Scouts Australia - NSW Branch HUME REGION 71St Annual Report 2016-2107

Scouts Australia - NSW Branch HUME REGION 71st Annual Report 2016-2107

How many cubs fit into a canoe?

AREA COMMISSIONERS 1946-1959 JOHN MARCHANT 1959-1961 JIM BUTCHART 1961-1965 REGINALD VAN NOOTEN 1965-1977 COLIN F WATSON 1977-1983 S GUY KEMP 1983-1988 A RAYMOND WALL 1988-1996 NEVILLE E MENZIES 1996 CHRIS M RICHARDSON SMITH REGIONAL COMMISSIONERS 1996-2004 CHRIS M RICHARDSON SMITH 2004-2016 JOHN SELWOOD 2016-Current SUE BARTLETT AREA PRESIDENTS 1946-1969 HAROLD ROBINSON 1971-1979 SIR DENZIL MACARTHUR-ONSLOW 1979-1996 H GREG PERCIVAL REGION PRESIDENTS 1996-1998 H GREG PERCIVAL 1998-2015 TERRENCE KEEGAN AREA CHAIRMEN 1946-1958 RON UNDERWOOD 1958-1962 W [BILL] WATKINS 1962-1963 G AUBERSON 1963-1964 MAJOR J PICKERING 1964-1969 HUGH WARD 1969-1980 DON JARMAN 1980-1986 DOUG JEANS 1986-1989 KEVIN D BRADY 1989-1994 PETER J BARRETT 1994-1996 FRANK W DAVIDSON REGION CHAIRMEN 1996-2000 FRANK W DAVIDSON 2000-2002 NEVILLE E. MENZIES 2002-2011 E CRAIG RAMSDEN 2011-Current SHANE BARTLETT HUME REGION ANNUAL REPORT PRESENTATION – 4 June 2017

Introduction by the Deputy Region Commissioner and WHS Matters Flag Parade – Piped in by Scouts Pipes and Drums – Hume Region Prayer, Kerry Wallace, Region Commissioner ( A T & D) Advance Australia Fair – Scouts Pipes and Drums - Hume Welcome by the Region Chairman Apologies, read by Valli Turner Members Gone Home – Deputy Region Commissioner Minutes of 2016 Region Annual Report Presentation as ratified at the August 2016 Region Executive Committee. Region Commissioners Review, Sue Bartlett Region Chairman’s Message, Shane Bartlett, Notification of Appointments by Sue Bartlett, Region Commissioner Presentation of Operating Statement for year ended 31 March 17 Craig Ramsden Adoption of Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct for Adults Adoption of Privacy Policy Guest Speakers introduced by the Sue Bartlett, Region Commissioner. Presentations (If any), Sue Bartlett, Region Commissioner Address by the State Representative, Neville Tomkins Proposed date for 2018 AGM, 3 June 2018 – 2pm, Shane Bartlett, Region Chairman. Flag Parade - Piped out by Scouts Pipes and Drums Hume Close

Afternoon Tea in the main Dining Room provided by 1st Cobbitty Scout Group.

THE SCOUT ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA NEW SOUTH WALES BRANCH HUME REGION

REGION PRAYER

Father of all we give you thanks and praise,

for your great gift of Scouting

and its power for good in our troubled world.

We ask for your guidance in this Annual Meeting

and for the year ahead in Hume Region.

We seek your blessing on the Region Council

and on every member of the Region.

Send each of us out in the power of your Holy Spirit

re-dedicated to our higher purposes

and inspired anew to carry out our Scouting

to your praise and glory……..AMEN

ANNUAL REPORT 2016-2017

HUME REGION

MINUTES th of the 70 Annual Report Presentation of Hume Region held at Glenfield Scout Activity Centre on Sunday 10th July 2016.

1. OPENING Shane Bartlett, Region Chairman, opened the meeting 2:00 p.m. and welcomed distinguished guests and members attending and gave WHS Directions. Shane apologised the BP award recipient Alison Maynard was omitted from the Hume Region 70th Annual Report.

2. REGION PRAYER Samantha Vandenberg, Region Commissioner (Cub Scouts), lead the meeting in the Region Prayer.

3. NATIONAL ANTHEM The meeting joined in the National Anthem, to the accompaniment of the Scouts Pipes and Drum

4. APOLOGIES Valli Turner, Region Honorary Secretary, presented the apologies received for this meeting.

5. MEMBERS GONE HOME Graham Winner, Deputy Region Commissioner, presented the Members Gone Home to the meeting.

6. MINUTES OF THE 2014 HUME REGION SCOUT COUNCIL A motion to accept the Minutes of the 2015 Hume Region Scout Council held 14th June 2015, as ratified at the August 2015 meeting of the Hume Region Executive, was made by Shane Bartlett, second- ed by Ray Read and accepted by the Meeting.

7. REGION COMMISSIONERS REVIEW John Selwood, Former Region Commissioner, standing down in March he was delighted to present a report. There is a hefty involvement in community activities. The Region team working on numerous activities. Environment Commissioner Joanne has built it up quite considerable. Memorable of the band and its success. Now taking on role of Special Duties Projects. He is thankful to all the kids and the Region Team for making the Region what it is. Wishes good Scouting to all for the future.

Sue Bartlett, Region Commissioner, spoke about the future: how, when and why. We can think outside the circle. Build groups and districts. Will be looking at our 3 campsites. Targeting the fast growing areas of Oran Park and Gregory Hills. We need to help ourselves first, get our politicians on board. Mandy Peterson will be looking after promotion through events like the Wollondilly Big Day In at Menangle Park on 31st July. We will build on the strength of our volunteers. To start there will be a forum with Neville Tomkins and all the leaders.

8. REGION CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE Shane Bartlett, Region Chairman, thanked everyone for getting out in the community acknowledging we are one of the fastest growing regions in the state. Thank you to the State Government for the number of grants the region have received, the volunteers both uniform and layside in particular John Selwood, Craig Ramsden and Graham Winner. Thanks to all.

9. NOTIFICATION OF APPOINTMENTS BY THE REGION COMMISSIONER Shane Bartlett noted the appointments by the Region Commissioner as listed in Part 9 of the Annual Report.

10. PRESENTATION OF OPERATING STATEMENT FOR YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2016 Shane Bartlett, Region Chairman, moved acceptance of the Hume Region Operating Statement for the year ended 31st March 2016 as shown in the Annual Report. Accepted.

11. DISPLAY OF SCOUTS PIPES AND DRUMS - HUME

The Scouts Pipes and Drums presented a very enjoyable display of their broader musical abilities.

12. ADOPTION OF CODE OF CONDUCT FOR ADULTS Shane Bartlett, Region Chairman, moved the adoption of the Code of Conduct for Adults as presented in the Annual Report. Accepted.

13. ADOPTION OF PRIVACY POLICY Shane Bartlett, Region Chairman, moved the adoption of the Privacy Policy as presented in the An- nual Report. Accepted.

14. GUEST SPEAKER Kit McMahon, Chief Executive Officer of Girl Guides Australia, feels we have a common journey. Gearing up for growth. All youth organisations are adapting what they do to today’s world. Innova- tive, fun, relevant and high quality non-formal learning. Mission. Youth lead, high level volunteer experiences. Volunteer workforce recognition. Organisation: unify, efficient and effective.

15. PRESENTATIONS Narellan Rotary Club was presented a Certificate of Appreciation for their support. Sean Langshaw received 20-year membership award. Julie Prentice was presented the Meritorious Service Award John Selwood was presented with a Certificate of Appointment as Region Commissioner, Special Projects.

