The 1st Durbanville Scouts took third place at the annual Rayner Trophy senior scout-hiking competition in the Boland mountains earlier this month.
1st Durbanville entered two teams, of which the A team came third out of a total of 38 teams. The team members were Jamie Berteler (patrol leader), Samuel Higham (assistant patrol leader), Tristan Minter and Finn Cox. First place was taken by 2nd Bergvliet and 1st Muizenberg came second.
The B team of 1st Durbanville Scouts came 28th despite an injury. The team members were Georgia Turner (patrol leader), Rebecca Higham (assistant patrol leader), David Danielsen and Luke le Roux. The chief judge of the competition was Jemma Gill, an assistant troop scouter at 1st Durbanville.
The competition on 1 and 2 March took the form of a weekend of hiking from Du Toits Kloof to Bains Kloof, with an overnight camp on the trail. It is aimed at senior scouts in the Western Cape.
“They need to complete various tasks such as orienting a map, taking charge of various first aid scenes, advanced knotting and pioneering, solving codes and ciphers and other exciting activities that allow the scouts to demonstrate their leadership and problem solving abilities,” said Ursula Wilbraham, spokesperson for the 1st Durbanville Scouts.
“They are also required to complete various spare time activities such as drawing a panoramic sketch of an area, completing a quiz about scouting or current affairs, carving something out of a bar of sunlight soap. The scouts are required to cook dinner and breakfast, which are judged for points.”
This annual competition has been held every year since 1954 and was named in honour of Carl Rayner, who was one of SA Scouting’s 1908 founder members.
