Wednesday, October 30, 2013

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

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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.
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Samantha watching the fire

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.
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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.


lunch time at camp

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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.

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