16. ADDRESS BY THE STATE REPRESENTATIVE Jan Goodall, Deputy Chief Commissioner (YP), spoke on behalf of Doug Menzies, Chief Commis- sioner. Doug thanks John Selwood and welcomes Sue Bartlett as the Region Commissioner. Proud to have reduced paperwork with Scoutlink and accepting scanned emailed forms at state with originals being held at Region. WWCC compliance. A clean audit. Jamboree was fantastic for both youth and adults with 10616 in attendance. Super Saturday drawn in 12,000 visitors. The Jamboree was a huge success both financially and operationally. Cub Centenary will be celebrated with the Governor with a birthday cake. Cuboree coming up. Youth Program Review is asking everyone to have their say Main view for one continuous program through the ages. Focus on youth empowerment. Embrace changes for the benefit of our youth. Will be a roadshow soon to showcase what has been happening. Doug Menzies wishes everyone the best and thanks all as he goes into retirement.

17. ADDRESS BY CHIEF COMMISSIONER DESIGNATE Neville Tomkins congratulates Doug Menzies in receipt of an OAM. Neville shared his thoughts of the future of Scouting and how important the Hume Region is to their strategy. Hume Region is at front centre stage. NSW is the most populated state but do not have the highest membership. Follow- ing a 10% loss over the last four years, it now appears the decline has bottomed out with a growth. Neville is very confident for the future of the Hume Region having listened to the teams’ ideas. Neville congratulated John Selwood for his time and work as the Region Commissioner and welcomed Sue Bartlett as Region Commissioner. Neville reassured the Youth Program Review is nothing to be feared about and is everything to be excited about. Retention is our major issue. All about getting ahead.

18. NEXT MEETING Shane Bartlett, Region Chairman, proposed 18th June 2017 for the 2017 Annual Report Presentation. Accepted.

19. CLOSE Shane Bartlett, Region Chairman, closed the meeting at 3:42 pm. He thanked all attendees and invit- ed all to the afternoon tea provided. 2016—2017

What an exciting and activity filled year, we have had in Hume Region. The Section Commission- er’s reports reflect that Scouting is alive and slowly growing within Hume Region. Since, I took on this role, 12 months ago, I have tried to attend as many activities as I can, to ensure that I am aware of what is happening at all levels ,to introduce myself to as many Leaders as possible and to reconnect with Venturers and Rovers, who form an important part of our Youth.

It has been both interesting and challenging 12 months for a number of different reasons, however there is always that positive outcome of seeing happy Joeys, Cubs and Scouts on their many and varied activities. Hume Region has the potential to be the biggest Metropolitan Region within NSW, with the growth of South West Sydney. We need to be ready for this potential growth, by promoting leadership from within our parents, whom are great supporters of our Youth and current Leaders. How are we going to do this ? I have already advertised for a number positions , such as District Commissioners , District Cub and Scout Leaders within the Region, along with a Promotion Team. This Promotion Team will be putting together a plan for us, to ensure that promotion and market- ing are carried out, by utilising whatever resources we can to promote Scouting. It is the most sim- ple ways of advertising, that we attract Youth, i.e. Youth and Leaders running activities and programmes within the Community.

We have the most amazing Uniform and Non Uniform Adults, who every week run interesting and varied programmes, which I believe is the key to successful Groups. I would like to thank all of these Leaders, who are the backbone of Hume Region.

I would also like to thank Craig Ramsden , Graham Winner and Shane Bartlett for their advice and counsel over the last 12 months, along with those members of the Region Executive Committee. It is with regret that I have accepted Graham’s resignation , however, he will still be an active Dis- trict supporter.

I look forward to the next 12 months and our plans to expand and grow our membership.

Sue Bartlett

2016—2017

In my Chairman’s Message last year I indicated my belief that our Region has the potential to be one of the fastest growing Regions in the State. This year I am pleased to advise that this situation has been recognized at Branch level. This recognition, in current commercial parlance, means we now have “A Must Win Battle” on our hands. Branch will provided our Region with additional resources to help grow our numbers but we, in Hume Region, will also have to redouble our efforts to ensure that our facilities and programs are such that we can retain both our existing members and new members, at all levels of the organization. If we fail to grow and then retain our membership numbers from the huge influx of residents entering the massive housing developments in our Region, what hope is there for the Scouting Movement in the rest of the State? In regard to our facilities, I must thank the State Government for their generosity and our Local Members for their support of our Association through the Community Building Partnership Grant scheme. Many of our Scout Halls have had vital works carried out on them through this scheme. Going forward, we need to ensure that our Halls are well maintained and kept up to current building standards. Our Halls are a showcase, they are a big portion of the public’s perception of Scout- ing. Please make sure your Groups are properly planning and budgeting for the on-going expense of building maintenance. Much of the maintenance of our buildings and equipment is carried out by volunteer labour from within the Groups, I thank each and every one of those volunteers for their efforts, as well as the local businesses that have assisted with the associated cost of that maintenance. I also thank the volunteers from both the uniformed and layside of our organization for their outstanding efforts in the training of our Youth Members and for their management and financing of our Groups. Also, a big thank you to Susan Bartlett, Graham Winner and Craig Ramsden and all the members of the Region Executive Committee for their patience and support throughout the past year. I am looking forward to the coming year and the challenges it will bring. We have a battle before us that we must win and we must work together at all levels to win it – for the sake of Scouting.

Shane Bartlett

Region Chairman

7. Region Appointments for 2017-2018

Region President: Vacant Region Chairman: Shane Bartlett Region Honorary Secretary: Jessica Butler Region Treasurer: Craig Ramsden Region Trustees: Region Commissioner Region Chairman Craig Ramsden Glen Austin

7a. Delegates of Branch Council: Sue Bartlett Jessica Butler Shane Bartlett Hunter Maxwell Adam Bromley …………………………………………………………….

7b. Region Executive Committee Chairman: Shane Bartlett Vice Chairman: To be elected at June Region Executive Committee Secretary: Jessica Butler Treasurer: Craig Ramsden Region Commissioner:. Sue Bartlett Under 30 Representative: Adam Bromley

Other: Patsy Laurenceson Vicki Freer

Craig Morrison Graham Winner

Ruth Maynard, Mark Ames

Sean Langshaw, Tim Kayess

Glen Austin Margaret Jackson

………………………………………………………………………………

7c. Glenfield Camp Committee – Reports to Region Executive Committee – meet as required but not less than quarterly Chairman, Mr. Shane Bartlett as appointed by the RC. Committee of 6 to be named by the Chairman and ratified by the Regional Executive in August 2017. Ex Officio: Region Commissioner, Region Chairman, Region Treasurer

7d. Berrima Camp Committee – Reports to Region Executive Committee – meet as required but not less than quarterly Chairman, Mr. Peter Schomburg as appointed by the RC. Committee of 6 to be named by the Chairman and ratified by the Regional Executive in August 2017. Ex Officio: Region Commissioner, Region Chairman, Region Treasurer

7e. Warrabunda Camp Committee – Reports to Region Executive Committee – meet as required but not less than quarterly. Chairman, Mr Mark Kelly as appointed by the RC. Committee of 6 to be named by the Chairman and ratified by Region Executive in August 2017. Ex Officio: Region Commissioner, Region Chairman, Region Treasurer.

Other Committees may be appointed from time to time by the Region Executive Committee.

