Sea Scouts dominate epic land-based challenge

Trophy returns to New Lynn

The winning team from New Lynn: L-R Willow, Elijah & Samuel (Not pictured: Josefine). Photo: supplied

​The New Lynn Sea Scouts have taken a short break from their winter sailing programme to take part in a range of land-based activities, proving they are just as capable on land as on sea.

It was back on 20th March 1929 that Mr W Cecil Leys presented an imposing sterling silver trophy to the then Auckland Central District Boy Scouts’ Association. The ‘Leys Memorial Trophy’ was then given to the Leys Institute Troop of Boy Scouts, who immediately put the cup up for challenge.

The original conditions laid down for the competition involved senior scouts and included camp craft, signalling, ambulance, and lashing work, and was to be competed for by a patrol of six scouts.

Over the years and into modern times the competition has reflected the above intent with the emphasis on scout craft and camp craft as teams of Venturer Scouts (aged 14-18 years) continued to uphold the tradition set so many years ago.  With the high standards expected of the participants, this has become the premier Venturer award in the Auckland Region.

The event, based around a tramping competition, is organised by the previous year’s winners, and takes place over two days. This year the venue was a private farm near Puhoi.

The members of the New Lynn Scout Group have always looked forward to this challenge as a test of their skills and as an opportunity to push themselves. The group dominated the event throughout the 1990s but last held the trophy in 2004. The following years saw many tightly contested events, with New Lynn being just pipped at the line.

However, this year there was no doubt of the result with the team from New Lynn amassing double the number of points of their closest rivals.

The team worked their way through a number of bases which included a gear check, some outdoor first aid, fire lighting, and putting up an old canvas tent blindfolded. An important aspect of the competition was undoubtedly navigation, which involved a slight detour after miscalculating which base they were at. This resulted in two hours of bush-bashing in the direction they believed the next base to be, making their way up and down banks, over fallen trees and through gorse. They eventually emerged, scratched and muddied, to a homemade tiramisu that was commended by both judges and fellow competitors, as well as winning the dessert competition. 

As this goes to press, teams from New Lynn Sea Scouts and Venturers will be competing in the Boomerang Pioneering and Pitstop Total Exhaustion challenges. The Boomerang tests their construction and knotting skills while the Pitstop is a top team style event that sets a range of wacky challenges, added to which the teams need to make the most of their bribery skills so they can extract information and equipment from the event organisers to make the challenges easier to complete all while carrying around a muffler that must never touch the ground.
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The New Lynn Sea Scout Group caters for boys and girls aged 5 - 19 years. So if you want a slice of the action on the water, or to go camping and explore the awesome adventure playground that we are blest with out West, then give Andrew a ring on 027 6939 756 or check out www.newlynn.seascouts.org.nz for more details.

A few tired bodies and muddied packs at the end of the weekend competition. The winning team from New Lynn, L-R Samuel (holding the ‘heavy plant’ sign) and Willow and Elijah holding the trophy (not pictured: Josefine). Photo: supplied