Hilux 4x4 Forum

This post is for Uncle Eric. (Puddle Pirate)
So for the first time in a few years we had a dry Kontiki. Troops started to arrive on Friday around 12 to set up camp and preparing to build their raft until late into the night. Over the weekend their raft, campsite, cooking and other Scouting skills are tested and marked.

Friday evening I took a stroll down to HQ tent to have a look at the model rafts being marked, the aim is to build a representation of what will be launched onto the water on Saturday. They are marked on detail, pioneering as well as fitting in with the theme of Kontiki, this year being "MiddleEarth".

Construction of the rafts are marked in stages:
1. Equipment
2. Neatness of site
3. Planning, drawings and model
4. Safty
Each raft is built by the raft crew, usually 6 to 8 scouts.

The rafts launch at 11am on Saturday morning, they spend 24 hours on the water. During the evening they will dock to have their 3 course meal judged.

This year we had two Scouts doing their Springbok pioneering projects during Kontiki.
The first one a tower: The second project a gateway to the troops camp site:

Some pics of the various camp sites:

Neil, you landlubbers do realise that it is the middle of Winter, do you not?

We only took part in one Kontiki, many years ago and pretty sure it was then held during warmer times.

Great fun is had at these events but sadly organising a 10-ton truck to cart our pioneering equipment, tents, logs etc, was a major task. Can't remember where we came in that one, I seem to recall 2nd or 3rd, with which I was quite happy for our very first Kontiki! Should have some (perhaps faded by now) photos of this event somewhere, at that time digital cameras were not even a twinkle in Kodak's eye.

I'm glad to be considered too old to put my tootsies in freezing water in the middle of Winter, although I was in fact still swimming just two weeks ago.


-F_D

Yip Eric it's one of the best events in the scouting calender, 35th Kontiki this year. Held in winter due to summer lightining storms.
It's great to see so many kids still in Scouts, land, sea and air.

Sadly it's died out in my home town. We're sitting with a magnificent Scout Hall that is not used at all and there is a very good chance that we might lose it for this reason.

Although with girls & boys in one trip, I am certainly glad I am no longer running the troop.... can just imagine the shenanigans that would happen during our (then) annual 10-day Vaal Dam camp. I think the size of our troop would increase exponentially on an annual basis every year after this camp...


-F_D