This past year has been a very successful one for Hume Region from an Administration and Fi- nance point of view despite many difficulties along the way. I must thank the Office staff of Margaret Wilkin and Valli Turner for all their hard work during the year. It was with sadness that we had to say goodbye to Margaret at the end of October as she accepted a position closer to her home. This has led to a lot more work for me as I have been try- ing to cover at the Office on 3 days a week which I have found very tiring together with my other duties both Scouting and Non Scouting.. All of the 3 Campsites, being Glenfield Scout Activity Centre, Warrabunda and Berrima, have been regularly booked this last year and under the guidance of the respective Camp Committees have performed well. Without the people who work at the Campsites they would never be as good as they are. They all go beyond what is required of them. It should also be mentioned here that we, Hume Region, have surpassed the results for the Campsites as required in the 2016-18 Scouts NSW Strategic Plan—this showed “breakeven” as the result required. Lets hope we can keep it up in the coming years.

Shane has already mentioned the State Government Community Building Partnership Grants and we were also in obtaining a Federal Grant this year for new Tables for the Hall at the Office. Here also, I must say, thank you, to all the Local Governments within Hume Region for their excellent help and support although things are getting harder with all the new Regulations that we must follow. Without Councils many of our Groups would not have Scout Halls as they are on land leased from you. With Property we just failed to meet the target as set in the State Strategic Plan. This was due to clean up of vacant halls and white ant treatment at one hall. Without this we would have once again exceeded our target.

To all the Businesses and Community Groups that support Scouting a big Thank You. There are just too many to list here. On the back cover of the report you will find a list of suppliers who work tirelessly on providing services to the Region. These persons offer services at a very compet- itive rate and are fully recommended

To all the Staff at State Headquarters, thanks for all the help and assistance that you have given myself and the Region over the past 12 months. This help has been very much appreciated even if sometimes it is at very short notice.

In closing I would like to thank the Region Commissioner, Sue Bartlett and her Region Team, Re- gion Chairman, Shane Bartlett and his Committees for the work that they have done in making the Administration and Finance flow easily and everyone for watching the dollars in these tough times. I am sure that all will continue to keep up the good work in the future and allow us to come in under Budget in the years to come

I would also like to announce here today that this is my last ARP as a Deputy Region Commis- sioner as I am leaving that position and just doing the Region Treasurers position which will mean that I will not be covering at the Office except in an emergency. I will continue to advise Sue as required, so I should have extra time for my wife, Dorothy.

Thank You All Craig Ramsden,

A SCOUTING CODE OF ETHICS

Integrity We demonstrate Integrity by: Acting with honesty, truthfulness and fostering appropriate healthy professional relationships Recognizing and fulfilling where possible, our obligations to our community Taking responsibility for our own actions and developing integrity in others Acting with impartiality, truthfulness and honesty.

Respect We demonstrate Respect by: Showing consideration to others, recognizing each individual’s uniqueness and diversity Minimizing our impact on the environment and seeking to be good caretakers for future generations Committing to members well-being and on-going learning through the practice of positive influence, good judgement and empathy in practice.

Courage We demonstrate Courage by: Providing challenging, developmental opportunities to empower young people Being good role models in Scouting, demonstrating positive attitudes and willingness to live by the Scout Promise and Laws Being fair and reasonable

A SCOUTING CODE OF CONDUCT2 This Code of Conduct is expected of all adults, members and Associates, uniformed and non-uniformed, who work within the Movement, recognizing that at all times they should act responsibly and exercise a Duty of Care.

Adults in Scouting respect the dignity of themselves and others.

Adults in Scouting demonstrate a high degree of individual responsibility, recognizing that at all times their words and actions are an example to other members of the Movement.

Adults in Scouting act at all times in accordance with Scouting Principles, thereby setting a suitable example for all.

Adults in Scouting do not use the Movement to promote their own beliefs, behaviors or practices where these are not compatible with Scouting Principles.

Adults in Scouting act with consideration and good judgement in all interpersonal relationships both inside and outside Scouting.

Adults in Scouting respect everyone’s right to personal privacy at all times. They take special care where sleeping, changing of clothing, bathing and ablutions are associated with any Scouting activity.

Adults in Scouting avoid unaccompanied and unobserved activities with youth members wherever possible.

Adults in Scouting, for their own protection, should avoid potentially compromising situa- tions by ensuring, where reasonably possible, that at least two adults are in attendance whilst supervising and/ or accompanying youth members. It is recognised that in certain circumstances, it may be necessary for a leader or adult, whilst acting responsibly and ex- ercising their Duty of Care, to be alone with a youth member.

Adults in Scouting are committed to providing a safe environment for youth members par- ticipating in the Scout Program, their parents or guardians and visitors.

That safe environment must be in accordance with Scouts Australia’s policy of zero tolerance towards bullying, neglect, emotional, physical or sexual abuse of any kind. Adults in Scouting recognize that abuse can take many forms and can be perpetrated through various mediums, including through technology, and will be alert to abuse in all of its manifestations. Adults in Scouting must report any conduct seen or heard that does not comply with this Code of Conduct. Specifically, Adults in Scouting must report promptly any suspicion or allegation of child abuse of youth members in their care.

Where mandatory reporting is required, incident reports must be made to the police or des- ignated State/Territory Authority in accordance with State or Territory Law and the nominated Scouting person should be advised. In all other cases the incident must be reported to the nominated Scouting person who shall report any suspicion or allegation of child abuse to the appropriate authority.

SILVER WATTLE

For Outstanding Service

Dawn Helen Clarke Liverpool District Paul Anthony Turner 1st Camden

MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD For Excellent Service

Frank John Edmundson 1st Yaralla Alison Louise Maynard 1st Chipping Norton

SPECIAL SERVICE AWARD For Good Service

Glenn Phillip Casey 1st Yaralla Stephen Paul Gough 1st Yaralla Duncan Kenneth Grylls 1st Yaralla Katherine McLaren 1st Wattle Grove Samantha Vandenberg Hume Region QUEENS SCOUT AWARD Venturer Section

Mitchell Wassell 1st Narellan Hung Tran 1st Canley Heights Christopher Standard 1st Cabarita Mortlake Misty Morthorpe 1st Bargo

SCOUT MEDALLION Scout Section

Heather Austin 1st Narellan Cameron Biggs 1st Narellan

GREY WOLF AWARD Cub Section

Thomas Kitsoukilias 1st Wattle Grove

Robert Taylor 1st Cobbitty Nathan Pavey 1st Hoxton Park Matilda Muldoon 1st Glenfield Jack Harrison 1st Mittagong James Stevens 1st Burragorang Isabella Hogan 1st Cabarita Mortlake Kyra Goozeff 1st Hoxton Park Nicole Harper 1st Mittagong Jasmine Griggs 1st Burragorang PROMISE CHALLENGE AWARD Joey Scout Section

Ethan Larkin 1st Hoxton Park Evie Hay 1st Camden South Kianna Whyburn 1st Leumeah Christopher Rogov-Gao 1st Mittagong Troy Harcoan 1st Narellan Sheridan Howell 1st Wattle Grove Samuel Rabuka 1st Leumeah Alexandra Rooney 1st Camden South Hamish Orford 1st Mittagong Holly Stevens 1st Burragorang James Allen 1st Camden South Sarah Kendall 1st Leumeah Emma Jones 1st Leumeah Jack White 1st Mittagong Kevin Reynolds 1st Mittagong Toby Harrison 1st Mittagong Lachlan Bunting 1st Mittagong Daniel Kitsoukilias 1st Wattle Grove Nicholas Swinton 1st Wattle Grove Rebekah Stewart 1st Wattle Grove Joey Scouts is the first section in Scouting and has been operating in Australia for 26 years this year. The Joeys are aged from 6 – 8 years of age, with children with special needs also being accepted. The focus of Joeys is on fun, friendship, and an introduction to the exciting world of nature, adventure and challenge through Scouts Australia.

