The NW Scouters' Club is a co-operative of Scout Troops. Representatives of member Scout Troops gather to share ideas and experience, plan joint activities, and pursue other projects of mutual benefit.
Nick Ebner, 38th Kitchener Scout Troop.
Pierre Michiels, 38th Kitchener Scout Troop.
Tony Skells, Service Scouter, NWD.
The meeting opened at 19:05. Liam announced that they have been offered a job at Kandersteg International Scout Centre in Switzerland. Liam will depart on May 21 for fifteen months.
The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as written.
Twenty-five Scouters turned out for the NWSC Spring BBQ. Scouters socialised around the campfire while enjoying good food. The bike hike and canoe trip were discussed (see below). It was a chilly night. Scouters agreed that next spring it should happen a little later in the year.
At the Spring Thaw BBQ, Scouters agreed that a bike hike is an activity better suited to weather warmer than is normally found in late April. The event was cancelled, though some troops will be doing their own hikes later in the spring. 11th Kitchener did a day bike hike on April 27. They visited the Military Museum and Huron Chapel. Their route was a 30 km out-and-back in the countryside. Contact Ted for details. It was suggested that the Club may be planning too many events. Perhaps the Club should limit itself to one per season.
Several troops expressed an interest in the trip at the Spring Thaw BBQ. Ben has a large group coming and has book several canoes. Canoes are $50 each for the weekend, including paddles, PDFs, delivery, and pick-up of canoes. Several of the 17th Cambridge Venturers, with ORCA certifications, will be coming. Anyone interested in participating should let Ben know as soon as possible. Canoes should also be booked as soon as possible. Contact Ben for information about booking canoes.
The canoe trip will start at 09:00 on the Saturday at West Montrose Covered Bridge. The trip will be about seven hours, depending on the flow conditions. Ben will scout out the route the weekend before to get an idea of the flow.
Scouters discussed some of the implications of Scouts Canada's reorganisation. The reorganisation does not directly effect the Club, but it may create opportunities for the Club to serve its members. Without North Waterloo District, their spring camporee will not happen. Scouters agreed that the Club should discuss running a spring camporee to replace the NWD Camporee. The Club has already taken on running Patrol Leaders' Workshops in the fall.
Without an ADC Scouts, there is no obvious person to interview candidates for the Chief Scout's Award. Scouters agreed that the Club could fill this need. Scouters at the Club could volunteer to interview candidates from other troops. The Group Scouter might also play a role here, though it was noted that Group Scouters may have little or no experience at the Scout level.
Liam did a slide presentation about their trip to Gilwell Park, Brownsea Island, and Kandersteg International Scout Centre. Gilwell Park is a beautiful and historic campsite close to London and accessible via British Rail. One could stay there while visiting London. Brownsea Island is in Poole Harbour on the south coast of England. It is now a National Trust site (like a national park) and is accessible by ferry. Scouts may camp there. Kandersteg International Scout Centre is an international gathering place for Scouts, the Permanent Mini-Jamboree, located 65 km south of Bern in Switzerland. The centre is open year-round. In the summer, there will be 1200 Scouts from around the world there at any one time. The program is based on the themes of international friendship, the environment, and alpine high adventure. In the winter, Scouts come to the centre for skiing and other winter activities. Members of Scouting aged 18 or older can be part of the volunteer staff. Short-term staff come for three months and receive a travel subsidy of half their travel costs, room and board, and a day off a week to hike or explore Switzerland. It is a fantastic international Scouting experience.
Those in attendance were disappointed by the small turnout at the meeting. It was suggested that the meeting dates be fixed at the beginning of each year. It was noted that attendance is always good when there is a phone blitz before the meeting. The only drawback is that this takes much more time then sending an email as is down now.
The meeting was closed at 21:00. The next event is the Canoe Trip, June 22-23.
—Minutes prepared by Ted Claxton and Liam Morland.
