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This page provides access to current and past copies of the the monthly newsletter of the 4th Worcester Park Scout Group
plus other reports relating to life at the 4th. The Friends
of the Fourth page has copies of their own section's newsletter.
4th News, March 2005
Sections
GROUP SCOUT LEADER
Fred Fletcher
We have two sides to our newsletter this month. We have our Section's reports
about the interesting and fun events that they have enjoyed including
Charterhouse Pack's trip to Disneyland Paris and several cubs have reported, in
their own words, how much they have enjoyed the trip.
On the other side of the coin we have a report from Shanthi (Larsham
Sivakumaran's Mother) about an Orphanage in Sri Lanka. I'm happy to say that we
in some small way are making donations to help the Orphanage, £100 from our
Good Turn Fund, and Charterhouse Pack have run a Bring & Buy sale and raised
£225. It's nice to know that the Group is helping other children - I like that.
Many thanks to all the people who helped at the two February Jumble Sales and
raised over £1000 for our Group Funds - well done, a great effort.
Our next fund raising event is the Grand Auction; let's see lots of you at
this event - please! Also tickets are now available from me for the 'Race Night'
on 19th March - it's good fun so come and join us.
You may have noticed at HQ our new Iveco van; this will be very useful to all
our sections, so I must say a very big thank you to Paul Green (and Dad John)
for the hard work they undertook in obtaining this vehicle for us. Many thanks.
I called in at the local Florist to buy my Valentine some flowers for
Valentine's Day; inside the florists were two of our young leaders (no names)
also buying flowers. How lovely, who says romance is dead - in the 4th it isn't!
Many thanks to the Explorer Unit for tidying up the HQ, burning all the
rubbish and also going with me to unload all the Jumble rubbish at the council
skip; you were all great - thank you.
Swami Vivekananda Children Home - Shanthi Sivakumaran
Whilst in the Murthur district, I heard that there were two orphanages that
had taken on the victims that were affected by the Tsunami on the 26th December.
I went along to visit these. There were two orphanages - One where they
sheltered the boys and the other one for the girls. Both of these Orphanages had
very poor living conditions. The buildings were two rented houses, which had
been rented for the purpose of caring for orphans in this district. I met with
the members of the boys orphanage committee, which is called Swami Vivekananda
Children Home. Where we discussed its poor conditions. There was no electricity,
no communication, and not enough food. In order to help them, I bought the boys
new clothes for school, food and donated money to put solar panels so that they
would have some light at night. I also paid the installation of a telephone
line, to enable me to communicate with them whilst over here in the UK and find
out how they are progressing. I am planning to join the committee, who is
currently made up of adults who became orphans in their childhood, so that I can
actively help the children who lost their parents in such a devastating way and
will be tormented with these images for life. This Orphanage (Charity) has been
running for 6 months and is a registered charity in Sri Lanka. Please can you
help these children, who have lost everything and are dependent on other peoples
help? Help us provide food, shelter and give them the support they need to
rebuild their lives!!! Sponsoring a child only costs £25 per month. There are
46 orphans in this orphanage - all of them need our help.
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA CHILDRENS HOME
On behalf of board of trustees of the "Swami Vivekananda Children
Home", Echilampattu, Muthur, I wish to express our grateful thanks for the
yeoman service you rendered its during the post "Tsuanami" period, The
destruction to life, and property and the subsequent fear of repetition of such
disasters were unimaginable. Your help in our dire need was timely. We remain
forever grateful to you and to all those whose goodwill and kindness enabled you
to rush to our aid and help us feed and house the young victims.
The institution was started five months ago to help children who found
themselves victims to a quarter century old ethnic war. We began this
institution with thirty children. But with the destructive tidal wave of the
26th December 2004 the number of the children has risen to 46 at present. More
and more seem to be knocking at our door,
We have, now housed these children in temporary apartments We appealed for a
permanent place and the authorities have been kind enough to allot us land 2
acres in extent. We have planned to put up a permanent building soon to give
these destitute children a house of their own.
As of now well wishers of the area have pledged to contribute on a monthly basis
a total of' Rs10,000. Even if all of them keep on honouring their pledge the sum
is hardly sufficient to maintain these children.
We would therefore kindly request you to help us with sufficient funds to meet
out needs of providing a fairly decent life to these unfortunate children, Our
dependence on public contributions will be only for the next five years by which
time we hope a permanent arrangement could be made to run this institution
Thank you once again for all that you have rendered us.
ASPEN COLONY
Anne Mays (MAYO), Carol Salter (HOLLY)
Well the Beavers are back in full swing and even on our first evening back
you would think we had never had a break.
We welcome back Tom Newman who was missing for several weeks whilst he was
helping his school with a Christmas production.
We also welcome Louise who has now joined Aspen Colony to help and we must say
that she is a very welcome recruit.
We welcome Kheenan Moore who has recently joined us and Christopher Wakeford who
has joined us from another colony that has now closed down and finally welcome
Ross Davis - we hope you all enjoy your time with us.