Within the Hume Region, there are currently 12 Joey Scout Mobs, over 5 districts with a total of 83 Joeys as of the 31st March 2017. That’s a 15% increase since this time last year, following on from our 16% increase on the previous year. We have 27 Leaders, with 7 new Leaders commencing during the year. We are excited to announce that 2 Joeys Mobs have recommenced from re- cession: 1st Cobbitty and 1st Camden. Congratulations to these groups on reestablishing their commitment to Joeys.

Joey Scouts putting the ‘out’ into Scouting

There were many Hume Region Activities during the 2016 – 2017 Scouting year, providing the Joeys with opportunities to make new friends, explore and experience many new adventures, with the help of their Leaders and families.

Pac a Tac

This is an event aimed at the Joey Scouts aged 71/4 and above to introduce them to Cubs as part of their ongoing adventure in Scouting. This was held in May at Glenfield where the Joeys and Cubs were arranged into packs of sixers and rotated through a variety of Cub activities. Thank you to Regional Commissioner Cubs – Samantha Vandenberg for arranging this successful day.

Joey Environment Day

The inaugural Joey Environment Day was held at Berrima Scout Camp, where we opened the day up to siblings and parents as well. Despite the coolness of the day, the Joeys and families had a wonderful time learning how to grow vegetables, water safety and storm water, silk screens and worms, indigenous bullroarers and a bush ramble in the adjacent National Park. This was compli- mented by a campfire where we all sat around and ate our sausage sizzle lunch and sang a few scout camp songs. Due to its success, it has now become a regular Region Event. Thank you to Regional Commissioner Environment – Joanne Tola for making the day a great success.

Joey Mob Holiday

This year the Hume Region Joey’s joined in the inaugural Tri-Region Mob Holiday joining forc- es with South Metropolitan and Greater Western Joey Mobs. This event was held at the end of October at Cataract Scout Activity Centre. The theme was ‘ Bindi and the Chocolate Factory’. A great time was had by the 240 Joeys, 240 parents and 80 Leaders, not to mention the Scouts, Ven- turers and Rovers, along with the Cataract Staff who helped out over the weekend. The Joeys were treated to a variety of activities that some had never experienced before such as the Circ de Scout, Gang Show, the fire show, the waterslide, science base, international scouting, archery, oompa lumpa land, pioneering and the two bases run by Hume Region,

– the horizontal bungee, and Bindi & the Chocolate Factory. Thank you to Jinda and Bunyip who made a spectacular Joey Archway that led the way into our Region Camp, which we will continue to use for many years to come. This camp took a lot of organization and I would like to thank all leaders, scouts in general and parents for their assistance in making it such a great success.

Joey Big Day Out

Joey Big Day Out this year was held in March 2017 at the Discovery Space Centre at the University of Wollongong. It is a centre specifically aged at children to learn through play and has had over $7 million dollars invested into it to date. We again made this a family activity due to the distance most families had to travel and it was a huge hit with the biggest turnout yet for the Joey Fun Day with 128 people registered. The Joeys were split into 4 groups where they then explored the various sections of the centre including things such as;

The Dig – what archeological object can you find Shipyard – all ahoy for adventure!! Tummy tour – is that really what’s in our guts??? Market Place – all you need for a healthy dinner Lights, sound, camera, action – that’s Scouts in action – or to be more precise – Joeys in action Construction site – hi ho, hi ho, its off to work we go…. just build a wall or shower or two, hi ho…… hi ho, hi ho …. Galileo’s study – what can you see through the microscope??? How does a plane work? Thank you to parents and leaders who braved the atrocious weather of rain, hail, flat tyres and fog to join in with our wonderful adventure.

Joey Mob Activities

Apart from the Hume Region Joey Activities, all the Joey Leaders created their own wonderful adventures for their Joeys with a few listed below:

Nature walks to places such as Mt Gibraltar Reserve, Cecil Hosking's Nature Reserve National Tree Planting Clean up Australia Day Canoeing Harmony Day Jamboree on the Trail – JOTT Science nights Remembrance Day ANZAC Parades – where the Joeys proudly marched & laid wreaths in remembrance Founders Day Visits by the local Police, Fire & SES Brigades Visits from animal groups such as RSPCA & Animal Rescue Visit to Air Ambulance Celebrating Chinese New Year with their own specially made dragon

Joey Scout Promise Challenge

The Promise Challenge is the highest award that a Joey can achieve – it is also the only award where the Joey has to complete all the tasks on their own. It can be worn proudly on their left sleeve, including in Cubs, until they earn their Bronze Boomerang.

Joey Promise Challenge awards have been presented to those Joeys as on the awards page in 2016 – 2017

Congratulations to all Joeys on their great achieve- ments! We have again a 25% increase in Joeys achieving this award this year, on top of our 25% increase last year!! Go Joeys!!!!……….HOP, HOP, HOP……

Joey Scout Leaders

We have 27 Leaders in total, with 7 new Leaders commencing in the past year, with the resignation of 3 Leaders due to family & work commitments. The Leaders not only plan and run a weekly program for their Joeys, as well as weekend activities, but they also undertake regular adult training in the form of Region Konaras’ s and online learning modules such as Child Safe, Bullying, OH&S, etc. Thank you to all the Leaders for their on- going dedication, enthusiasm and creativity throughout the year. We appreciate that finding the time to commit to your scouting can at times be difficult, but please know how much it is appreciated and valued!

Leader Awards & Dedication

The hard work & efforts of many of our Joey Scout Leaders was formally recognised in the Hume Region Awards Ceremony held at Hume Region Office. Congratulations those who received awards and thank you for your commitment and efforts throughout the year.

The annual ‘Sahi Award’ presented in honor of our previous Joey Commissioner, Barbara Flem- ing, for the most creative programming, was won this year by Southern Highlands District – 1st Mittagong for their initiation and implementation of the Joey Commissioners Challenge. Not only did they propose the badge and its related activities, but they were also the first in the state to achieve the Commissioners Challenge Award! Well done Mittagong!!

Thank You

Any organisation is only ever as good as its staff; in this case its volunteers. Thank you to all the District Leaders, Leaders, their families, parent helpers and Joeys for all your hard work, dedication and efforts throughout the year and for your generosity of spirit which helps make Joey Scouting what it is today: FUN, FRIENDSHIP & ADVENTURE

