Our troop has established links with a group of Scouts from Amersfoort in Holland The Cupar Troop had previously visited and camped with the Amersfoort Troop and decided to host the Dutch Scouts at their 1996 Summer Camp being held at Kenmore in Perthshire, during July.
Around 25 Scottish Scouts from Cupar and a similar number of Dutch Scouts would be camped in the most glorious setting on the banks of the River Tay about 2 km down river from Loch Tay. A number of the Cupar Venture Unit saw themselves cajoled along as members of the camp support team. They were later to be names the "Ewoks." The explanation will follow (if they don't pay up!).
The prime mover for the camp was Cupar's "Cool GSL," Douglas Shearer whose opposite number was Eric van Schaick, the "Hopman" of the Dutch Scouts. It has to be said, the Scottish were beaten into second place when it came to being bilingual.
Well actually that point should be clarified as there are some strong similarities with English being a second language to both Scottish and Dutch Scouts!
Saturday 20 July, 1996 was a super day with brilliant sunshine, quite unusual for a Scottish Summer. The support team and leaders met at the Cupar hall, loaded the camp equipment, canvas and canoes then set off to Kenmore in convoy.
The camp started on the Monday for the Cupar Scouts with the Dutch arriving on the Tuesday by coach, having been uplifted from the docks at Newcastle. For the majority of the Dutch this was their first trip to Scotland and they were amazed by the scenery. It is so nice to find people appreciating what we have on our own doorsteps. But then again to someone from Holland even our local hills must resemble mountains.
"Was the water safe to drink?" was the main question from Eric. The answer was of course yes, especially as we had arranged to get access to a fresh water stand-pipe in the local caravan park about 1.5 km away. The transporting of the water was no great problem as the "Cool GSL" had arrived with his quad and trailer which easily coped with the rough track along the riverside to the caravan park.
The Dutch Scouts had excellent canvas for Patrol tents. Their tents were ridge tents, but divided into three compartments. The two ends sections were used for sleeping accommodation whilst the middle section could be unzipped and the tent guyed out and supported with two poles to form a covered storage or cooking area. Certainly beats the Icelandic 2's though I still favour the concept of the Icelandic, with fly-sheet, if the weather turns bad.
All the Dutch Scouts' equipment, other than their personal rucksacks and sleeping bags, fitted into large metal containers, rather like ammunition boxes, with each item having a place and a place for everything. Organised? it was like camping by numbers.
The Whistles. Well have you seen the "Sound of Music" and do you remember how the Von Trapp children first appear on screen at the call of a bosun's whistle. Well such was the organisation of the Dutch troop. An art which had long disappeared from our local scouting, but it worked and is a system we must revive for our own camps. Whistle signals were for: stop what you are doing and face the flag; patrol leaders to the Scout leader; everyone to fall in; patrol representative to collect the patrol's food.
Four patrol areas had been marked out and each area was occupied by a patrol of Cupar Scouts and one of Dutch Scouts. Patrols slept in their own tents but all other facilities were shared. Cooking, site maintenance, gadget making etc., were all undertaken as joint endeavours.
The Cupar Troop is mixed so there was one exception to these sleeping arrangements. The three female scouts were provided with a separate tent, nearer the leaders' tents. Yes we are forward thinking, but there are some limits.
The "Ewoks" were the exception to every rule and whilst they were a great help I would not like to think their display of personal camping skills would be copied by the Scouts. Remember "Return of the Jedi." Well if you can visualise the Ewok encampment you will understand why our Ventures were renamed.
The week's camping included making full use of the natural facilities. I was always brought up to camp away from water etc., because of the dreaded "midge." However although the camp was merely a stones throw from the actual river there was no problem.
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