Tower of bamboo, firewood and rope

IMAGINE a tower five storeys high built out of nothing but bamboo, firewood and rope. Forty members of the 219th Kinta Scout Shiang Yang Open Troop took five days to create the 21.3-metre high structure at SMK Bercham in Ipoh. Its scoutmaster Leong Siew Chuan, 25, said they used 300 pieces of wood, 100 bamboo poles and 50kg of rope. With nine platforms and 13 sets of stairs, the structure is solid enough to hold up to 70 Scouts at one time. Two people could squeeze onto the top of the tower, he said. Troop creation:The scouts posing in front of their tower. The structure was built in conjunction with the troop’s first nationwide campfire gathering attended by over 500 scouts and girl guides from 25 schools recently. The tower, to be dismantled soon, was meant to be a test of their skills in line with their campfire theme of ‘breaking through their limits’, said Leong. MCA secretary-general Datuk Ong Ka Chuan launched the event on Saturday night by lighting a bonfire at the school with Bercham assemblyman Gooi Seng Teik. In his speech, he lauded the troop for organising the gather- ing that also challenged the 500 scouts in various contests of skill. The SMJK Kwong Hua Scout troop was named overall cham-pion, SMK Poi Lam’s was the best disciplined while the SMK Chan Wa scouts from Seremban were the most supportive. The contest winners were Kuen Cheng Girl’s School (backwoods cooking), SMJK Chung Hwa, Se-remban (mini gadgets), SM Sam Min 60th girl’s group (semaphore and marching), SMJK Kwong Hua’s 13th Unit Ranger Group 1 (modern cooking), SMJK Shing Chung, Sun- gai Siput, (highlight and drama) and SMK Sentosa, Kuala Lumpur (dance). Source : TheStar.com.my

1,400 scouts gather for jamboree in Malacca

By PERCY D’CRUZ MALACCA: Renewing friendships and forging new ones, strong bonding and camaraderie – these characteristics stood out foremost among some 1,400 scouts at the 6th edition of the Malacca Historical City Scout Jamboree recently. Apart from Malaysia, the scouts came from Maldives, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia for the five-day meet opened by Malacca Governor Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob at Tan Chay Yam Camp in Bukit Katil. The scouts and their respective troop leaders had an enjoyable time catching up with one and all. Joyous moment: Scouts celebrating after receiving their certificates of merit at the jamboree in Malacca recently. The majority also discovered scopes beyond campsites and campfires as they tapped each other's innovative techniques, expertise and knowledge related to pioneering and the outdoors during daily in-house activities and skills-sharing sessions. Jamboree participants, especially the overseas ones, visited many historic and landmark sites in downtown Malacca via bus. They also savoured traditional and local cuisine at local food courts and hawker stalls. Asia Pacific Region Scouts chairman Eric Khoo said besides friendship and solidarity, the jamboree provided a platform for scouts to exhibit numerous gadgets, props and kits tailor-made to make scouting more versatile and in line with self-reliance. In conjunction with the jamboree, 27 local scout leaders received the Anugerah Gemilang Presiden while another 25 from Indonesia were awarded the Anugerah Presiden by Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Mohd Rustam at a dinner in Seri Negeri, Ayer Keroh. Following the opening ceremony, Khalil bestowed King Scout awards to 59 recipients from various secondary schools in the state for Year 2006 while another 78 garnered similar awards for Year 2007.