Cathie Spiker

Region Commissioner Joeys

What a year we have had in Cubs. We have grown this year by 62 youth members! Great result for our Leaders, which have decreased by 4. Of the 336 Registered Cubs within Hume 71 have linked up from Joeys. 2016 was the 100th year for Cubs not only in Australia but the world. Sunday July 31 was a very exciting day for Cubs Scouts all across NSW, as they celebrated Cubs 100th Birthday at Government House in Sydney. Up to 2,000 Cubs and Leaders attended the Cub Centenary Wide Game and Picnic event, including Cub Packs from the Greater Western Sydney, Hume, Hunter and Coastal, Riverina, South Coast and Tablelands, South Metropolitan, Sydney North and The Golden West Regions. At 10am all attendees met up at Scout Place at Circular Quay to begin their observation trail wide game around the city. They wandered around to different landmarks on their maps and saw some amazing sights along the way. Around noon the gates were opened and Cub Packs made their way into the grounds of Government House, where they sat down on the lawn to enjoy a packed picnic lunch. The Cubs were also treated to a tour of the inside of the building. We learned very quickly Cub Scouts sure aren’t camera shy (and neither are the Rovers!). Cubs and Leaders were very keen to get their faces behind some of our social media frames and had lots of fun posing and pulling faces. Soon after, Chief Scout and Governor of NSW, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) and his wife, Mrs Linda Hurley addressed the crowd. Mrs Hurley led the Cubs in renewing their Cub Scout Promise before everyone sang ‘Happy Birthday’, ‘For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow’ and shouted out 1 2 3 WOLF! Once the cake was cut, everyone got their own delicious cupcake to enjoy. As things wrapped up, Cubs went back out into the city to explore before heading back home. Cuboree is a 5 day standing camp for Cub Scouts. It is an amazing event which brings together Cub Scouts from all across NSW! Cubs have a really fun time and get to make lots of new friends. We had 175 Cubs from Hume Region attend the Cuboree, which was held at Cataract Scout Park in Appin the Cubs enjoying five days of endless fun attending bases that were run by each region within New South Wales half of our Cubs got to go to challenge mountain where they got to go on the flying fox and climbing walls and the other half got to go to challenge Valley, where they went through 20 mud activities. A huge thank you to all the leaders and parent helpers who attended to ensure that the youth had a wonderful time. we also had Scouts ,Venturers and Rovers attend Cuboree to help out on the Hume base. Our Hume Base was based on the aboriginal culture within the Dharawal lands of which Cataract Scout Park is located on. The Cubs got to make rainmakers, reed bracelets and screen printing just to name a few things from our base. Leadership courses - Each year the club section runs 2 leadership courses these courses are by invitation only by the Cub leaders. This day is extremely long as we run for 10 hours where the Cubs learn leadership skills and teamwork, they get to cook their own lunches and the leaders at

the end of this long day they have all earned the Cub leadership badge this badge can only be earned at this course. While the Cubs are learning at the leadership course we have Venturers earning the youth helper badge. Which once achieved enables them to help out within a Cub pack. we only run one use help of course each year. Environmental Cub Camp was held in March at Berrima Scout Camp, where the Cubs were able to learn about recycling and reusing through games and activities. The canoeing activity was enjoyed by everyone. Pac A Tac is it an event for Joeys run by Cubs where Joeys are taught and shown what it's like to be a Cub. For each four Joeys that attend we have two Cubs and each of the districts run a base for you to learn from. Cub Fun Day, we were going to go to Minnamurra falls, however they could not accommodate the number of attending cubs so we approached Fitzroy falls and they were more than happy to have the Cubs attend they even arranged for a staff member to talk to the Cubs about the history of Fitzroy falls. The Cubs went on a short bush walk through the rainforest and view the falls. Pre-Cuboree camp - As this was the year of Cuboree we had our pre-Cuboree camp at Mount Keira where the Cubs got to camp with those that they would be camping with at Cuboree. it's a great chance to get to know each other, not just for the Cubs but for the leaders as well. A lot of the craft that we had at this camp was done to help out the base at Cuboree including the story mats, which were big sheets of material and the Cubs got to decorate them with hand prints footprints and words. At each camp a lot of the Cubs have a first. First night away, first sleeping in a tent. This even happens for the adults, we had a lot of first at this camp mainly around leeches first for people being bitten and in first attending to leeches with salt. some adults were very excited over this new adventure. Palaver is a Cub leaders only event it's a chance for training networking and socialising this year we only had 13 Leaders attend which is a low number however it did not stop the aim of the weekend. On the Saturday night we had lots of discussions around processes within the Cub section. We wrote some new ones which have been implemented with some great success. Looking forward to the next one in August 2017. Thrills and skills is a scout run activity for cubs to show Cubs what it's like at scouts. However this year this scout and Cubs Commissioners decided to take the event back to the original format which many scout leaders did not agree with and didn't support the event. The event still went on and we even had commissioners from other regions attend as I have loved the concept and have planned the event within their own regions. The Cubs worked with in troops where they cooked all their meals and learnt what it is to be a scout.

Jamboree Of The Trail (JOTT) Hume Region Cubs completed the 19th Annual Jamboree Of The Trail (JOTT) on Sunday 22nd May. JOTT is an annual day for the World Scout Movement to hike together. This year the Cubs hiked on the southern section of the Kiama Coast Walk where we saw Whales. We walked for about 9km although one of the cubs said he took 13k steps while another said he did 23k steps on the walk. Another words they had fun… A Huge Thanks to our Activities Team for arranging this great Annual event. The group photos that where taken with the sign will be sent out soon Out and About - To celebrate 100yrs of Cubs we joined Taronga Zoo who are also celebrating 100yrs. We had 140 Cubs and Leaders attend, so a great turn out and there was a Cub everywhere you looked. Each Pack went their own way around the Zoo, so at each animal show all you could see what yellow cub shirts. It was a wonderful view. Back to Cataract - As the Cubs who went to Cuboree only got to do Challenge Valley or Challenge Mountain there was a few who were unhappy that they missed out on the activities. So when we had the chance to go back to Cataract we did. 141 Cubs and Leaders had a great day at Cataract. We were lucky that the rain stayed away. We split into two groups and went on the waterside and Challenge Valley. It was so much fun. Cub Canoe day is one of the most attended annual activities within Cubs. It is run by the activities team and the Cub Leaders help out to teach the Cubs. Each year the maritime safety team do a presentation this year the presentation was on flairs. I have never seen so many adults and youth fully engrossed in the instructor. We learnt about the different flairs and how they work. there was a table of people sitting behind and when the flair was set off we couldn't see them through the orange smoke, it's amazing on how these work. When the wind came up and the water was choppy we took to the shore to play some games this is way true leadership came out when one of the Cub Leaders took over and had the Cubs walking across the canoes while upside down in the water. within minutes nearly all the Cubs were lined up to have a go and even the leaders had a go. Looking forward to next years. Little Wolf Camp was at Bengalee down near Nowra. Each District or Combined Districts ran a base, so Leaders weren't with their Cubs. It was a bit of a change for some, but it worked out well. The Cubs made rafts which floated well till they overloaded them with Cubs. Its being a year of change within the Cub section, as ‘Oonai” Sue Bartlett took on the role as Regional Commissioner for Hume Region and myself “Ikki-Oo” moving up to Cub Commissioner and Julie Low taking on the role as Liverpool Cub District Leader. What a year in review for the Cub Section. Yours in Scouting Ikki-Oo Samantha Vandenberg Hume Region Cub Commissioner April saw Scouts across the region actively involved in ANZAC marches and services at the local level and also in the main Sydney March. A number of Troops, attended 2 or more ANZAC Ser- vices and were involved in other commemoration services throughout the year.

4 Patrols from Cabarita Mortlake Troops attended Sydney North Region’s Scout Hike in the Belanglo State Forest in early May. This event was based on Patrols navigating their way through the forest using a compass, a supplied map, a series of grid reference points indicating the Activity Bases they could visit, and Sleep Points. Leaders from this Troops were also actively involved in providing Activity bases for the Scouts to participate in over the course of the weekend.

