Simple Bridge, Culford School Troop, 1952

Pictures and notes from a summer camp, recorded in The Scout Annual, page 53 of the 1953 edition, dated 24 July 1952 (60 years ago last Sunday) 

 "Summer camp is here again- so let's make a bridge!
Senior Scouts of Culford School Troop bridge a stream at their camp site."

Many hands make light work - and yes ! IT HOLDS !

Camp Gateways from the 1952 Welsh Jamboree

These drawings record four gateways from the Welsh Jamboree held at Picton Castle in August 1952. Drawn by G.R. Duce and published on page 200 of the 1953 Scout annual. Click the image to enlarge.

Ropes and Poles on social networks

There are a few different ways to keep up with the latest posts on Ropes and Poles:

-you can visit the website, here
-you can subscribe by Email
-you can subscribe to the RSS feed

- If you're on Facebook, you can keep up with the latest from Ropes and Poles at the page here,
-on Twitter, follow @ropesandpoles for updates and news.

-the site is also optimised for mobile use, so should format itself automatically for your iPhone, Android, Windows phone or Blackberry

Isengard Tower - complete 60 foot (18m) tower

After the preview and the construction photos, here are some of my pics of the completed Isengard tower and a press release from Gauteng Scouts:

SCOUTS showcase their skills at Gauteng Outdoor Eco Adventure and Travel Expo

From the 8th to the 10th of June SCOUTS South Africa will be showcasing a 19m high tower that was designed and built by 46 scouts. The teens from 10 Scout groups got together over the past week to build the Tower as a show piece for the Gauteng Outdoor Eco Adventure and Travel Expo at the Waterfall Polo Estate.

SCOUTS South Africa is a youth organisation with a progressive self-paced advancement programme that aims to empower children with skills that can help them grow and develop into innovative leaders. Constructing a project like this colossal ‘Isengard Tower’, taught the youngsters how to plan and manage a project that involved, skill, team work and care for the environment.

The tower is solely made up of 104 gum poles and 330 ropes. The construction is held up by the knots tied by the teens, as no bolts were used. During the course of their Scouting programme the Scouts learnt several knotting techniques that were now put into practice. From a simple reef knot to the construction of a tower with 280 lashings (knots), a base of 6m x 6m and a peak of 19m high.

Developing and implementing a project like this takes a huge amount of meticulous planning and teamwork. A scale model was built using dowel sticks. This enabled the Scouts to iron out any challenges and to calculate the equipment required. To ensure the safety of the teens, the Scouts wore safety harnesses while working more than 2m off the ground. As a result of shared leadership, teamwork, passion and skills training, the execution of the build went without a hitch and you can now enjoy viewing the Tower and chatting to some of the participating Scouts over the upcoming weekend.

Pioneering is only one aspect of Scouting. The Scout Movement is a non-political, independent movement of active volunteers that aim to empower children and young adults to be the best they can be. Aside from pioneering, the members get trained in a variety of skills such as first aid and mapping. A large part of the programme also involves raising social and environmental awareness through community projects and weekly activities.

For more information please contact:
Terence Vrugtman on Terence@discoveryscouts.co.za or +27 073 051 5611

Scout raft events around the world

View International Scout Rafting Map in a larger map

Gauteng Kontiki is just one of many rafting events that Scouts hold around the world. This map attempts to summarise them. I've added the ones I'm aware of - please click through and add any more you know about.

Isengard Tower Construction Progress

The Isengard Tower (from Friday's post) is well on it's way to completion, with the lowest two levels largely complete. All that remains to be completed tomorrow is the flag pole which will stretch to 18m in height. In addition to housing the Gauteng Scouts stand for the Eco Expo, three Rovers from Orion Rover Crew will be camping on the 6m platform next weekend.

18m (60 foot) Isengard tower

Gauteng Scouts will be building an 18 meter high tower this weekend, which will be an attraction at the Gauteng Outdoor Eco Adventure & Travel Experience next weekend. Led by Terrence Vrugtman and Kent Jennings, this project has a website here. I'll be on site on Saturday with Phoenix Rover Crew to help with the build, and I'll post photos of the work in progress.