You are the people who start little boys on the trail of happiness in service to others
– Lord Rowallan,
on opening the Second International Cub Conference,
July 31st 1950
AUG 2009 BSA Cub Scout Theme: FUN IN THE SUN
Western Australia
July 2009 issue of WA Scout eNews Chief’s Corner
Vic Venturers
Interchage 2009 – Jul (Low Resolution Images) [PDF]
(Newsletters – you can view 3 pdf versions of each issue: two versions with all photos and graphics – either full or low resolution,and one without photos and graphics)
Boy’s Life Magazine
Links found in July 2009 Boys’ Life magazine
The Dump
This month my featured book from “The Dump” Resources For Scouting is; 100 Ideas For Pack Meetings [PDF] (The Scouters books series, No.4) by Valerie Gale. Second hand copies for this volume are very expensive so this may be a volume where obtaining an original will be difficult.
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From the May 2009 Group Newsletter from VicScouts;
Cuboree
Acting on a recommendation from the report on the 2008 Cuboree and the Branch Cub Council, the date of the next cuboree has been set down for the September school holidays, 2010 at Gilwell.
Russell Bradd has been appointed Cuboree Director and in conjunction with Branch Commissioner Cub Scouts, David Fairclough is assembling a team to provide a fresh new experience for our Cub Scouts in 17 months time.
I guess I have one big question for this change of date; What resource strain does this impose given that 2010 is also a Jamboree year? Many Leaders who have already committed to Jamboree will have issues getting extra time off work for the Cuboree.
DIARY NOTE:
Cuboree 6, September 27 to October 1 2010
– p.13 Australian Scout (July 2009)
Posted in 2010, Activity, Cuboree | Leave a Comment »
One hundred years from now it will not matter what your bank account was, the sort of house you lived in, or the kind of car you drove; but the world may be different because you were important in the life of a child. — One hundred years from now it will not matter what your bank account was, the sort of house you lived in, or the kind of car you drove; but the world may be different because you were important in the life of a child.
– Dr. Forest E. Witcraft (1894-1967)
Scouting, Oct 1950, p.2
JUL 2009 BSA Cub Scout Theme: BE A SPORT
South Australia Scout Magazine
June 2009 – Volume 3 Edition 2
UK Scouting Magazine
UK Scouting Magazine
Boy’s Life Magazine
Links found in June 2009 Boys’ Life magazine
The Dump
This month my featured book from “The Dump” Resources For Scouting is; How To Run A Pack [PDF]. This is another book from the Gilcraft series. The copies in my library are the 1952 Softcover reprint and the 1961 Hardcover revised edition (the First Edition is 1945). Second hand copies for this volume are slightly harder to come by and they cost between $20 and $60.
There’s only one way to run a Pack – and that’s the right way. This book will help you, but you must have good, hard-wearing uniforms and first-class equipment if your Pack is to be successful. There the right way is the Scout Shop Way – it is always at your service.
– From the rear cover of “How To Run A Pack”
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To help to get up to speed as quick as possible I have picked up the following book from the USA to help with the Pinewood Derby design process;
“
Pinewood Derby Designs and Patterns“
Troy Thorne; Paperback;
Pinewood Derby Designs and Patterns
This book is a good starting point for investigating how you build Pinewood cars. It would certainly be throwing most Cub Scouts in at the deep end and is written for an Adult audience. This SHOULD be used by a parent to assist a Cub build THEIR car … unfortunately the book also would generate the affect of a parent building the “ultimate car” for their Cub’s race for any parent not starting with the perspective that it is the Cub’s car.
“
Pinewood Derby Speed Secrets:
Design and Build the Ultimate Car“
DK Publishing; Paperback;
Pinewood Derby Speed Secrets
This takes the previous book even further with all sorts of ideas for optimising cars. I am going to state up front that I think that the best use for this book for anyone running a Pinecar derby is to ensure that your rules are concise enough to specifically prohibit the speed items that you do not want the Cubs to use in your race. Yes, I am a talking about lathe-turned modified wheels and after market wheels 
This highlights another Derby option: as some of the parents really get into the whole Pinecar building process it is worthwhile adding an “Open Class” event to allow the parents to race their own speed demons so that the Cub can retain ownership of their car. We’ll give this a shot at our event and see how it goes.
“
How to Book: Formula for Building & Racing PineCars“
Woodland Scenics; Paperback;
Formula for Building & Racing PineCars
I was disappointed with this book as it does not provide anything that is not available free online. This book seems to be nothing more than a glorified brochure for www.pinecar.com and doesn’t deliver as the how-to manual that it is sold as.
Posted in 2009, Activity, KubKar, PinewoodDerby, ideas, resources | Tagged Pinewood | Leave a Comment »
Landcare Badge
Cub Scouts: caring for the land
Youth members who participate in an official Landcare project for not less than six months, either through a local Scout Landcare Group or as part of a community Landcare group, may wear the Landcare badge on the right sleeve.
Posted in Badge, Cubs | Tagged Special Interest Badges | Leave a Comment »
If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a Professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.
– Author Unknown
Ask Andy “Bill” (2009-April-28) [The NetCommish @ USSSP] … just go and read it, you’ll see why I have linked to it
Jun 2009 BSA Cub Scout Theme: A CAMPING WE WILL GO
Scouting Magazine
May – June 2009 Issue
Boy’s Life Magazine
Links found in May 2009 Boys’ Life magazine
The Dump
This month my featured book from “The Dump” Resources For Scouting is; Wolf Cubs [PDF]. Following on from last month this is another book in the Gilcraft series. This is worth having in your Pack library, and second hand copies are not too difficult to locate.