The Patrol Standards Camp was held at Berrima at the end of May. This camp provided an opportunity for Scout Patrols to participate in Pa- trol Camping in a safe environment and estab- lish for themselves where their camping skills and weaknesses lay. The Patrols organised all aspects of the camp including menu preparation, food purchase, equipment and program planning. Leaders assessed the Patrols at various times throughout the weekend, and provide feedback on where the Patrol can improve their standards. This was also an opportunity for experienced Leaders to demonstrate relevant skills to the Patrols and to our new and/or inexperienced Leaders. 35 Scouts and 7 Leaders attended.

In August, the NSW State Rally returned to Glenfield Scout Camp for the second time. Scouts were camped in one location instead of the traditional 5. The same number of activities as previous years were run in 3 locations around the campsite instead of the Traditional 5. This took a lot of work before hand by the camp staff to prepare activity areas in locations that haven’t been used for many years. This year saw 904 Scouts in 164 Patrols of Scouts and 11 Girl Guides in 2 Patrols of in attendance.

October saw Hume Region Jamborette return for the first time since 1993. 72 Scouts participated in a number of Activity bases provided by the Leaders, with the valuable assistance of 5 of the Re- gion’s Venturers. Whilst the numbers in attendance were low for this first Jamborette, all who attended left looking forward to the next one in 2017. A big vote of thanks is extended to those who helped prepare various aspects of the Jamborette with next to no experience on which they could draw on. It was interesting to note that some of the Leaders were in attendance at the 1993 Jambo- rette as Scouts.

The 34th Thrills & Skills was held at Glenfield Scouts Camp in November. This year Thrills and Skills changed to a new format based on the original format from 34 years ago. Thrills & Skills introduces 10-year-old Cub Scouts to some of the activities they can look forward to when they progress to the Scout Section. This year 31 Cub Scouts were placed into Scout Patrols, each with 2 Scouts as their Patrol Leader and Assistant Patrol Leaders. The Patrols participated in a variety of activity bases, some Link Badge based and others just for the fun of it. The new (old) format worked well as the Cub Scouts were able to experience working in a Scout Patrol without getting lost in the multitudes of Scouts as in recent years.

Thank you to all Leaders within the Scout Section and to the many other Leaders, Venturers, Rov- ers and Parent Helpers who support the Section in one-way or another! Also special thanks to the spouses and families of the Leaders who have given up their family member over many nights and weekends so they can play the game of Scouting.

Ray Read Region Commissioner (Scouts)

Since taking on the role as Regional Commissioner Venturer Scouts late September last year I have had the opportunity to visit some of the Venturer units within the region. As Hume Region has 14 active Venturer units with 92 youth and 15 leaders in will take some time to get around to all units. My intention is to listen to the Venturers and plan Regional Activities which they will enjoy and attend. This year there have been improvements in the training opportunities on Scout Central for the Venturers to gain National VET recognition qualifications in adventurous activities, this will also assist the Venturers in the awards system be it Queen Scout, Venturer award and the Endeavour award. I would also like to congratulate the five Venturers who were awarded the Queen Scout Award within Hume Region this year. Currently Nepean District is trialling district run Venturer units, it is anticipated it will increase numbers of both leaders and Venturers. They are also running inter sectional/groups activities to strength the bonds between the sections this makes the linking up to Venturers or Rovers a less daunting experience. The Venturers attended a number of Region events this year. Gibber Trip was held at Windeyer Scout Camp, on the 29th – 30th October with the theme of water activities. The venturers got to build rafts and also canoe the Berowra creek. The next Gibber trip will be 10th March next year so discuss within your units and tell your leaders what you would like to do. This year’s Dragon Skin was at Belanglo State Forest and was well represented by Hume Region with seven teams competing. I would like to finally congratulate the Venturer Leaders that have received their long service awards this year.

Craig Morrison Regional Commissioner Venturer Scouts

Hume Region Rovers had another successful year in 2016. We are currently five crews strong; Razorback, Southern Highlands, Ingleburn, Yaralla and Matong. Hume Region Rovers has welcomed the new year, 2017 stronger and more enthusiastic than ever. We are continuing to live up to our motto of ‘Service’.

With the new housing development of Oran park at our doorstep, we see this as a perfect opportunity to recruit more members in all sections. Hume Region has helped run activities at two Oran Park events; Christmas carols and at youth Week.

Earlier this month, Hume Region were the shining stars of Dragonskin 2017. Firstly, Razorback Rover Crew won Best Activity at Dragonskin 2017. We are so very proud of the fantastic effort Razorback put into their ‘Emperor’s New Groove’ activity base. VOC 1 was crowded with amazing support from Hume Region. With half of the bases run by our region, sites and services and catering staff. We should all be very proud of our efforts.

Once again at ANZAC Day, Hume Region Rovers proudly represent our section at ANZAC Services in their own areas as well as in Martin Place. Those in the city march with banners and had out rosemary for the Legacy Mission.

All of the rovers in our region have taken an active role in caring for our cherished campsites. Southern Highlands beautifully maintain the Warrabunda Scout Camp in Tahmoor in spite of vandalism. As well as Hume Region Rovers due to participate in Camp Staff at Glenfield Scout Camp over the months of May and June. Razorback Rovers also participated in their annual Camden Show Garbage Disposal Fundraiser, which was very successful and tiring as always.

As Hume Region continues to grow, develop and enhance our friendships and enthusiasm as a region. We are excited to attend more events as a whole, such as moots, ski trips, Mud bash, Sandblast and the upcoming Branch Ball.

Ashliegh Fordham RRC Chair

The Hume region Activities Team while only small in number, has received enormous support from the various sections, in order to provide a range of adventurous activities. Some annual events include the Glowworm to Newnes bushwalk, which this year will be in its 17th year. The Clean Up Australia paddle on the Georges River was in its 13th year. The Cub “Jamboree On The Trail” (JOTT) was in its 12th year and the Cub Fun canoe day has now been going for several years.

Support for our flat water canoeing activities comes from RMS, in particular an education officer attached to Maritime. These potentially live saving life jacket demonstrations, are excellent, fully involving our Cubs and older sections. More recently, the demonstration includes the use of safety flares which involves a great deal of work as a large number of organizations including fire and police, National Parks as well as Sydney domestic and international airports require notification. Some of these Activities don’t always go strictly to plan, for example, very windy conditions at Greys Point threatened to blow our Cubs down the Hacking River on the Fun Canoe day. The leaders combined to make this a fun day to remember with great challenges including walking on a row of up turned canoes floating in the river.

With the current State focus on growing the Hume region and the importance of providing quality adventurous activities across all sections, this is a vital component of an overall growth strategy for the region.

The Glowworm to Newnes hike as always was popular, especially with the scout section. This hike takes in a 700m abandoned railway tunnel filled with glow worms, a beautiful section of can- yon and historic industrial ruins. A pre-Easter hike to Corang River in the Budawangs (approximately 3 hours from Sydney) attracted 15 participants. This hike is a good introductory level overnight hike of moderate distance. Several venturers completed their Venturing Skills badge work on this hike to qualify for Dragonskin. At another event a bushwalking party of 24 in the Budawangs experienced a very chilly lunch as the cool sunny morning changed quickly to freezing rain and very strong cold wind. The huge camping cave where the party spent the night provided the most spectacular shelter. The Bushwalk guides in the team have also helped train and super- vise various youth led award hikes.

Several archery events were held at Cataract scout camp. These have been popular and fully booked out. The fun of the event is amplified by the addition of balloons to the targets and chocolate rewards. Hume owns its own archery equipment and currently has 2 qualified leaders.

