Venturer’s Report, AGM, 24th May 2011

Posted on May 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

Greetings from the mighty MCMK Venturers!  There have been some major changes with Venturers this year, and our Unit has been evolving rapidly over the last few months!  Our numbers are in continual flux, but that’s part of the territory with the Venturer age group.  However, there has been a major change of events with Chris “Spesh” Whitfield and Gary “Gator” Binskin coming on board to steer the Venturer Unit into a new era.  Just like a punt up uncharted waters!

Belinda Binskin and Matthew Urmenyhazi have been at the helm for some time now, but Gary Binksin’s enthusiasm and skills is a tremendous benefit to all in our Unit.  Just a few days ago, we made delicious pizza out of an oven made from a beer keg – whilst Belinda kept a watchful and helpful eye over the chocolate fondue!

Of course the big news for us is that we have our own hall now! We’ve officially cut the umbilical cord from the Berowra Unit and we are on our own!  The Berowra Unit has been a great support over the years, and without them and the use of their hall, we wouldn’t have our Unit. However, we are on our own feet now, and are all enjoying a type of newfound freedom – and no more possum poo in the hall!

Another of the big changes has been changing our meeting nights, from Wednesday and Fridays, to now Monday nights.  This change has been FANTASTIC!! (Thanks Gator!) as all Venturers can now participate throughout the year!!

Our numbers have declined a bit in recent months due to age, friendships with other Units etc.  However, we have had a very full program since the last AGM.  You can see most of our activities on the mcmkscoutgroup.org.au website, which we keep updated regularly, or on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/mcmkvents.  Here, though, are just a few of the activities that we’ve participated in since our last AGM.  We have been VERY busy over the last 5 months or so…

•    Ventout (3 days of camping with Scouts)
•    Snorkelling
•    Deep Pass Christmas Camp
•    Tie Dye Night
•    Roventure (3 days of camping with Rovers)
•    Visit to a Thai Buddhist Monastery
•    Debating night
•    Outdoor cooking
•    Bush tucker weekend

We also recently had a very successful soap swap night.  Check out the website and read about how we turned a bar of soap into a giant flat screen TV – in fifteen minutes!

Other news… on a personal note, I’ve decided to hand over the steering of the Unit to Gary.  Time for me to focus on other projects!  Although I won’t be gone completely, I’ll be hanging around on most nights like a bad smell!  Once a scout leader, always a scout leader!

MCMK Venturers is back on course!  Belinda, Gary, Spesh and to a lesser part myself are now full-swing into a new term and term plan!  Our Venturers are very motivated and enthusiastic, and it looks like we’ll have some Scouts coming up soon!  It also looks like we may have some Queen Scout candidates too!

Cheers,
Mazi (Matthew Urmenyhazi)

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Scouts Report, AGM, May 24th 2011

Posted on May 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

Well it’s the end of another Scouting year for all of us; however there is a big difference this year.  We have our own hall/home.  We no longer have to operate as nomads.  A big thank you goes out to those other scouting groups who have allowed us to utilize their halls/gear and storage facilities.  They are Berowra Scouts for their hall facilities and gear, and Asquith Scouts for allowing us to store what gear we have under their hall.  Without there support we would have been in dire straits so thanks again.

Ok back to us, we currently have 20 Scouts invested with 3 warranted leaders.  This year we have been in the hall a lot as we have a young troop who are coming along well and are itching to get outside and camp but we are not quite there.  Add to this injury to two of our leaders which took 5 months over summer/autumn off the outdoors fun, but we have managed activities where possible.

The boys have just got back from the Easter Benowie District, 4 day Scout Camp held at Crosslands Reserve and we are proud to say they came 2nd in the overall camping competition.  This is a fantastic result given half of them have only just come up from Cubs and have never been to Easter camp before. Well done boys.  A special mention goes to one of our newest Scouts, Max Mcdermott, who not only attended Easter Camp but played the Last Post on his trumpet in front of the entire district.  Well done Max!

