Meet A Scout & Leader

Scout Profile - Ben

Why did you join Scouts?
My parents told me about all of the great things you can do in Scouts and I thought wow that sounds like awesome fun, so I joined up.

What are your favourite activities at Scouts?
We do lots of fun activities at Scouts. I really like taking part in wide games, kayaking, canoeing and sailing. I also like going away with my Patrol on patrol camps because you get to spend time with your patrol and do lots of fun stuff.

What is your greatest achievement in Scouts?
Earning my Pioneer Badge and Pioneer Cord.

What was the best camp you have been to and why?
The best camp was the Patrol Camp we had at Clifford Park, where we camped in tents and played really awesome games like sock wrestling, Capture the Flag and Stalk The Lantern.

Give me three reasons why should your friends join Scouts?
There are so many reasons! You get to learn new skills, it's always heaps of fun, you get to do activities that you may never have done before, you get to experience nature and you can make lots of new friends.

What do you think of the Scout leaders?
They are all very supportive and organise really fun stuff for us to do.

Scout Leader Profile - Tony.....aka "T2"

How long have you been involved in Scouts?
5 years.

Were you a youth member?
No, however my brother was a Scout.

What prompted you to train as a Scout Leader?
I started when my two sons joined the Group..... the youngest joined the Cubs section and the eldest joined the Scouts section. The Group was looking for leaders in both sections so I decided to give it a go. I know through my work with other community groups how important volunteer contributions can be.

How long did it take?
I completed the basic training in about 15 months, which was made up of a combination of online learning as well as two instructor led courses. I have recently completed all the coursework to qualify for my advanced training, which took another 12 months. The course work was very easy and very enjoyable.

What do you think are the key benefits of being a Leader?
You get to spend time with your children in a very different environment and also get the opportunity to participate in great activities together. You also have the opportunity to apply any professional skills you may have to improve the group (eg. trade skills, project management, technology, leadership).

What’s the best thing about being a Leader?
The best thing is just being able to contribute to a really worthwhile cause. Volunteers are the backbone of the Scout group and without them the group can't offer the great range of activities that it does today.

What sort of things do you do with your Scouts?
The Scouts participate in a range of fantastic activities like sailing, canoeing, kayaking, power boating, abseiling, rock climbing, caving, camping and hiking. Every year the activities are quite varied, which you can see by looking at our programs.

How do you see Scouts benefiting young people?
Scouting offers young people the opportunity to learn many new skills and to participate in activities that they may never have had the opportunity to do. They learn about leadership and also how to work within a team. Through planning and execution of activities they learn about organsiation and delegation, and also about being adaptable as not everything goes to plan all of the time. The skills that Scouts learn can be applied in their lives outside of Scouting.

Recount one of your favourite Scout experiences
The most memorable experience in my time at 1st / 14th Brighton would have to be the day that one of our Scouts completed all of the activities required to achieve her Australian Scout Medallion, which is the highest award that a Scout can achieve. It took approx three years to plan and work through all of the activities that she needed to complete, and was the first Scout Medallion awarded within the Scout section in 5 years.