Numerous white water kayaking trips have been run during the year. Due to low river flows these have required travelling considerable distance to beyond Yass, Canberra and Barrington Tops. An external training course also required the team to travel to Tumut. After a number of years, several members from the Hume Region have completed training with Canoe Australia and been awarded SIS10 qualifications as White Water Guides. The Hume Region is currently the only region in the state that runs white water training activities and is now working with Sydney North Region in providing combined region white water activities. The Hume Region is also heavily involved in the recently formed White Water Committee. It is envisioned this team will then aid other regions to develop their white water teams.

The Flying Fox team have provided a great experience at several events during the year. This team deliver a very professional activity that is always a highlight for youth. This team have a fantastic safety record, especially as they often cater for the younger sections.

The previous Activities commissioner, Richard Keller, aka Gizmo, resigned late 2016. Gizmo had the unenviable task of implementing the SIS10 qualification system, which resulted in the loss of many leaders from the activities team. He also introduced many innovative activities to the region such as the Clarke Island night paddle and Lake Conjola combined canoeing and bushwalking camp. His efforts in the role were greatly appreciated and now sorely missed. Thanks Gizmo.

A significant focus for the coming year is rebuilding the activities team to provide the region with capabilities in all major activities. Several new activities leaders are beginning training and several avenues are being pursued to find more. Of particular importance is the rebuilding of a rock team.

Yours in Scouting Glenn Austin (Aussie) Regional Commissioner Activities Hume Region

Joey Environment Day In May 2016, the inaugural Joey Environment Day was held at Berrima Scout Camp. The 26 Joeys, with plenty of leader and parent involvement, had a great day of hands-on learning on the subjects of clean water, recycling, vegetables, worms and weeds and also how to reuse materials to make something different. There was even time for a campfire, a bushwalk and a sausage sizzle lunch. Every Joey went home with a silk screened mess kit bag ready for their next camp. The contribution of the Joey leaders and parents towards the success of this activity was enormous. Esther Landells from the Moss Vale Resource Recovery Centre always has great activities for every age group and the offers of Tracey Poulter and Michelle Jutrisa to run bases was most appreciated by Cathie Spiker and myself. Tracey also worked hard with me to plan the bases, so her help was invaluable, especially as she has plenty of experience in environmental areas.

Scout ‘Wild’ Environment Camp. This camp was not well attended this year with only 9 Scouts attending, however it did serve an important function, allowing the three small troops from Camden South, Ingleburn and Mittagong to give their younger Scouts some camping experience without being too small a group. The Scouts were able to complete most of their Pioneer or Explorer Environment requirements. The Scout program builds significantly on what is learnt at Cub Environment camps, and includes more challenging activities and responsibilities for example, Carp fishing (nothing caught) and this year, Scouts repaired the campfire area which had been badly damaged by floodwaters as part of their environmental service.

Venturer Environment camp Last year, for the first time, this was run as a combined camp with Scout Coast and Tablelands Region. This was because both Regions have in the past, run camps for very small numbers and Venturers always like larger camps. A total of 19 Venturers attended this time and the combined numbers of leaders made the camp easier to run. Venturer camps work well if lots of different people do presentations on different topics. The following people need to be thanked for their contribution to the activities: Glenn Robinson from Willow Warriors for working with Venturers to clear Crack Willows from the river, Carolyne and Gillian from Wingecarribee Council who taught Venturers how to use monitors for water testing and Tracey Poulter who taught them and the Venturers about macroinvertebrate sampling. Jennifer and Kylie, from the Council nursery and Bush care teams who assisted Venturers to learn about weeds and plant propagation on their site, Bunnings Mittagong who provided pre-cut materials for making roosts for micro bats, Esther Landells who led the tour of the Resource Recovery Centre, Maxine and Amanda from the South Coast Team who helped Venturers to behead Yellow flag Irises as part of a canoe activity and Kathy Devine and her son Ray who cooked fantastic food. Alex McCarthy, RC Environment from South Coast and I filled in gaps, ran some activities and made sure it ran smoothly. Of special mention was Anh Nyuyen from Canley Heights who, as part of her QS Environment did a highly professional presentation on Environmental Hazards for other Venturers! This first combined camp ran very well and I am looking forward to working with the South Coast Environment team this year at Mount Kiera.

Cub Scout Environment Camp This camp was held on a perfect weekend in early March 2017, between weeks and weeks of rain. An exceptional group of leaders and parents brought 38 Cub Scouts from Leumeah, Cobbitty, Wattle Grove and Campbelltown Ghosts who all earnt their World Scout Environment Badges. The weekend gave Cub Scouts a chance to explore, construct, experiment, survey and generally find out about the plants and animals that live around Berrima Scout Camp. An important part of this camp is service for the environment, and this year we planted a species of She Oak which attracts Glossy Black Cockatoos and also removed good quantities of the weed, serrated tussock. Because the weather was so perfect and the leaders so efficient, there was plenty of time to learn useful canoeing skills and a have a bit of a swim, thanks to the knowledge and inventiveness of

chance to form lasting friendships with other members of their own pack while having fun camping, working with others and doing hands-on environmental activities.

The Wider Scene I once again assisted at the State Venturer Environment Camp at Ingleside. This is always a pleasure as the camp is well organised, the Sydney North team is excellent and the camp usually attended by up to 40 Venturers. This year I was also part of the team which for the first time, planned and ran the State Environment Activity Camp (SEAC). Commissioners or keen leaders from four Regions worked extremely hard to put together and exciting program for Cubs, Scouts and Venturers. Outside agencies, guest speakers and teams from each Region contributed to an amazingly varied program designed to cover the World Scout Environment Badge for Cubs and Scouts and the VA Environment for Venturers. A major planting project was completed at Camp Coutts with challenging tasks for each section and 13 Venturers finished their award by completing their report. I have wanted for a long time to make sure each Region has a Commissioner for the Environment or a keen Leader representative. This has gradually happened, in some cases independently, but also due to the actions of our team and we now have six Regions represented and have commenced forming Youth Environment Teams in each Region which will become part of the State Youth Environment Team. We are all seeking older Scouts or young Venturers to be part of our teams, so please contact me if you know anyone suitable.

Joanne Tola Region leader Environment

The 2016 Scout training year has been very productive and busy as usual with a number of Lead- ers having completed their Basic Practical Skills training. It is also pleasing to see our Leaders progressing through to complete their Advanced Level training and acquire their Woodbadge. There have been some changes to e-Learning with the addition of activities modules. For those Leaders wishing to complete the requirements for and achieve their Certificate III in Business & Certificate IV in Leadership & Management, it will be necessary for them to register with the Scouts Australia Institute of Training (SAIT). Enrolment requirements and forms are available by contacting the Branch Training Officer at the NSW Branch Office. The Region Training Team is currently working hard to achieve 100% completion rate for the compulsory Child Safe, e-Bullying and WHS e-Learning modules by enlisting the assistance of the Group Leaders in ensuring their teams are fully trained. The Scouts Australia National Child Protection Policy was approved in November 2016, and is now in effect, e-Learning will be updated to reflect the Policy. The Policy outlines the minimum standard for child protection procedures for all members of Scouting in Australia. If you have not already done so, please take the time to familiarise yourselves with the Child Protection Policy which is available for download from Scouts NSW and Scout Central websites. Special thanks to Mandy Peterson for her encouragement and support in offering to assist me during the year whilst I transition into this role. I would also like to offer my thanks to the Region Office staff, Region PLAs and Region Com- missioners for their assistance which is greatly appreciated. Kerry Wallace RC - AT&D 2017

The band has worked very hard this year to promote Scouting and to enhance its image in the local community and in the piping fraternity.

