Canadian scouts call on Mawan
KUCHING: Some warm Canadian cheer came breezing through Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom’s office when representatives from the 180th Pacific Coast Scout Group paid the Sarawak Scout Council president a courtesy call at his office yesterday.
Led by the Scout group’s founder and head advisor John Chow, the 29-member contingent is on the second leg of the organisation’s International Service Project 2015 through Malaysia and Singapore which began in Kuala Lumpur on May 2.
“I believe there is going to be a very important relationship between Sarawak scouts and Canadian scouts, and I hope that the local group here will compare notes to explore the possibilities on which we can work together,” said Mawan, who is also the minister of social development.
“Not only we are here to do some cultural exchange, but we have sharing session in terms of various presentationswhichincludescouting membership, leadership, personal development and environmental stewardship,” added Chow.
Every 12 to 24 months, the Scout group travels abroad as part of a character-building exercise as well as to learn about and help its destination countries. This is the group’s fifth International Service Project since 2008 during which they have visited China, Japan, the Philippines and Mexico.
During their Kuala Lumpur trip on May 2- 6, they visited with 1st Kuen Cheng Scout Group the Petronas Twin Towers and nonprofit organisation House of Love. The final leg of their trip will be in Singapore from May 14-17.
Their busy itinerary here with the Sarawak Scout Council includes mangrove planting in Kuching Wetlands, a sharing workshop at Batu Lintang Teacher Training Institute, seeing the orangutan at Semenggoh Wildlife Centre and visiting Sarawak Cultural Village.
“We really believe that the mangrove forest needs to be preserved, we need to be much kinder to the earth,” Chow added.
As Chow is a member of the Canadian Board of Governors, he said the crew represented Scouts Canada during their trip to Kuching.
Established in 2007, 180th Pacific Coast Scout Group is a premier development programme for young adults aged 18 to 26 years old in Metro Vancouver. Currently, the group has 180 members, making them the largest Rover Scout Group in Scouts Canada.
Also present during the courtesy call was Sarawak Chief Scout Commissioner, Sudaryo Osman.