Twenty Scouts, Ventures’ and Leaders participated in the Canadian Jamboree at Camp Nedooae, NS July 5-16th, 2017. The Scouts most amazing journey started with their flight to Halifax on July 5. The Halifax adventure began with a Harbour Hopper Tour on which the group learned about the history of Halifax, its architecture and its port. The group then hiked up the steep hills of Halifax to watch the Royal Military Tattoo. In 17th century Dutch villages, drummers marched through the streets summoning British soldiers to return to their quarters from the taverns and inns. A drumbeat signaling innkeepers to “doe den tap toe” or “turn off the taps” was shortened and anglicised to “tattoo.” The phrase now describes the amazing entertainment highlighted by marching bands, hundreds of musicians, acrobats, dancers and military competitions in the over two hour long show. Following the performance, the troop hiked to the Halifax Citadel. Here the group learned about Canada’s military past and had the opportunity to enter an example of a World War 1 trench. It was a powerful reminder of the conditions of war and the courage our soldiers had in the battle. Our Scouts then had the opportunity to taste lobster for the first time. Most of them ordered chicken fingers and fries, but a few brave souls ordered the local favorite.
On Friday morning we had the opportunity to tour an active Canadian warship, “The Ville de Quebec.” It made for a very interesting comparison with a soldier’s life during Victorian times in the Citadel, trench warfare in World War 1 and life as a navy officer today. We were very grateful for the opportunity to see and experience all periods in our history and thank all the veterans and current members of the armed forces for their commitment to protecting Canada. The group then returned to the wharf and went on a tall ship “Sliva”, where they learned how to man the sails and steer the ship as they toured the Harbour. After the morning on the water, the group drove to Lunenburg where we had a private carriage ride around the UNESCO heritage site. It was a beautiful community that truly treasures its history and connection to the sea. We then drove to Peggy’s Cove on the way back to Halifax.
On Saturday morning our CJ17 journey began. Our hour long bus ride took us to camp Nedooae near Elderbank, NS. We arrived to thousands of volunteers and Scouts with the look of excitement. It had down poured all week and the conditions were “Woodstock” Muddy. Our 1.5 km hike was lengthened to 4 km due to a road closure. The theme song for the hike thru mud was “Everything is Awesome.” Some character was definitely built that afternoon as the team worked together to get our gear in and set up camp!
During the week long camp, over 60 activities were offered concurrently at Camp Nedooae and around Halifax. Our local troop’s activities included paddling around Brown Lake in a makeshift catamaran, flying drones, water Olympics, Highland games, remote airplanes, defend the fortress, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activities and drop in activities.
The highlight of the trip was our offsite activities, which included zip lining at “On-tree” Adventure Park and Tidal boar rafting. Our group was split into two groups that day. The argument at supper was who had more fun! Our Scouts also spent much of their time badge trading in St Andrew’s Plaza. This gave the Scouts an opportunity to meet Scouts from around the world, including Taiwan, Australia, Scotland and Ireland as 14 different countries attended the Jamboree with over 5,500 Scouts plus volunteers in attendance.
Another highlight of the Jamboree was a massive ‘Canada day’ celebration with speeches, a concert, and amazing fireworks coordinated with a selection of truly Canadian music. It was an incredible, unforgettable event!
Saturday was the end of the Jamboree. We were able to hike our gear out early in the morning, which allowed us to visit Pier 21 and learn more about the immigrants who came to Canada and what it would have been like for them. Then, due to popular demand, the troop returned to Peggy’s Cove for more rock climbing, Inukshuk building and memory making.
During the week, as leaders, we saw the Scouts grow emotionally every single day. The level of confidence in these young adults when faced with adversity and emotionally draining days was insurmountable. It brings the most joy to have all of the kids tell you that that was the best day ever or the best week ever in their life. It makes the two years of planning, fundraising, selling tickets, picking bottles, and cleaning ditches all worthwhile!
Canada is truly a beautiful place. The Yorkton Scouts would like to send a heartfelt “THANK YOU” to everyone that bought steak night tickets, donated bottles, came to our fundraising suppers and donated money for our trip. Without your help, we would not have been able to change the lives of our Scouts. The saying, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ comes to mind. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
