MODEL SCOUT …
11-year-old Laoise Duane, a 5th class pupil in Ballyhooly National School and a dedicated member of Ballyhooly scouts, took part in a range of scouting related activities during last Saturday’s very successful Recruitment & Information Day held in the heart of Castlebla Forest - coverage inside.
Either the forest is on fire or the Ballyhooly scouts are rustling up some grub - thankfully, it was the latter and with impeccable timing, I arrived just in time to join members of the Ballyhooly 88th Cork Scout Troop for their meal after a day of high energy activities deep in Castlebla Forest.
With 30 metre trees towering over them and just the minimum of light getting through, it was a setting those who favour the indoors might find challenging - but not these hardy scouts, who are well equipped to deal with a variety of terrains and conditions.
RECRUITING
Last Saturday's 'Fun In The Forest' event was a recruiting/information day organised by Ballyhooly scouts. Overseen by scout leaders, Kevin Cogan and Eoin Bracken, the event proved a great success.
"It was an opportunity to give the public a flavour of what scouting is all about. The organisation in Ballyhooly is very strong at the moment, but, of course, we are always keen to hear from new members and we're delighted with how things went today," Kevin told The Avondhu.
EMBRACING THE GREAT OUTDOORS
While some scouting activities take place indoors, at its core, scouting is all about being outdoors, being active and being at one with nature. It's also about being part of a team, making friends and learning new skills. In an era of the smartphone, scouting offers something entirely different and there seems to be no down side to this international movement.
TASTY FARE
Prepared over an open fire, the Ballyhooly scouts stew certainly hit the spot and there was very little left over once everyone got stuck in. Not people to do things by halves, the scouts also served a strawberry based dessert.
With weather conditions in their favour, last Saturday was a great day to be out and about. In keeping with the scouts' philosophy, they left 'no trace' and their surroundings were as they'd found them.
HOMEWARD BOUND
After eventually tracking down the scouts HQ and detailing their activities, there was the small matter of finding my way back to the forest entrance - minus a map or compass, should I go left or right or perhaps straight ahead? It was at times like this you regret not having joined the scouts.