western Cape’s praises are sung on being such awesome hosts. Adult Leaders from all over the country converged on the Cape and not only spent time on Cub activities and discussions but were taken all over the Peninsula to enjoy our City.
Our Meerkat division is doing really well, with Dens opening monthly as part of our growth strategy. DCs have been asked to look to developing at least one additional Group in each District. The District showing the greatest promise in this regard is Outeniqua in the Southern Cape. Kranshoek in the Plettenberg area has started out really well and is involved in a number of exciting events and activities. We have seen movement in Stilbaai in the same District and hope to see the Group open soon.
I am pleased to share with you that the City of Cape Town has reached out to us to start out scouting in areas across the Cape Flats – especially Hanover Park. We have long engaged with the City for support in these areas and are pleased that the tables have turned. We will hopefully see the revival of Don Bosco and see new Groups sprout across the Cape Flats where scouting is so dearly needed.
We had a very exciting 2nd Weekend of Adult Leader Training in George, with the completion of the Scout Warrant course. A large part of the contingent travelled down to the South Cape and travelled even further east to Keurbooms River for an awesome adventure up the river.
Scouting in Schools is driven by a workforce of 180 Yeboneers. These young people ensure that scouting happens in the schools across the Cape Flats on a daily basis – impacting around 2800 Yeboscouts. The Yeboneers (Interns) serve 1 year in their role to complete their work readiness programme. Their internship is nearing an end and they are preparing to enter the job market. We wish them well and thank them for their contribution to scouting.
Nimmy Abrahams
Regional Commissioner
We want to hear from you!
Many thanks once again to our contributors to this edition of the Western Cape Scouter. You articles are much appreciated and assist in recording some, I wish it was all, of the history of the Western Cape Region.
Should you have an interesting story, be it from your Den, Pack, Troop, Crew, District, Region or other, please
send a short article to me, preferably with photographs.
Please do not embed photos in Word documents (they usually get compressed and resolution is lost). Text in
the body of an email with photos attached is the best method and web links are also fine. The closing date is Friday, 20 December 2024.
Nigel Forshaw
Editor Western Cape Scouter