This year has been a very eventful one for the unit with several high points but also a few low ones as well. Freshest memories of a truly brilliant summer expedition to the Beara peninsula in Eire serve to remind me of all the good things about the unit and its unique role bridging school and scouting. More of that later!
Harking back to last September, new plans for a faster, ‘winning’ raft were shelved with the cancellation of the annual River Wye raft race due to excessive rain and flooding. Much time though was still spent in the hut cutting and banging as we fitted and tacked down the hardboard underlay for our new carpet. The Exec considered it about time we invested in some proper floor covering instead of making do with other people’s cast-off carpets and having finally fixed all the perennial leaks a brand new hard-wearing carpet was laid at the end of September. Although a sombre brown colour it is proving a sound investment.
The Five Valleys walk was enjoyed by 7 of the unit raising money for the Meningitis Trust and this was followed by a sunny autumnal Sunday at South Cerney Dragon Boat races in which several of the unit combined with other Venture Scouts to paddle the district boat to victory in the Junior section.
A Silver Duke of Edinburgh expedition to the Forest of Dean was staged during the October half term with the purpose of investigating the forest’s industrial heritage and present day economy. Activities were fairly low-key during the whirl-wind of Christmas festivities although in between the carol services and the school production of Oliver (in which our chairman Matt Key gave a wonderful performance as Fagin and several other unit members took important roles) we managed to run a very popular lower school disco to raise funds for the unit, as well as running the raffle and Tuck Shop for the PA Quiz Night.
The new year programme focused on the Cotswold Marathon - extremely arduous conditions resulted in very few teams completing the course intact. Pete Lloyd, Adam Griffiths and Dan Wright actually posted the fastest time but missing their fourth team member Will Godwin at the end of the gruelling trek round were no longer eligible for the team trophies. Success did come to Matt Key, Rich Holland, Giles Moorhead & Geoff Coombs who were one of the few Venture teams to finish intact and they won the Senior section trophy. Generous sponsorship of all those who took part yielded around £300 for the Cobalt Appeal.
February half term took us to Dartmoor again where Jason Stone and Lee Rounce once more came up trumps and provided for us not only the usual high standard of wilderness expedition training but also organised a highly successful climbing session. Congratulations to Lee and his wife Michelle on their first born - Joshua.
At this point of the year the unit’s moral was severely dented by two events. Firstly we were informed that the catering company who ran the school canteen had finally agreed the terms for improving the dining area and their taking over of the Tuck Shop area (which had been threatened for over a year) was now set to happen at the end of the summer term. Initial thoughts about relocating the Tuck shop were dealt a blow when the head decided that the Tuck Shop should close. Secondly as we looked more closely into the Scout Movement’s revision plans for Scouting in the new millennium, it dawned on us that it was not just the name "Venture Scout" that was being changed but that our very existance as a Unit was going to be terminated and it would be the District Scout Council that would decide if we were to continue and in what form. (See footnote)
With the advent of yet more examinations (AS levels) activities during Easter and the summer term were likely to be low key - the foot and mouth outbreak saw to it that they almost stopped altogether! We did manage to run another successful lower school disco (proceeds this time split between charity and the summer expedition fund), we ran a successful bar at the Old Richians annual dinner and a not so successful one at the end of year staff leaving ‘do’, we were pleasantly surprised by the number of prospective members from year 9 who turned up at our meetings in July and right at the end of term we held a canoe training session in the school pool from which we hope to rekindle the unit’s involvement in canoeing.
The foot and mouth crisis left us contemplating no summer trip at all right up until the end of May. However The Irish authorities seemed to get their act together far more quickly and effectively than the UK government agencies and having kept the disease away by stringent disinfectant procedures at all their ports and border entry points, were welcoming the tourists back to their green and pleasant land with "business as usual". So a short 8 day trip was hastily organised, Duke of Edinburgh expeditions authorised, last minute ferry bookings made and off we went.
The party represented the full age range of the unit from new members "Stubby" & "Sheepy" through to "old boy" Adam Griffiths. We even had two leaders on a summer trip for the first time since 1992 - AVSL Pete Lloyd managed to obtain a pass-out from his good lady wife Ann and thoroughly enjoyed his first expedition away with the 44th - the first of many more to come we hope!!! We were blessed with superb weather, the fishing was good, Matt Key, Rachael Brown, Dan Dales, Jon Ellison and Adam Griffiths all completed 4 day expeditions (counting towards Queen’s Scout and Duke of Edinburgh awards), the Healy pass and Hungry Hill were conquered, local hospitality shared, new friends made and a wealth of happy memories brought back.
With unit numbers slightly down from the previous year and the prospect of Venture Scouting ceasing altogether by the end of 2003, it did cross my mind that this year was perhaps the beginning of the end for the 44th VSU as we had known and loved it. By the time August 2001 had come round though it was abundantly clear that demand for our own unique brand of Venture Scouting is still high as more than a dozen prospective new members from year 9 clamoured to join the unit. This encouraging rush of new blood helped us move on from some disappointing moments experienced earlier in the year and determines one to ensure that in some way or other the 44th Gloucester (STRS) will continue to provide the life enriching challenges and rewards it has always done for the members of Sir Thomas Rich’s school.
Phil Brown
VSL
Footnote
As part of its "new vision" for the new millennium, the Scout Movement is redefining several areas of Scouting - new "modern and more functional" uniforms for all sections, completely revised activity programmes (called "programmes zones"), etc - but more directly threatening to us is the abolishment of the Venture Scout section. Beavers, Cubs and Scouts will continue and be the only three sections of existing Scout Groups. The upper age limit for Scouts is reduced to 14. Two new sections will be introduced - Explorer Scouts for 14 to 18 year olds and Scout Networks for 18 to 25 year olds. Neither of these sections will be allowed to be part of a local Scout group - the Explorer Scout section is to be run by the District and the Scout Network by the county. As we are a Venture Scout Unit registered as a separate group at headquarters we must be de-registered by 31st December 2003.
In other words from 1st January 2004 the 44th Gloucester (STRS) Venture Scout Unit will cease to exist .........