The 3 new double dome tents worked well for the camp, it makes a change for us, as we have been borrowing Berowra’s bell tents.  The tents came back wet but a lot easier to handle as they are nylon, not heavy canvas.

We have 6 of the older Scouts going to Scout Hike this year to see if they can win the event.  They are going “Hard Core” – which translates to roughing it with minimal gear and supplies.  Well that’s the meaning for hard core.  Our patrol is going harder than most but not quite full-on hard core, more like “Medium Rare Firm Core”.  I know I will pay for that label.  Well the boys are back and finished between 13th – 28th places which will get them a Silver medal.  We are awaiting the score results to see if we are the highest ranked patrol in our District.  Well done boys, we know it was -2◦C overnight.

I would like to thank our Scouts for the people they are.  They are a good lot of boys that will go far in this world.  They are developing into fine young men, by that I mean that they are in fact maturing not only physically but mentally. They do actually openly care for others, this is being proven all the time for example: “I was at Easter camp last year 2010 with a major kidney stone – yes I was in pain and Bluey had the flu, well we had 2 patrols of mothers with us, giving aid and protection from others.  Also I had neck surgery at Christmas.  Since then every time I go to do something in the hall or around the place I hear, “I’ll get that.  Don’t you do that Koala” or “Sit down and rest your leg Cougar, we’ll do it”.  This coming from a Scout or older Scout (Venturer) does show they do care.  Also a thank you to all of our parents who care as well, it is appreciated by us, your Scout Leaders.

In closing we must thank our Group Leader WOMBAT (aka Greg McKinnon) for his tenacious effort in getting our new hall for us.  It’s been 7 years and 2 of our Scout Leaders have not had a hall to call home until now.  Also a thank you to our Committee for never giving up on our group.

At the time of writing this report, one of our Rover Scouts is recovering from a stay in hospital with severe injuries to his back due to a fall over Easter.  We are all thinking of you Josef and you have our full support to aid your recovery.

Scouting is fun and can be dangerous which is why your Leaders are here to reduce the risks, however some things do happen and that we cannot stop.  Scouting is about doing things in the outdoors and there are risks, but compare them to sitting inside on a computer on a beautiful sunny day, I know where we’d rather be, not inside that’s for sure.

Yours in Scouting,
Koala: Geoff Shields
Cougar: Peter Cooch
Bluey: Jeremy Hugman

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Cub Scout’s Report, AGM, 24th May 2011

Posted on May 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

Our year has been a very busy one: We have been running our term plans and they always have been full of fun and adventure for our Cubs.  We have tried to introduce more achievement badge activities into the regular Tuesday nights.  This was at the Cubs request via pack council.

We have run some of our programmes with our Venturer pack (Rock Climbing).  We have attended district activities, ten pin bowling, BMX days, Scout out and Region Fun Day.

You would be aware that Cuboree was held in January this year with 13 Cubs attending.  For this event we grouped with Berowra Cub Pack.  It was great success with kids and leaders having a good time.  Our Campsite was called Pluto (Space theme).  During the Cuboree there was a talent night to which camp Pluto won.  We were then given the privilege of performing at the closing ceremony.

The merging of our pack and Berowra was great as everyone got along very well (leaders included) so much so that the Cubs would like to do a joint camp with Berowra in the warmer months. (We have arranged with Berowra to have a camp at Narrabeen Scout Hall later in the year.)

Our boomerang work this year has been a real success with more Cubs receiving their badges than any other year, many thanks to Karen for all her good work.

Also we have two more new Leaders this year that started their training and have already made things easier in our Pack.  They are Fletcher ROCK and Rowan KLEIN.  I wish them all the best in their Scouting career and I am sure everyone will make them welcome.

Our Pack is very strong, at the moment we have 18 Cubs and 6 Leaders which makes us the envy of other Packs.  The pack consists mainly of 8-9 year olds.  We have 3 Cubs turning 11 this year and by all accounts they will be heading to Scouts.

