Home away from home

How your home looks from the road – also called ‘street appeal’ – is as important at Jamboree as it is in the street where you live.

In fact, each Unit has the opportunity to build a gateway which is the entrance to their site. Gateways are often a way to display the personality of your Unit. As you move around the site you’ll see all sorts of creative treatments for gateways. And did you know there is a gateway competition to see who can brag for the rest of their life about being the winners?

Even the chores are fun on camp!

Duty Patrols agree; even when it’s their turn to do the ‘housekeeping’, they have fun. And some even learn new skills.

Washing clothes in a modern laundry is easy. No dirt, a clothes drier, a private drying room. Washing your clothes in a bucket and hanging your clothes out for all to see? Now that requires skill and personal confidence.

Dishwashers? Only the two-legged kind on camp. Prepping, cooking, serving, washing, wiping, cleaning, disinfecting, are all part of the duties of the Duty Patrol. Cleanliness is next to, well, Scout-li-ness. And it wards off some of the more unpleasant tummy bugs that can sometimes happen at camp.

Deep down, we know that every Scout likes to pretend that they are a celebrity chef. So far at AJ2025, we have seen burger flippers, potato mashers, lettuce slicers, and all sorts of creative plating of meals. And, really, with a selection of tomato and BBQ sauce, and a bit of mayonnaise on offer, everything tastes good. 

Your Sights – a city tour of Maryborough

One of the offsite activities for Scouts is the city tour of Maryborough – Your Sights – which includes Maryborough Monopoly, a military tour, the Maryborough Art Tour, and a Train Expo.

We ran into a few NSW patrols and they were enjoying their visit to the city. Sebastian, Scarlett and Charlie from FC022 were delighted to read the front page of the local paper that said “Scouts invade Coast”.

We ran into a few NSW Patrols and they were enjoying their visit to the city. Sebastian, Charlie, Henry, Scarlett, Valdanio and Charlie (yes, there are two of them) from FC022 were delighted to read the headline on the front page of the local paper Scouts invade coast. Certainly, walking around the city centre, we saw NSW shirts everywhere so ‘invade’ is the right word.

Maya from C032 told us about her experience with morse code at the Whistle Stop Museum. The Museum Curator was delighted that morse code is still alive and well in Scouting. Henry, Andrew, Alistair and Lohita from C034 were fascinated by the model railway in the Museum.

Watch the interview with these NSW Scouts. scoutsnsw.au/m/aj2025nsw

We did come across some sleeping Scouts. It was hot. The shade was nice. Anytime is a good time to rest.

If you’re out in the sun, remember to wear a hat, use sunscreen and remain hydrated.

What if something goes wrong at Jamboree?

As much as our Units plan, sometimes things can go wrong. But it’s the planning that makes sure even the wrong things can be righted.

We’ve had broken tents. And they’ve either been fixed or replaced so that no-one is left without a roof over their head.

Lost property is always something to address. If our Scouts lose something, the Jamboree Organising Committee collects it, looks for the name of owners, then returns it to NSW HQ. Then we return it to its owner. Of course, if there’s no name, that item will remain forever alone in some cold, dark container. 

Feeling unwell is also catered for at camp. Each Subcamp has a first aid post to deal with minor injuries or situations. Then there’s the Medical Centre which will action any more significant health issues. The AJ2025 Director of Health and Wellbeing is Lynn MacDonald who is a member of the Region team from from North Coast.

If something really goes wrong, we have emergency services onsite. Police, ambulance and security are all here and doing a great job

Shhhh… our leaders are resting

Today is halfway through the Jamboree and some of our Leaders are a little in need of a rest. The plan is that every adult Leader is entitled – and is encouraged – to take two days off.

What do our Leaders do on their days off? Some find a quiet spot under a tree, put a hat over their face, and have nap. Others sign up to a tour, and there are some great tours on offer: Australia Zoom, Kingfisher Bay Resort on K’gari or a half day beach and BBQ tour on K’gari, Bundaberg Brew and Beyond, or the Turtle Discovery and Reefworld.

Not unlike home, often days off are filled with washing, folding, cleaning and all those little things that need to be done.

Dad jokes:

NSW Contingent  Birthday Wishes