Salesian Brigade’s summer camp

This year’s annual summer camp was held at the Salesian Brigade’s Ghajn Tuffieha Barracks between 14 and 22 August and had a little twist to the usual programme due to the Covid-19 restrictions. Due to social distancing the young section (A Coy) camped first under the leadership of Lieutenant Joe Camilleri and Corporal Daniela Bugeja, while the teen section (B Coy) followed, having Drum Major Andrei Cachia and Corporal Sebastian Falzon leading the programme together with the assistance of a number of other NCOs within the Brigade, giving a helping hand on a variety of other aspects.

B Coy had the opportunity to meet Cami Appelgren, one of the five rangers that patrols the Majjistral Park and Golden Bay, who offered some of her time to give us a talk on what a ranger’s job is and the challenges that they face. Cami also explained to the group the different biodiversity of the park and the alien species that are removed frequently by the park attendants, therefore giving space for indigenous species to grow. The current project that at present is taking shape is to prevent the formation of islands which happens due to paths formed by cars and hikers. When islands form, they isolate the ecosystem thus, instilling a lack of needed resources such as food. This causes a depletion of biodiversity. On completion, the project will close these paths and after time the islands will re-join, therefore having an advantageous effect.

The session then continued with a short walk within the park and a clean-up, which with minimal effort from the whole group and within a very short time, managed to fill three garbage bags with plastic/paper/steel and other materials that harm the existing flora and fauna of the area.

Benjamin Bugeja