Each term we have a weekend bushwalk along one of the local trails.  Last month we walked the Hornsby to Crosslands trail and had 18 kids and parents come along, a great turnout for Sunday morning.

We have been going on small walks around the new hall on Tuesday nights, last week we walked to McDonalds brought an ice cream and walked back.  The Cubs said that was the best night and could they do it again.

The Pack went to Brooklyn to assist in their Anzac Day Service.  It was raining and cold but those who came along helped set up the chairs and hand out programs.

This year the Cubs had Jamboree of the Airways at Asquith Scout Hall.  This was a unique experience with Cubs talking to other Cubs from around the world.

I would like to thank Wombat and the committee for all their hard work throughout the year.

In closing the pack in my opinion is in a strong position for the coming year, we have a young pack with a core of about 16 Cubs that attend week in, week out.  The Cubs enjoy each other’s company and are only too keen to play games and seek out new adventures.

Yours in Cubing
Akela 
Jeff Argent

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Group Leader’s Report, 24th May 2011

Posted on May 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

This year certainly has been a momentous one for our Group. After almost seven years in the wilderness, we finally have a new home. And, I am sure you will all agree; what a great home it is. However, it’s sad but true, that we can’t now sit back and relax. We still need to keep our focus up, to make those many final additions and adjustments to turn a great scout hall into an absolutely fantastic scout hall.

As I said it all in my speech at the official opening, there are many people we need to thank for their efforts in bringing this new facility to fruition. However, I find myself needing to once again specifically thank the leaders and the support committee members that have carried so much extra load in keeping our membership strong, during a time when 1st Mt Colah / Mt Kuring-gai could so easily have gone the way of the dinosaurs.

When I look back over the last seven years, the people who have held the Group together have all done so for their own particular reasons. Some for their kids enjoyment, some for their own enjoyment, some from a sense of duty, and some possibly even because they needed to escape their wife or husband for a few hours each week. Who knows! Regardless of the reason, they have all looked into their own lives and found some time for the benefit of our community’s youth. That’s all we can ever ask of them.

These thoughts, along with some terrible news I recently received about a young man who was a Cub and Scout in our Group, brings me to share my reasons for staying the course for so long now. Sadly, my reasons are strangely selfish. Everyone who has had much to do with me knows that I am fiercely patriotic. This, along with a realisation that today’s youth is tomorrow’s society, has lead me to do whatever I can to prepare today’s youth to be responsible and resourceful members of tomorrow’s society. Having been heavily involved in junior sport and having my own children go through various phases of dance and music, I know that Scouting is the best program around for delivering those responsible and resourceful members of society.

So, I hope you will all consider my logic, and test it against your own priorities. As always, I am more than happy to discuss my thoughts with almost anyone at almost any time.

On a less philosophical note, we have unfortunately had a serious safety incident this year, with one of our Rovers falling from a tree while hanging a banner during the Easter Dragonskin event. He probably should consider himself lucky, having a crushed vertebrae but not suffering any spinal damage. However this does highlight that Scouting carries some risks, as the exuberant youth push the boundaries in search of bigger thrills (and higher banners). So, I think we need to ask everyone to both be thankful that our Rover wasn’t more seriously hurt, and to also give serious consideration to the appropriate balance between risk and reward.

In closing, I would like to thank everyone again for their support this past year. Please join with me in looking forward to what promises to be a great coming year for 1st Mt Colah / Mt Kuring-gai.

Yours in Scouting
Greg McKinnon (Wombat)

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AGM Group Committe Report, 24th May 2011

Posted on May 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

Firstly, I would like to thank all of our leaders for the time and effort they have put into their Scouting programs over the past year. As you will read in their reports the Cubs, Scouts and Venturers have been very active over the 12 months and have achieved many high goals. Without the dedication and perseverance of our leaders we would not be in such a great position to move forward in our new hall.

