Camp!

For most Guides, camping is the highlight of their Guide career.   I had organised with Mandy, who runs the first Waverley Co, that we would have a district camp. She would be the QM and I would run the camp.   I have a colleague who runs the emergency care team at our school (and she also was one of my Guides when I was still with the 3rd Randburg Company) and she agreed to be the first aider then my son,  Chris would help us with security.
My prayer for the camp was that we would have nice weather and that the Guides from such diametrically opposed backgrounds would get on well together.   Rain was forecast for the weekend.
In the end, only 4 of my Guides turned up.   When the crunch came, the parents of the other 3 couldn’t come up with the money.   I had known that the sisters probably wouldn’t be able to make it but I expected 5.   My Guides came very late (predictably) but the 1st Waverley had enough so we could at least put up the tents.
It did rain on Friday night but not enough to flood the tents.   One patrol, however,was inundated by Parktown Prawns and had to be evacuated to the hall in the middle of the night.

On Saturday the girls learned first aid aimed at the first aid badge.



Our supper was planned to be cooking in patrols over open fires.   Although we had had no rain during the day it looked very threatening by about 5pm.   The girls did manage to make some great fires though.




The rain did come, however, and only one patrol managed to get their chicken casserole in foil cooked.   Along with the rain came lightening and we soon relocated the girls into the hall and the foil parcels into the oven.    By the time we had finished our indoor campfire, the lightning had receded and the rain had lessened so we were able to sleep in our tents (except for the Parktown Prawn patrol who were very skittish)
Sunday was badge testing and packing up on a beautiful hot sunny day.


The girls learned a lot.   They learned table etiquette (don’t walk on the table), working together to do duties,   campfire traditions,   How to Manya for lost property, first aid, of course, and in addition they made lots of new friends.






We all left exhausted with the Guiders vowing not to do another camp for at least a year but the Guides wanting to know when the next one would be.

Raining on Guide Sunday

Because the transport is so iffy as far as timing goes, we decided to get to the Waverley Guide Hall early so as to be quite sure that the girls would get there in time for Guide Sunday.   The plan was to all bring a picnic lunch.
So Sunday dawned very rainy and miserable.   Two girls  phoned or left messages to find out if Guide Sunday was still on.   In general it is very difficult to get hold of people in Alex.  A lot of them have cell phones but don’t have airtime or don’t keep them on most of the time so I decided we would just go with the plan and bring a gazebo and groundsheet.
So we had a picnic in the rain.  The girls didn’t mind.   They even went out walking in the rain .


Guide Sunday was a combination of inspiration and celebration.   Waverley Guide Hall was 50 years old.
The colour party acquitted themselves adequately and the girls enjoyed the ceremony.






The best was probably the tea and birthday cake and other eats afterwards.   My Guides have a very positive attitude to Guide Sunday and enjoyed meeting some of the 1st Waverley Guides with whom they would be camping .