Southern Region Jamboree Weblog

Simply Scouting……
The Centenary Jamboree in the UK is now history and as we look back on our fortnight of fun with the Brits we also turn our eyes towards 2011 and the next world jamboree in Sweden. The theme in 2011 will be “SIMPLY SCOUTING…” and it is a very rare person who is not ready to register for the next world jamboree after being with us at Hylands Park for this one.
Some have suggested that the length of our jamborees is just right since if we stayed longer we would likely begin to find things to argue about and our “utopian” spirit would diminish. I don’t really know if this is true or not. All I do know is that there were many tears shed as we parted ways to return to our native lands. Several of the young ladies from Belgium even stayed up until 200AM to meet the guys from troop 217 at the jamboree departure area and when the coach was late, the goodbyes continued in spite of rain and cold until the last moment when everyone had to be onboard.

The day began with another cloudless sky and warming temps. This was certainly fortuitous in light of the need to pack up tents and tarps and gear and all things “jamboree” to prepare for the departure in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. It is always a challenge for the unit leaders to motivate the youth to focus on packing when there are the distractions of friends and fellows all around. But it must be done. By midday most units were in good shape and by my final walkaround between 500PM and 700PM the deed was done.
The pace of swopping accelerated to a fever pitch at the D.O.T. and all around the site. The “professional” swoppers are looking for that last piece of bling that they have not yet found and the rest of us become less picky and only committed to bring home different “stuff” than the stuff we brought over with us. Many of our youth and leaders are sporting different uniform shirts, hats, neckers, etc than the BSA issue. Greg Gillaspie from Memphis was sporting both a Russian uniform and a South Africa uniform. Most scouts now appear to be an amalgamation of international scouting with bits and pieces of uniform from many lands. Our only requirement for the return home is that each scout wear an “official” scout uniform. When our parents greet their lads they may have trouble recognizing who is who.

At about the time that most units had finished their packing and turned in their stuff, the rains finally came to Hylands Park. It was not a downpour but it was a steady flow with a brisk breeze and falling temperatures. Suddenly we went from the risk of sunburn to the danger of hypothermia. But our scouts seemed well prepared and as they gathered in their subcamp arenas for the parade to the arena for the closing ceremony and party, nobody seemed to be in danger of anything except terminal happiness.

I will not go into detail about the closing hours and leave that to each of your youth to describe in their words and their impressions. As is the custom, the flag of the jamboree was passed from the UK to Sweden in impressive fashion and we can hardly wait for the next 4 years to pass so that we can experience the jamboree magic in the land of the midnight sun.

Within a few hours of the closing our JAMBO-DACIOUS day morphed into JAMBO-MONIUM as the exit of 40000 scouts and leaders began at midnight. Our buses began arriving at 200AM and continued until 800AM. At this moment all of the Southern Region scouts are either in the air or soon will be and we really are looking forward to seeing all of our family and friends and loved ones back home.

So….it is now 1015AM and we are sitting in the corridor at Gatwick waiting for gate 51 to open for check-in on our flight 59 to Atlanta. After a busy day and an early morning we are sleep deprived and ready to head for home. This really will be my last blog from the UK. I will probably post an epilogue at some point after I have had a chance to renew my relationship with my wife and clean up the backlog of work which I am sure has accumulated back at the office. Reality may not be our preference but at the end of the day it must be our fate.

Until next time……Thank you and So Long.

Russell Smart