We have had a games night just to have fun and we are now reading the beaver
book again because several of the boys are new and it won't hurt the older ones
to re-cap. We have made and decorated some very elaborate biscuits but of course
some were eaten before they reached home
We have made and designed some very smart clocks but not only that we have
learnt to tell some of the times on the clock and they boys set their own clocks
at different times and we had a clock game which went very well thanks to Philip
our scout. We are hoping that this will stay in their heads and telling the time
will become natural to them.
We had a wonderful Scouts' Own run by Cedar Colony and the boys were a credit to
their Colony.
Please remember that Colonies do close down if parents and helpers are not
available so if you can help or are asked to help in some small way please do so
then it makes life a little easier for those trying to hold the reins and take
care of the boys.
Please support as many of the functions through the year as you can either by
helping or attending socially as we need your help. Thank-You.
BIRCH COLONY
Sheila Kinton (BAGHEERA)
We were pleased to invest Theo Cordery and Max Fitzgerald into the Colony and
they are taking a full part in all our activities. During the month we have been
busy icing smiley faces on biscuits, making masks and a spring collage for our
board. One evening was spent on safety in the home and we had a fire drill at
which the boys were very efficient. Some of us went to the District panto -
Mother Goose, which we all thoroughly enjoyed, and at the end of February we
have a District cinema visit, to which we are looking forward, even the leaders,
although the smell of popcorn is almost overpowering,
CEDAR COLONY
Valerie Street (BADGER)
Communication has been our theme for this half term. The boys have had a go
at semaphore with home made flags, written their names in Braille, played with
secret codes and have been very clever and learnt how to sign the word Beavers
in British Sign Language.
We put all our new found knowledge to good use on Sunday 6th February as Cedar
Colony led the Scouts' Own. Well done to all the boys: They were brilliant and
so were Jo (Otter) and Sally (Squirrel) who had to take the boys through their
paces at the meeting before the Scouts own, as I was unwell.
I asked an old friend of mine Hilary Leacock - accompanied by her guide dog
Hogan - to be the guest speaker and she told everyone about her upbringing and
her school days. Hilary was born without sight and she explained how all her
books were in Braille and brought along some examples to show.
ANGLIA PACK
Brenda Hunt (AKELA)
No news this month.
BROWNSEA PACK
Les Prescott (KERICK)
We started our 2005 programme with an evening of games and the following week
learned and played "beetle" concluding in a full-scale beetle drive.
We were very pleased to invest Thomas Sharp and welcome him to Cubs. One of our
helpers, Harry Dunne, belongs to the Carshalton Pantomime Company so we simply
had to go to cheer and boo at their production of Aladdin at the Secombe
Theatre. It was an excellent show and the Cubs all appeared to enjoy it.
We had our usual evening delivering jumble sale notices, and the following week
Daniel and Harry organised a board games evening as a prelude to the District
Cub Chess Competition. We were allowed two Cubs at the competition and our
representatives were Jason Keehn and William Eyre who enjoyed the experience,
winning several games.
Congratulations to the following Cubs on gaining badges:
Chef - Edward Yelf Creative challenge - Edward Yelf and Stuart Grigg
Some dates for your diaries:
Sunday 20th March, 11.00am - Scouts' Own
Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th May - Weekend training camp
Sunday 24th July to Friday 29th July - Summer Camp
CHARTERHOUSE PACK
Margaret Pennington (AKELA)
We had a very busy time preparing for our International Pack Holiday at
Disneyland Paris and what fun everyone had there.
Extracts from Cubs' Disney reports:-
We woke up at 7o'clock in the morning. After breakfast we went straight to
Disneyland. The first ride we went on was 'Thunder Mountain' and it was the best
ride we went on all day. Sam Fowler
We went to Adventure Land where we managed to get on the small boats that
took us to see the Pirates of the Caribbean where we witnessed a full scale
assault on Spanish treasure ships, it was a wiz. Richard Barber
Disneyland was good because we went to nice restaurants; also the roller
coasters and the rides were cool! Marcus Heath
It took 6 hours by coach to get to Disney, although it seemed like 9. When we
arrived we went straight to our cabins, had a hot drink and fell into bed. We
had a picture taken in front of a Mickey Mouse statue. Matthew Browne
At Disneyland we went on the Cockasell and also on the Elephant Ride. We saw
a long bridge; we went on it and jumped up and down on it to make it wobble. I
enjoyed the Peter Pan ride. Laksman Sivakumaran
The tunnel was disappointing because we didn't see any fish! The more brave
amongst us went on Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones and the Rock and Roller
Coaster and managed to keep our breakfast down. The Light Parade show was
fantastic. Character Breakfast was brill; Pluto, Baloo, Tigger and Minnie Mouse
all came to visit us. I would like to say a big thank you to Akela and all the
leaders and helpers for making it possible. Roy Carley
After that all I have to add is my very, very grateful thanks to all those kind
people who supported us through out the year for our fundraising which was in
addition to the monies raised for the Group.
Another thank you for the adults who gave their time and paid for the trip so
that the boys were safe and well looked after - those very special people are
Marion, Kay, Graham, Pat, Eddie, Ian, Amber, Dawn and Tom, not forgetting
Richard, Richard, Greg, Oliver and Nick who really did do sterling work.
