Welcome to 1st Durbanville Scouts

The 1st Durbanville Scout Group is part of the Kanonkop District in Cape Town, Cape Western, South Africa. Scouting is a worldwide youth development organisation. It develops young people socially, gets them involved in the community, and teaches them many life and leadership skills. Our troop is over 50 years old and has both boy and girl scouts. The Durbanville Scouts are a very strong team and feature well in most of the Scout competitions. Please sign our guestbook while you are here.

Three scouts at the 1st Durbanville Scout Troop recently earned the prestigious Springbok Award which is the highest advancement a South African scout can attain.

Oliver Murphy, Dean van Schoor and Tara Casaleggio, have been scouts at 1st Durbanville for several years and all successfully completed the Springbok advancement despite several limitations imposed on them by lockdown regulations in 2020. 

Oliver Murphy completed matric at Fairmont High School in 2020 and apart from his Springbok advancement, he also achieved the Gold Level in the President’s Awards in 2020. The Gold Award Programme is the most inclusive youth development programme in South Africa and in achieving the Gold Level of this Award, Oliver has successfully completed the following: 72 hrs of community service over a period of 12 months, 12 months of developing a particular physical recreation activity, 12 months of developing a particular skill, an Adventurous Journey of 4 consecutive days and 3 nights with a group of four peers and, finally, a successfully completed Residential Project of 5 consecutive days and 4 nights in an unfamiliar residential setting with people not within his usual circle of friends. 

For the past five years Oliver, Dean and Tara have been active members of the 1st Durbanville group and have participated in all the major scouting competitions held in the Western Cape.

The Springbok Award is the culmination of many years of hard work and plenty of adventure. During the last phase of this journey these scouts had to, amongst other things, complete 40 hours of community service; plan, organize and hold a troop camp for a minimum of two patrols; and plan, organize and execute separate patrol hikes of no less than 30 km over terrain that they had not hiked before over a period of three days. 

In addition, Oliver Murphy and Tara Casaleggio elected to do a pioneering project whereas Dean chose to plan and execute a three course meal for a number of guests.

CAPTION: From left to right: Johann Visser (Troop Scouter), Dean van Schoor, Oliver Murphy, Tata Casaleggio and Ingrid Webster (Assistant Troop Scouter)

Details

The 1st Durbanville scouts excelled at the 2021 Gordon Shield scout competition which was held at Hawequas in Wellington. They came 1st at the Hawequas campsite and 5th overall.

The Gordon Shield was run at two different locations on the weekend of 11 and 12 September 2021 to ensure that the national Covid rule of no gatherings with more than 100 people was met. 1st Durbanville took 1st position at the Hawequas venue where 14 patrols participated.

Another 15 scout patrols participated at the Rotary campsite at Glencairn where 6th Rondebosch took 1st place and won the Gordon Shield overall. Second Bergvliet came second and the 1st Fish Hoek Ranger Guides came third.

The competition is a regional standing camp competition where patrols consisting of 5 Scouts camp under canvas, build gadgets and carry out other activities which are evaluated during the course of a weekend. Despite the rain, scouts from all over the Western Cape participated in the competition.

The Gordon Shield competition first took place on Saturday, 19 September 1915 at the Rifle Range in Clee Road, Observatory. The Competition initially tested scouts’ First Aid skills, but the following year the Competition included signalling and shooting.

In 1917 the Competition became a Patrol Camp and was run on very similar lines to the current Gordon Shield Competition.

CAPTION: 1st Durbanville scouts at the Gordon Shield competition: From left to right: Tristan Casaleggio (Patrol Leader), Zoey Le Roux (Assistant Patrol Leader), Hannah Murphy, Daniel Wilbraham, Matthew Stead.

Details

Sun, swimming and sailing was the order of the day from the moment that the 1st Durbanville troop arrived at Vogelvlei Yacht Club campsite on Voëlvlei Dam near Wellington.

Unprecedented numbers of 1st Durbanville scouts attended the camp from 10 to 15 January 2022 and our Troop Scouter, Johann Visser (aka Guppie), and his team had their work cut out for them. Sailing was everyone’s priority and our boat’s new sails were properly baptized by the time the camp drew to an end.

Apart from the fleet of kayaks and sup boards which were at the disposal of our scouts, they also built a raft on which many a happy hour was spent. Many of the juniors successfully completed the Map Reader Scoutcraft badge which was run on camp by Guppie and a team of seniors.

Our six patrols each had a turn to cook for everyone and on the last night a formal banquet with a “Star Wars” theme was held. Amidst great hilarity and high jinx, skits were demanded as forfeits for failing to adhere to a number of “Star Wars” terminologies and table rules.

All too soon it was time to pack up, lower the flag and head for Durbanville. A sunburnt, exhausted and happy troop made quick work of unpacking all the equipment at the scout hall and then it was home to cool showers, mom’s cooking and comfortable beds.

  1. 1st Durbanville Pack wins the Edward Shield
  2. Hannah achieves Springbok!
  3. The Scout Law and Promise
  4. Six Basic Knots