NW Scouters’ Club: Minutes
June 13, 2006

11th Kitchener Scout Troop

Ted Claxton

30th Kitchener Scout Troop

John McCuish

Mark Wilson

4th Waterloo Scout Troop

Lloyd Daigle

21st Waterloo Scout Troop

Liam Morland

Jay Treacy

Resource Persons

Nick Ebner

Tony Skells

Regrets

• Mark Panchaud, 1st Freeport Scout Troop
• Viet Truong, 11th Kitchener Scout Troop
• Ken Coyle, 69th Kitchener Rover Crew
• Phil Schmidt, 1st Waterloo Scout Troop
• John Bain, 9th Waterloo Scout Troop

Liam opened the meeting at 19:10.

Scouters discussed the Discover Narnia Camporee.

• Auction: Is the blind silent auction getting stale? It was suggested that this event be changed, perhaps by making it live.
• Catapult Construction: This pioneering event worked very well and got everyone involved. Less time should be spent on throwing as the Scouts started to throw by hand. A set time frame is important. The clean-up of the shot afterwards went well. The warm, clear weather was perfect. If it had rained, the paper towel and flour shot would probably not have worked.
• The number of events was just right.
• The cross-river wide game was good. Some did not come prepared with boots. Boundaries were not consistently followed.
• The Saturday campfire was cancelled, squeezed out by the wide game and karaoke. The karaoke went well.
• To make up for the campfire, the closing was done as a campfire. This worked well, but Ted insists that having him sit on the toilet was a one-time event.
• The camporee ran a deficit of $251, which is easily covered out of the balance remaining from past camporees. The event would have been in surplus if it had not been for paying a $300 share of the rental of a marquee, which was given to a Girl Guide group so that the camporee could use the Lions Activity Shelter. The crests are another large expense.

Camporee Attendance

Scouts	78
Venturers	4
Rovers	6
Scouters	28
Total	116

It was generally agreed that the theme for next year's camporee, May 25-27, 2007, would be either or both of Scouting's 100th Anniversary and the 150th Anniversary of BP's birth. Ted has booked Everton.

Scouters discussed how the Club should be organized and how to fill the various roles. Ted suggested a structure which is intended to increase the sharing of leadership in the Club. This structure includes a President, Treasurer, and Secretary who serve for one-year terms, and a Meeting Chair, Meeting Secretary, Refreshments Convener, Pentagon Organization, and Event Discussion Coordinator which rotate for each meeting.

The next Club meeting will be at the 3Rs Scouters' Social on September 26. At that time, a decision will be made about how to structure the Club and who will fill the various roles. Liam indicated that he intends to retire as Chair.

Scouters discussed the 3Rs Scouters' Social. It was agreed that pot-luck events can discourage participation since people feel an obligation to bring something. Liam described a Commissioner's Corn Roast event that happened every year when he lived in Ottawa. It was agreed that Ted would speak to Ken Coyle, who is organizing the 3Rs event, about changing the event from being pot-luck. The Club's funds will be offered to front the costs associated with doing this. It was agreed that a collection plate will likely cover the costs.

Scouters discussed the Introduction to Scouting Day and agreed that it should run much like in the past. Volunteers will be needed for the various events:

Morning Sessions

• Knife, Axe, and Saw — Safety and use
• Pitch a Fly — Teaches and applies bowline, two-half-hitches, taut-line hitch, and sheet bend
• First Aid — Severe bleeding and shock
• Fire Lighting — Two match fire

Afternoon Sessions

• Preparing for Camp — Demonstration of good and bad packing for camp
• Stove and Lantern — Fuelling, lighting, and safety
• Map and Compass — 16 points, orient map, walk bearing, take bearing
• Leave No Trace — Minimizing impact on the environment, and respecting nature and other visitors

Ted announced that the Kwahadi Dancers' show on Monday, July 31, 2006 will be the kick-off to the countdown to Scouting's 100th Anniversary in North Waterloo. The show is at the Theatre of the Arts, University of Waterloo. There will be door prizes.

Ted is looking for another Scouter to help at the Everton Summer Camp, July 22-28, 2006. As well, there are still places available for Scouts.

Ted suggested organizing a essay/multimedia contest to celebrate BP's 150th Birthday on February 22, 2007. The prize could be a gift certificate and having the essay published in a local newspaper.

North Waterloo Scout Shop

Peter Miller has been laid off effective August 2007. The North Waterloo Scout Shop will close at that time. Just four shops will serve all of Ontario.

Council Fees and Openness

Jay lead a discussion about what Central Escarpment Council provides in return for the membership fees it charges. 21st Waterloo has been trying to find out more about how the money is spent, but many questions asked by the group have been left partially or completely unanswered by CEC. Jay distributed an information page with some background information and questions.

Multicultural Festival

Scouter Ted is looking for Scouts who would be interested in carrying flags at the opening of the Multicultural Festival on Saturday, June 24, 2006. He is also looking for volunteers to staff the Scouts Canada display.

Raising the Profile of Scouting

Scouters briefly discussed some opportunities for raising the profile of Scouting. 10th Waterloo Scout Group will be running a display at the University of Waterloo Canada Day Celebrations. The Waterloo Busker Festival is the third weekend in August. There is room for Scouting to setup some sort of activity. Lloyd is involved with this. Lloyd also suggested participating in the Waterloo Ice Dogs Festival in the winter, perhaps by doing a winter camping demonstration and sleep-over.

Pioneering

Scouters discussed mini-pioneering projects that Scouts can build during weekly meetings, even inside. Ted and Liam had both brought some pioneering supplies. It was decided to build some of these projects at a meeting in the fall.

The meeting was adjourned at 21:15. The next meeting will be Tuesday, September 26, 2006 at Camp Mohawk following the 3Rs Potluck, Social, and Campfire.

—Minutes prepared by Liam Morland.