PURPLE TROOP
Alan Avery (Scout Leader)
The attendance to Scouts' Own was exceptionally low - we have 5 Scouts' Owns
per year plus St. George's Day parade and Promise Renewal (this year on 24th
April). We went 10 Pin Bowling at Tolworth, made pancakes and did the usual
jumble collection thus gathering some rare trinkets. Someone even gave us a fish
tank. One evening had to be games due to a shortage of leaders and my thanks go
to Albert and Geoff for stepping in when needed.
We are very short of adult permanent leaders and it is therefore difficult to
run a comprehensive programme. I trust in due course the position will improve.
SILVER TROOP
Paul Green (Scout Leader)
Well we have started the year with a bit of a bang, Loads of new games (Thank
You Jo) and lots of badge work and planning for this term and camp.
Many of the older boys have been planning their expedition for them to gain
their Chief Scout's Gold Award. This consists of a weekend away which they
organise and all the leaders do is oversee it, if only the week camp was as easy
for me to organise!
The planning for camp has begun and the dates set for the week of half term in
May. Letters have been sent out to parents and if your son is interested in
coming please send this back as soon as possible. If you do not have a letter
please come and see me and I will get a copy for you. Camp is likely to be in
the Somerset or South Wales area of the country with many activities and the
boys learning how to cook for themselves!
We have welcomed a new Cub from Anglia into the troop at Scouts' Own and I hope
Stuart will enjoy Scouts as much as he has Cubs. Several awards have been given
out over the last few weeks and a few more are on the way home once the boys
have done a little more work. We have got four boys ready to be invested in the
next week and this will keep Troop numbers to above 30! We went out jumble
collecting last week and all the boys worked hard to collect a van full for the
Group. A pancake evening has been very successful and was organised by David,
Sean and Ben as part of their Chief Scout's Award. I believe there are more
activities on their way which have been organised by the older ones. Eurojam
preparation is now well underway and the second practice camp has been held near
Biggin Hill with the Sutton contingent of Scouts and Explorers
EXPLORER UNIT
Alan Avery (Explorer Scout Leader)
It was good to see a few smart Explorers at Scouts Own - where were the rest
- still in bed or seeing their nans?
We did a "dump" run which means that I dump blindfolded lads in the
middle of nowhere in the country and they have to find their way! That coupled
with grid references and bearings totally confused them; you will have to buck
up for mountain camp!
We visited the Rangers who educated us on healthy eating and then a few games -
a very lively evening but then the lads always perk up when girls are around.
The District were to have a Quiz Evening but this didn't happen so we switched
the roof rack to the orange van and cleaned the lettering on the sides of it.
This year's expedition was decided on and as several are going to Eurojam we are
going to Scotland to make it cheaper for everyone to come. Also we did a spot of
painting in our 'Den' and gave it a good clean and tidy up.
Well done Leigh Wicks on gaining his Queen's Scout Award and he awaits his
interview.
PARENTS & FRIENDS
As there is currently no chairman there is no report for this section.
Forthcoming events are:
Sat 5th Jumble Sale 14.30
Sun 6th Scouts' Own (Cedar) 11.00
Weds 9th P & F Committee 20.00
Sat 12th Jumble Sale 14.30
Sun 13th Work Morning 10.00
Please support ALL of these events for the benefit of the boys; your sons.
Any offers of help or other enquiries please contact Richard Marston (8337 2641)
FELLOWSHIP
Graham Smith
Once again there was an excellent attendance on the occasion of the
Fellowship's Annual Dinner held in The Study at the Kingswood Arms on the 27th
January. And we were fortunate not to have had a repeat of the weather
experienced on the last two occasions. Thirty-six members sat down to dinner
together with, for the first time, the 4th's recently instated GSL, Fred. He was
warmly welcomed. As is always the case on occasions such as the Annual Dinner,
there are a number who for various reasons, are unable to attend. This year was
no exception - absent friends were sadly missed. The meal proved very good, the
wine flowed and an enjoyable evening, I think, was had by all. Our grateful
thanks were expressed to Mary who organised the evening for us.
Details are still being finalised for our programme for the new Fellowship year
which starts in April and it will be available for distribution at the AGM in
March.
An item very worthy of mention and which I believe I have not referred to
previously in the Fellowship Reports are the table tennis sessions on a
Wednesday morning. These, lasting between one and a half and two hours, are
extremely popular and greatly enjoyed by the sixteen or so who attend on a
regular basis. Degrees of skill, of course, vary but there is no doubting the
enjoyment every single one of us obtains irrespective of their ability. Long may
it continue to be so. Our February meeting takes place on Thursday 24th when,
after the business of the evening has been completed, John Green will be talking
to us on the subject of "Cruising".
The Fellowship AGM takes place on Thursday 31st March when the Election of
Officers for the ensuing year will, of course, be on the agenda.
Helping Others - Shirley Cornish
Thank you for the sack of bed linen at the end of the second Jumble Sale.
This will soon be on its way to a children's charity in Zambia.
Information for March 2005 Newsletter to be with Fred
Fletcher by Monday 7th March
This page was last updated on 11 July 2005
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