Exchanging News as if they hadn't seen Each Other for Centuries.

Greetings From The Heart of Scouting

Click to enlarge: Gordon Park Rock

The days have been hot and the nights have been hot. No sign of rain for eight weeks now and this is meant to be our wet season. The veld at first glance still looks good, but on closer examination, one will notice that the trees are beginning to shed their leaves and we are only in mid March. Usually the first tree to shed its leaves is the Kirkia acuminata, the White Syringa and this is in May, two months from now. Streams are also drying up and there is only a trickle of water in the major rivers. Bulawayo and region are in the grip of a drought. Bad news. I understand that the Kezi District in Matabeleland south is even worse off.

A Scout Troop and a Guide Company were in camp for the weekend. Many happy faces were to be seen as the Scouts and Guides undertook their respective programmes of training and just enjoying the camp atmosphere away from city life. Climbing Shumba shaba on Sunday morning as usual was a hit with the young Scouts taking all morning to explore the expanse of granite that Shumba is.

The monthly Church Service, conducted by Dale Dodds with his son Michael reading the bible reading was well attended and the braai following the service was as usual a jovial occasion with friends laughing and exchanging news as if they hadn't seen each other for centuries.

From a maintenance point of view, not much was accomplished as we only pumped water into the headquarter tanks and tidied up around Headquarters in readiness for the service on the Sunday.

Cheers
Norman
+

The attached photo...

The Gordon Park Rock overlooks the "Skipper" Knapman Training Ground. Being just 60feet high, many thousands of Scouts have learned to abseil here. “The most outstanding feature within the Park is of course the Gordon Park Rock which stands impressively alone and sheer above the kopje. It faces the Training Ground and acts as a sounding board, so that a speaker, addressing listeners below, can be very distinctly heard.” --From the book "GORDON PARK"
+

This Past Week...

Tuesday 6 March
Thanks for this latest report. Having been put in touch with you by Ena Carlisle at the beginning of the year I was settling into enjoying the regular updates when nothing appeared last week! Well, now I know why…What is a Ku Ku Bus?
I went through some camp and hike log books and had a few old photos scanned so I could send them in to you. /gp/index.htm
1. The pump house in mosquito ally features yet again with, from left, Dave Radue, myself and Dennis Sinclair manning the spades. [ +/- 1967] Even to this day I can recall what tough work that was….and I think we only cleared a small stretch, leaving the hard work to William Ndlovu.
2. The other pics are at the 8th Byo. campsite where Graham Smyth and Norman are admiring a classic “top lighter”
3. Jack Carlisle risks his life to inspect my tower built for the Pioneer badge.

Jack Carlisle risks all	mosquito alley	8th Byo campsite