The Cubs have a new Akela in Jeff Argent with Gary moving into Venturers. They have continually made their presence known at district events and ended the year at the state Cuboree held at Cataract Scout Park. All the leaders and Cubs had a great time despite the wet weather.

Peter, Geoff and Jeremy have also done well with the boys coming second at the Easter Scout camp at Crosslands and a patrol gaining a silver award at Scout hike. All of this can be put down to their enthusiasm in teaching the boys the Scouting program.

The Venturers have struggled a bit over the last year and hopefully with the new hall will be able to settle into a more stable routine and grow their numbers. In January next year a few of our Venturers will be attending the 15th Australian Venturer in Tasmania. I’m sure that the Venturers attending will have a great time and meet many new friends.

Over the last year the Group committee has been run with the dedicated support of a small number of parents. With the new hall up and running we are now able to have our committee meetings at the same time as the cub meetings. This has proved a success with some of the cub parents staying on for the committee meeting while their child attends cubs. I would also like to thank Sandra Raymond-Jones for her secretarial efforts over the last few years; she will be standing down from the Secretary’s job, and will need to be replaced by another parent.

The main news on a group front is that our builder Ray Becchio has completed our new hall. We now have all of our sections meeting at our new hall. With the hall 95% complete we still have to keep focus on finishing the last minor elements to create a great hall. In the coming months we will be having a few more working bees to complete the hall. With the completion of the hall drawing closer there are many people to thank, the parents and youth members who have turned up to the working bees and members of the reconstruction committee who have lead the building program. At the head of the building committee was Greg McKinnon, who has been the main driving force behind all the work. Without Greg’s determination and perseverance over the last 7 years we would still be looking at the plans of the new hall and not the actual building.

The role of the Group Committee is to support and look after the group and its assets so that the leaders can go about giving the boys and girls a complete scouting program without worrying about “Has the hall insurance been paid?, Is the electricity bill currently paid?” Over the last few years this has been mainly left to the efforts of 3 or 4 parents. It would be good to see some new parents get involved with the running of the group. It is not the commitment of a Cub or Scout leader, but does require the attendance at 1 meeting a month; this coincides with the Cubs meeting night. The group committee has a very important role in the Group structure and without it there would be no Cubs or Scouts. I wish the new committee all the best with the coming year.

Peter Dudfield
Group Committee Chairman

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How to Turn a Bar of Soap Into A Giant TV in 15 Minutes!

Posted on May 17, 2011 | Leave a comment

Holy Guacamole!! Now that's a tv set!!!

Want to know how to get anything you want within minutes? Read on to see how our Venturers scored a giant tv for their new hall!

There’s a tradition that the MCMK Venturers have had over the years, that has always been a lot of fun and brings in some great rewards! However, we weren’t expecting our night to be successful as this!

A soap-swap is a night that we usually run once or twice a year. Venturers are split into groups of 4, however, on this night, we only had one group. Bummer! Not to worry though, as they were all very enthusiastic as none of them had participated in a soap swap before!

Here’s a story of a recent really successful soap swap. It’s about a guy who turned one red paperclip into a house!! Check out this link: One Red Paper Clip

The venturers were given one bar of soap only! The objective of the night, was to see what they could turn this into! By door knocking, and saying who they were (wearing their scout scarf is important!) they offer to swap the bar of soap for something else of greater value.

Although door knocking or “cold calling” as sales people call it is an uncomfortable process initially, it is a skill that can be of tremendous value. We all have to “sell” or convince someone else of our values, be it our friends, family or an employer at some stages in our lives. Soap swapping is easy and fun. You meet all types of people – fun, welcoming, weird, but usually generous!

Usually the venturers end up with a few tins of food at first. They accept the swap, thank the householders and move to the next door. This process continues, swapping items of greater and greater value. Usually the venturers return with arms full of  shampoo, packets of biscuits, golf clubs, anything really.

