Scouts flourish in battle lines
There was a horizontal bungy, a water slide into the creek, code cracking and water rockets but the highlight for most of the 448 scouts, venturers and leaders at a camp at Wainuiomata earlier this month was the massed flour bomb fight.
Wooden swords and shields clashed and flour was everywhere as youths and leaders from all over the North Island duked it out in the Battle of Brookfield.
Each group was responsible for their own cooking and the more exotic dishes included venison.
A special moment was the presentation of a Silver Tui to Lower Hutt zone scout leader Derek Cooper, recognising more than 25 years of service to scouting.
Zone leader Elizabeth LucieSmith said the Silver Tui is ‘‘for services of an outstanding character’’; only nine were presented nationwide at this year’s Founder’s Day.
Cooper took out his first leader warrant in 1970 in Christchurch.
He had a few years off but has been a leader in Lower Hutt since 1990, holding warrants in Maungaraki, Normandale and Belmont as well as at the zone level.
‘‘He came through the movement from cubs to venturers attaining his Queen’s Scout before moving on to adult leadership.’’
Known as Skip in scouting circles, Lucie- Smith described Cooper as ‘‘a great organiser of scout courses for our youth and our winter camping competition’’.
‘‘He also spends a lot of time training adults to provide a great programme to our youth,’’ she said.