GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - During the recent winter holiday, 16 of the 1st Knysna and 1st Plett Sea Scouts were accompanied by four adult leaders for the annual expedition "Planes, Trains and Automobiles". The expedition started and ended in Worcester with many adventures in between.
We started our seven-day journey at the Worcester Flying Club with the opportunity to fly in a glider and motor-plane. We all experienced how it feels to fly. We learnt about planes and their parts and saw old planes that were built almost 30 years ago. We were taught what makes a plane fly and many other aviation skills.
Early the second morning we left by train for Cape Town, first stop Ysterplaat Airforce Base. There we saw military helicopters and planes with missiles! Following that, we went to SANCCOB Penguin Rescue Station and had a tour of the facility. We saw all the rescued birds and penguins and learnt about their journey to the centre. We made use of taxis and MyCiti busses for transportation.
Exploring Cape Town
The next day we went to the Castle of Good Hope and to the District Six Museum. Afterwards, we started to hike through the centre of Cape Town and up Signal Hill. We found much-needed rest in the Appleton Scout hut.
The following day we hiked along Signal Hill and across the stepped ridge of Table Mountain and through a cold waterfall. We reached the mountain via the Three Firs trail. On the fifth day, we descended Table Mountain via Skeleton Gorge into Kirstenbosch Gardens.
Throughout the expedition, navigation was done by senior scouts. Scouting aims to develop leaders and equip youth with skills to develop themselves and serve their communities by being prepared.
After a long walk to Claremont Station, we welcomed directions from friendly members of the public to reach the train station to Lakeside where we slept.
The sixth day we visited the Navy in Simonstown and toured their ships. Lastly, we went to the Naval Museum and explored South Africa’s naval history. We ended with a five-hour train ride back to Worcester Flying Club for the last day.
This adventure was a challenge for me, but so rewarding in experiences and learning to be a better leader and share life experiences with my peers.
Article: Garrick Bakker, 1st Knysna patrol leader
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