Events The band, or members of the band, appeared at nine events altogether this year. The events were as follows: Hume ARP, NSW Commissioner’s Luncheon, Wollondilly Big Day In, Fisher’s Ghost parade, Bowral Tulip Festival street parade, Camden Anzac Day Street March, Bundanoon Highland Gathering street parade and performance and Narellan Rotary Dinner. One highlight was the Narellan Rotary Dinner, which was attended by high ranking dignitaries, representatives of large companies and well-known local entities. Our performance was very well received by the audience and highly commended by Rotary Members, which will be a big advantage for us in the local community. The other event which gave us a great deal of pleasure was the Hume ARP which was attended by the New NSW Commissioner, Neville Tomkins. He was completely unaware that the band existed and was enormously surprised and impressed and shook hands with every member! We received payment/donations for some of the events which we have attended and we have raised $1,850 from those performances.

Numbers This year we gained two adult learner pipers but the band has struggled a little since November when some experienced adult players took leave. Notable amongst these were our Pipe Major, Michael Thomson and Drum Sergeant, Marika Thomson. We will accept their excuse this time as they have increased the potential band numbers with the addition of a tiny piper.. or drummer, Andrew Charles Thomson. Thanks to the help of Graeme Noakes as temporary Pipe Major we completed the year successfully with the Fisher’s Ghost Parade and Commissioner’s Luncheon. Small numbers for some events have forced us to turn down some engagements, so we are looking forward to the return of Michael and Marika.

Meeting Venue We continue to meet at the Equestrian Centre at Camden. It is a suitably isolated venue, although 1st Camden Cubs can hear us sometimes if the wind is in the right direction. We were only flooded out once!

The Ron Penn Patron’s Award Our patron Ron Penn, co-founder of the original East Hills Scout Band, has once again supplied trophies for the most improved piper and drummer. In 2016, the Piper’s Award was presented once again to Graeme Hall, one of 1st Cobbitty Scout Leaders. Graeme is highly motivated and has improved dramatically, providing great support to other pipers in the band. The Drummer’s Award went this year to tenor player, Felicity Hutchinson. Felicity was unable to attend most practices this year and has worked at home with an interactive DVD, continuing to improve her playing and learn all our tunes on her own. Her flourishing technique was highly commended by some very experienced players at a recent drumming workshop and they even filmed her for an advertising video.

Our Supporters This year we have been well supported by Narellan Rotary Club. In addition to payment for our performance last year they also donated another $1000 towards out kilts. This organisation does

The Future We have achieved most of our goals this last year and this has been most encouraging. In the first half of this year, we will continue to improve our skills with thorough practice, new tunes and by attending workshops. We will be joined shortly by two new learner tenor players and a learner piper from Mittagong.

Our band Motto is “We have fun!” Why not come and learn with us!

We love to have Scout and Guide supporters marching behind us when we perform, so please come along and join us at any of our street parades. The band helps to draw attention to local groups and promote Scouting in our Re- gion. This is a great opportunity to assist groups to build numbers.

Joanne Tola

Regional Commissioners Honorary Commissioners Commissioner Mrs S Bartlett Deputy Mr E. Ramsden Mr G.Winner Mr D. Ravell Joey Scouts Mrs C. Spiker Mrs J. Ravell Cub Scouts Mrs S. Vandenberg Mr M. Ames Scouts Mr R. Read Mr W. Leach Venturers Mr C Morrison Mrs M. Leach Rovers Vacant Activities Mr G Austin Assistant Activities Mr N Austin Regional Leaders AT&D Mrs K Wallace Communications Mr K Palmer Mr C Hill Environment Mrs J Tola Mr P Moore Special Duties Mrs P. Laurenceson Mr D Putvinas Mrs S Mendham Mr J Austin Mr J Selwood Ms K Hanser Adults in Scouting Mrs M Peterson Regional Advisors Mr M George Mr R Reeve

District Commissioners Fairfield Mr P.M. Mills Liverpool Vacant Sth Highlands Vacant Nepean Mr W Stevens Powells Creek Mrs M. Jackson Macarthur Vacant

District Leaders

Joey Scouts Training Macarthur Mrs J. McCormack Liverpool Mrs D. Clarke Nepean Mrs K Wallace Cub Scouts Special Projects Liverpool Mrs J Low Southern Highlands Mrs L. Kelly Macarthur Mr P McCormack Powells Creek Vacant Nepean Vacant Macarthur Vacant

Scouts Macarthur Mr R White Liverpool Miss A Maynard

Joeys Cubs Scouts Venturers Rovers Group Leaders Total F M F M F M F M F M Fairfield District 1 1 1st Canley Heights 7 11 7 16 2 9 10 62 1st Fairfield Heights 7 3 8 2 1 7 28 1st Smithfield Homentmen 7 6 5 9 2 29 Liverpool District 1 1 1st Chipping Norton 5 5 1 1 4 14 1st Green Valley 1 3 2 6 1st Hoxton Park 2 3 5 7 2 9 2 30 1st Wattle Grove 7 6 6 13 2 10 1 9 54 Liverpool 7 6 5 12 12 5 6 4 10 67 Matong Rover Crew 2 2 1 5 Macarthur District 3 3 1st Appin 1 4 5 1 4 15 1st Glenfield 3 1 5 7 8 6 30 1st Ingleburn 4 2 6 2 4 9 27 1st Leumeah 1 4 6 16 2 13 8 7 57 1st St Andrews 1 6 1 4 13 Campbelltown Ghost 2 1 2 5 2 5 6 23 Ingleburn Rover Crew 2 4 1 7 Nepean District 1st Burragorang 2 4 16 4 9 5 40 1st Camden 5 7 2 7 5 26 1st Camden South 4 1 3 18 5 7 9 47 1st Catherine Fields 1 1 3 5 1st Cobbitty 2 3 5 15 12 10 47 1st Narellan 7 4 4 21 9 18 8 6 12 89 Razor Back Rover Crew 8 9 2 19 Powells Creek District 1 1 1st Cabarita Mortlake 13 9 9 29 10 10 80 1st Concord 6 3 9 1st Rhodes 1 2 3 1st Sefton 1 1 4 1 4 6 17 1st Yaralla 7 1 4 7 2 6 3 11 41 Yaralla Rover Crew 2 1 3 Southern Highlands District 1 1 1st Bargo 5 4 6 8 6 7 5 41 1st Mittagong 6 2 23 7 7 5 9 52 1st Tahmoor 2 7 7 2 18 Southern High Rover Crew 2 5 1 8 Hume Region 27 TOTAL 39 40 95 225 96 214 31 56 16 21 213 1046

Hume Region thanks the following suppliers for their outstanding Service to Hume Region during the year

John Chitty of Elec-Chitty Services Electrical Contractors Phone 0412 209 308

Dennis Skellern of Dennis The Plumber Pty Ltd Phone 0409 117 706

Kevin Roberts Plumbing, Moss Vale Phone 0418 483 437

Steve Brunker of S & K Brunker Building Phone 0409 126 805

John Burgoyne of Burgoyne Building Phone 0419128235

The NSW State Government for Community Building Partnership Grants

Camden Council Grants to Macarthur Pipes and Drums

Mert Southcott—Merts Handyman Service Phone 0412 995 225

Essential Fire Standards Pty Ltd Phone (02) 4647 7150

Mighty Mow Maintenance Phone 0411 661 444