On this cold night however, they returned with a giant flat screen tv within 15 minutes of door knocking! Time to call the night quits! It started raining as well, so it was good timing!

We realised afterwards that this is an event that’s more suited to the warmer daylight savings nights. After 8:00pm people really don’t want to be interrupted on a cold winters night! In summer however, we start at 7:30pm and finish at 8:30pm – and end up with carloads full of stuff!

Who knows what our Venturers will be bringing back with them this Summer!

Write below and let us know about what you think of our night!! 🙂

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A Special Thanks for Those Involved…

Posted on May 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

Mount Colah Scouts and Guides recognise the support of the following businesses and organisations in the reconstruction of their hall.

Without the generosity of these parties, the reconstruction of the
Mt Colah Scout and Guide Hall would not have been possible.

•    R. J. Becchio Builders
•    Hornsby District Scout Fellowship
•    Berowra Rotary
•    BLM Electrical Services
•    1st Asquith Scout Group
•    1st Berowra Scout Group
•    1st Cherrybrook Scout Group
•    Hornsby Tree Service
•    Exceptional Plumbing Services
•    Assignment Signs
•    Able Timber & Hardware Asquith
•    Active Hire Asquith

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Venturers soon to have a night visit to hieroglyphs at Bambara!

Posted on April 19, 2011 | Leave a comment

Is this an Egyptian tomb located at the site?

Last weekend I had the honor of spending the
afternoon with Jake Cassar and his friends and supporters of Camp Bambara. The camp is a protest over the illegal destruction of a national park reserve near Kariong, near the Brisbane Waters National Park. You can find this camp just as you leave Kariong and head towards Woy Woy.

Jake, who also does bush tucker tours (see our videos!) gave a guided tour of the very mysterious hieroglyphics that can be found within this reserve. A short walk of 30 minutes from the camp will take you to a rocky outcrop. Amongst these giant slabs of sandstones are countless hieroglyphics!

Who knows where these carvings come from? Were they from two Egyptian brothers who were stranded here thousands of years ago – just like the carvings depict? There is also a mysterious looking tomb there!!!

The Mount Colah Mount Kuring Gai Venturers will definitely be going on a Wednesday night tour of this place, this term! It should be awesome!

We may do a trip with there with our scouts or with other venturers from our region! The venturers from Berowra would love this stuff!

There’s lot’s more info on this place on the web. Type in “Brisbane Waters heiroglyphs” or “Kariong hieroglyphs” in Google and see the theories behind the carvings, and tombstone. We’ll leave it to you to decide what to make of them. It goes without saying though, that this area should be protected as it has a lot of cultural and sacred significance for Aboriginals, the original inhabitants of the area.

If you would like to make a trip to this place, drop in at the camp at Bambara and ask for Jake and his friends to guide you to the carvings. Please support the Bambara protest by offering a small donation to their cause! These guys are really doing courageous work by protesting over having more bushland trashed and turned into unnecessary residential area.

Once this beautiful bushland region is gone, it’s gone for good. As ancestors of our future generations, it’s up to us to preserve this region.

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How to Light a Fire with a Condom

Posted on April 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

You never know. One day in an emergency situation, you may need to use this little trick! You know the old saying “A scout is resourceful!” 🙂

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Dragon Skin these holidays! Good luck to our Venturers!

Posted on April 3, 2011 | Leave a comment

Watch the above video from Dragon Skin
2008 to see what our unit will get up to.

Well, it’s that time of year when our Venturers brave the wilderness for three days of hiking, camping, partying and insanity! Best of luck to all our teams who are venturing into Belangelo (I just got a chill down my spine!) At last count, we had combined teams with MCMK Venturers, Normanhurst and Berowra Venturers.

If you’re keen on getting into Dragon Skin and want to know more about it, check out the Dragon Skin website

Go for it guys, have fun!
Mazi

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