No. 5 in the Gilcraft series. Written specially to help those who are taking up Cubbing so as to give them an understanding of its general aims, methods and practices. Is, however, of great use to Cubmasters of long standing.
(Some second hand copies available online between AU$10 to AU$25)
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Cameron Crowe from Leave No Trace Australia is the guest in the current episode of the Paddy Pallin Adventurer Series of Podcasts;
Leave No Trace Podcast
How many times have you wanted to do something positive for the environment but not known where to start?
Cameron Crowe felt the urge to make a positive contribution to conserving our environment and has spent the last 9 years establishing the Leave No Trace education program in Australia. Through the promotion of the Leave No Trace principals Cameron and others at Leave No Tace are making it easier for you and I to minimise our impact when in the outdoors by providing the information we need to make a positive change in our behaviour.
In this episode of the Paddy Pallin Adventurer Series of Podcasts you can hear Cameron’s inspiring story of the Leave No Trace principals and the growth of the organisation in Australia. This is a truly inspirational story not to be missed.
Paddy Pallin: Adventurer Series Of Podcasts: Leave No Trace
Duration: 44:00 m – Filetype: mp3 – Bitrate: 128 KBPS – Frequency: 44100 HZ
Posted in ideas, podcasts | Tagged Leave No Trace, Paddy Pallin | Leave a Comment »
The Scout movement has been celebrating St. George’s Day on April 23 since its first years, and St. George is the patron saint of many other organizations. [1] St. George’s Day commemorates the passing of the Patron Saint of Scouting and Rovering, Rovers around the country hold ceremonies to commemorate the occasion each year and all Scouts are welcome to join them. [2]
“I look to you chaps to be the knights of the Twentieth Century.“
– B-P
Scout in the role of Saint George.
From Baden-Powell, Scouting for Boys (1908)
I have a little totem hanging over my writing-table. I have it there because it is an inspiring little figure. It helps to tune one up when there’s an ugly or a difficult job on hand.
When we were a rich country and used to have real sovereigns to spend, that same figure was to be seen there. It is a man on a horse, tackling an ugly-looking dragon. St. George is his name.
I have got a lot of drawings, both ancient and modern, of him.
There is one that I like better than the rest, not because it is a better picture, for it isn’t ; but because in it St. George is shown with a devil of a grin on he is tackling the dragon with a smile, cheerily, and he means to win.
And that is the way to tackle any difficulty however ugly it may look.
– BP, Rovering To Success
In a traditional Rover Crew an invested Rover is knighted as a Knight of St George, before being invested the probationary Rover goes through squire training which also has its basis in the training of Knights. [3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
LINKS:
[1] St George’s Day [wikipedia]
[2] St. George’s Day [Scouts Australia]
[3] The Traditional Rover Scout Handbook by Sir Baden-Powell [inquiry.net]
[4] Rover Squire’s Vigil by Sir Baden-Powell [inquiry.net]
[5] Rover Squire’s Investiture by Sir Baden-Powell [inquiry.net]
[6] A Rover Scout Investiture [Rover 101]
[7] Rover Scouts – Scouting for Men [Scouting Milestones]
[8] The Dump – Rovers [The Dump - Resources For Scouting]
Posted in Rovers, Scouting | Tagged St George, St George's Day | Leave a Comment »
We had discussed the possibility of using a Pinewood/KubKar activity in 2009 as our year off from the Billy Cart Derby. I have found an online local supplier of Pinewood Derby Kits, namely the Rangers Australia store.
I purchased a couple of the complete kits to see what shipped with them;
kit
I have been having an email discussion with Rangers Australia, and they can arrange for us to do a bulk purchase so that we save on postage (and save on GST if we have a registration number for not paying GST).
Complete kit:
* Pinewood Derby Kit complete with patch $10.00
Component pricing:
* Pinewood Derby block $3.00
* Pinewood Derby axle kit $3.00
* Pinewood Derby wheel kit $3.00
* Pinewood Derby wheel and axle kit $5.00
Complete kit (no badge):
This makes the cost of a kit without the badge;
* Pinewood Derby block, wheel and axle kit $8.00
Badges:
We would need to get a custom badge manufactured or perhaps purchase generic BSA badges.
eg. Pinewood Derby® 09 Emblem Price: US$1.19
Posted in Activity, KubKar, PinewoodDerby | Tagged KubKar, Pinewood, Pinewood Derby | Leave a Comment »
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Scouts Walking Together World Wide
Jamboree On The Trail is an annual day for the World Scout Movement to hike together. All Scouts, whatever their age and wherever they may be in the world, are invited to participate in whatever way they can. Cubs and younger Scouting sections could visit a local nature trail as part of a weekend camp. A Scout Troop might check out a hiking trail while working on badge requirements. A Rover Crew might make a Service Project out of restoring or maintaining a hiking trail. In their own way, everyone will be hiking the same direction: towards a better future through Scouting. JOTT is held on the second Saturday of May each year. [1]
The Australian JOTT contact is Peter Thomas < australia@jott.org >
Nillumbik District Cub Scouts will participate in the 2009 Jamboree of The Trail on Saturday 9th May. More details will be made available closer to the date.
There is no District JOTT activity but we will have a 1st Eltham JOTT Hike.
LINKS:
[1] JOTT: Jamboree On The Trail [JOTT]
[2] JOTT · Discussing Jamboree On The Trail, an international event for the worldwide family of Scouts [Yahoo!Group]
[3] Jamboree On The Trail (JOTT) [Scouts NewEngland]>
Posted in 2009, JOTT, Jamboree | Tagged Cubs, Jamboree On The Trail, JOTT, Scouting, Scouts | Leave a Comment »
