Abbeyside Scout Unit Fota 2006

4th Waterford Unit
St Joseph's

Abbeyside Scout Group
Scouting Ireland

Annual Camp 2006 Fota Island

Annual Camp Fota 2006 is now ended and all Scouts and Leaders are taking a well earned rest following an exhaustive, thrilling and exciting camp held in the county of Cork. Camp began on Sunday 22nd of July and lasted until Sunday the 30th of July.

In between was packed all manner of activities both on site and off. Although the site itself was practically only feet from the sea it was considered unsafe for swimmers and so the swimming pool in the Commodore Hotel in Cobh was our swim venue. With its pool, steam room and showers it proved ideal for all.

The only occasion the Troop swam else where was when everyone travelled to the Aquadome in Tralee co. Kerry on Wednesday of Camp. The aquadome was new to some of the Scouts and all were delighted by the whole experience. Following the swim and fun here lunch was had before heading back towards Killarney where some shopping was done. The Kestrel Patrol under the Leadership of Marco, were very anxious to visit the Nike outlet store for some bargains. While here one or two Scouts such as James, Kieran and Brendan acquired tattoo’s (removable/washable ones) lest their parents are worried! All in all this particular day out from site proved very popular and no doubt the presents brought home from here were appreciated by all who received them.

The other big day out from Camp was the Troop visit to the Irish Naval Base on Haulbowline Island in Cork Harbour. This visit began with the Troop taking the train into Cobh then catching a ferry across to the base. Unfortunately due to Navy operational restrictions we were unable to board any of the ships which were docked in port. However from the ferry we got an up close view as a tour of the harbour was undertaken instead. On arrival on Haulbowline a brief talk and demonstration on scuba diving and the equipment required was given by one of the sailors, which proved very informative. Next we were shown a view of the entire island from its highest point before going into the armoury for some practice on a state of the art gun simulation. This is where the sailors practise their gunnery skills before being let loose on the real thing on the ships. The simulation is as close as can be to the reality of firing a gun at sea at a moving target. Surprisingly it was our younger Scouts such as Kevin Brazel and Tony O'Mahony who were able to shoot the planes down while almost everyone else failed miserably! Following this fantastic experience everyone was treated to a delicious lunch in the brand new dining hall of the base where the Troop dined amongst the Navy personnel. Leader Eamonn presented the chef a woggle as a thank you for the delicious meal. Before leaving the island base an investiture of Scouts was held. Being invested means a person is now a fully fledged member of the Scout movement. Those Invested into the Ranks of Abbeyside Scouts and Scouting Ireland included the following; Tony O'Mahony, Kevin Brazil, Dylan Lawless, Cathal Reynolds, Damien Doyle, Aaron Fraher, Conor Lawless, Tom Aird, James Harty, Rhys Mitchell , Eamonn Terry. This ceremony concluded the visit of the 4TH Waterford to the Haulbowline Naval base on what was for all a hugely memorable experience.

During the entire week of camp great use was made of the train. With Fota station being literally on the campsite door step so to speak. With a walk of two hundred yards the entire troop could be transported into either Cork or Cobh within fifteen minutes. Once again this was a unique feature of Camp, as the roads around the Fota and Cobh area were so busy this transport was not only the quickest way of travel but also the safest!

A conducted walking tour of Cobh was undertaken on Tuesday of camp which proved popular and interesting. The tour guide Michael Martin began the tour at the railway station then brought the troop to see such sights as the band stand in the park explaining how it came to be. Other stops included the Lusitania peace memorial, Titanic memorial, White Star Line office which included a look at the pier at the rear of the building where 123 passengers from Cobh embarked on their ill-fated journey. It was pointed out that only 44 of these passengers survived the tragic sinking of the Titanic. The finishing point of the tour was the magnificent St’ Colman’s Cathedral which overlooks the harbour. The scouts were informed that it was built in the form of a Latin cross with its exterior made of Dalkey granite and Mallow limestone in a Neo French Gothic style. The Cathedral took forty seven years to build and cost two hundred and thirty five thousand pounds. As an exercise ask a scout who was on camp what a Carillon is and see if he can answer! When the tour ended a swim was next on the agenda then to round off this heritage day in Cobh a visit was made to the Queenstown heritage centre. As the tour finished the attention of the scouts was drawn to a brass band from Canada who were playing outside the centre. Scouts including Aaron, Joe and Tom who are members of the Dungarvan brass band listened with a trained ear and reported that the right notes were being hit.

For entertainment purposes the Troop travelled to Mahon point to visit the magnificent multiplex cinema. While here half of the Troop decided to see the Superman movie while the other half settled down to watch Pirates of the Caribbean. Both movies proved hugely watch able. For entertainment at night on the Camp Site Campfires were held on two occasions. At each one singing and guitar playing was a feature as well as eating sausages. The Troop Song, “The Old 4th Waterford” was belted out with gusto and surely could be heard not only in Cobh but also in Cork city. The only complaints about music on Camp came from the animal residents of Fota Wildlife Park, who seemingly could not understand what type of animal was making noise on the troop campsite each morning at eight thirty. If they had been able to ask, the answer they would have gotten would have been “it’s only Muller on the bugle”! The award for best prank on camp surely goes to two visitors who appeared on a few occasions to help us out. Obviously on one occasion when they arrived and the scouts were off site they got bored and decide to do a little house keeping by tidying up two tents! In order to protect their identity and perhaps their jobs we will not name them fully but Seanie and John Paul pitched the tents in a manner never before seen on an Abbeyside Scout Camp. It was hard to know whether to congratulate or kill them for their efforts. On the last day of Camp entertainment included early morning ten pin bowling in Cork City which was huge fun for all Following this the patrols were allowed in the city centre for two hours to buy any last minute presents for home. Afterwards it was back on the train to the site to prepare for the annual camp cooking competition. Again this year all patrols proved up to standard and the Judges Michael, Eamonn and Gearoid reported on everyone’s good work and marked them accordingly. The results as usual will be made know at the presentation later in the year of the NLB Trophy.

Annual Camp Fota 2006 finished at one o clock on Sunday the 30th of July when the flag was lowered for the last time and everyone climbed aboard the bus for home. Soon the peg bearing the inscription “Fota 2006” will hang in the Scout Den as testament to yet another camp of fun and friendship undertaken by Abbeyside Scouts, and in whose memories it will live for a long time to come.

Attention
The Scouts and Cubs will start back in action on Saturday the 16th of September with a Full Uniform meeting beginning at Seven O’ Clock for the Cubs and finishing at Eight, while the Scout meeting begins at Eight and finishes at Nine. September will see some changes made in the Troop for the year ahead but no doubt a great year of Scouting lies ahead for all.