COLDSTREAM 1981

Reports of summer camp are in separate pdf files accessible from the links above

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Summary of Summer Camp at Coldstream 1981

Attendance

Scouters

SL Alistair Cram, ASL Kenny Paton, ASL Graham L Patrick (Glip) ASL David Bolster, ACSL Peter Bennett, John Black (99th), CSL Anne Watker (Akela) (31st July -2nd August?), ASL David McIlroy (28th July only)

Venture Scouts

Tommy Boag (31st July - 7th August), Guy Grant (2nd-7th August)

Curlew Patrol

PL Alistair McCready, APL Graeme Wright, Graeme Simpson, Stuart McDonald, Kenny Blair.

Falcon Patrol 

PL Douglas McEwan, APL Andrew Firth, Callum Gillespie, Alistair Henley, Robert Wright.

Fox Patrol         

PL John Kerr, APL Gordon Brabender, Andrew Davies, Roderick McCrorie, Nicky Clark, Rory McLeod.

Kingfisher Patrol

PL Andrew Wilson, APL Kevin Byng, APL Sandy Thomson, Andrew Irvine, David McEwing, David Gordon.

Seagull Patrol

PL Colin Roach, APL Glen Grant, David Whiteford, Colin Spiers, John McEwing, Neil McLeod.

Stag Patrol

PL David Eadie, APL Graham Bolster, Craig Griffin, Mark Edgar, Alan Fletcher

Tiger Patrol

PL Kenny Kerr, APL Robert Lawrie, Ewan Blair, Andrew Morrison, Callum Glenny.

Cub Scouts

James Gatherer, Philip Clark, Ross Gillespie and one other.

Visiting Belgian Scouts (26th July-5th August)

SL Jan and 8 Belgian Scouts

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Seven out of the eight 70th Patrols were present at camp. Scouts from the Eagle Patrol were distributed amongst the patrols that were present. All 8 APLs were present as well as 7 PLs. There were 38 Scouts in total at the camp, representing at least 80% of the troop membership, possibly more. On Sunday 2nd August, there were approximately 60 Cubs, Scouts, Venture Scouts and Scouters present, as well as visiting parents and friends.

 

Overview

The camp proved to be one of the most successful and enjoyable summer camps in the 70th's history, and for several years, it was viewed as the benchmark against which future summer camps were judged. A large factor in this success was the remarkably good weather throughout camp, but another key factor was the quality of the Scouts. By Glip's unofficial star system analysis of the Scouts present, the average 'star quality' was 73%, which is impressive. It was a fitting final summer camp for Scout Leader Alistair Cram, who resigned as Scout Leader at the final campfire and handed over the reins to Kenny Paton.

The campsite itself was an unusual one for a 70th camp as it was totally flat on the edge of town. Normally, the 70th camped in more remote hilly areas. Nevertheless, Coldstream had its advantages. The flat ground was ideal for croquet and games of football, hockey, cricket and non-stop cricket. It was also on the banks of the River Tweed, which was ideal for swimming, canoeing, rafting, fishing and riverside barbecues. It's not recorded where the water supply was, but it may have been from an outside tap at the house perched on top of the ridge overlooking the campsite. It is recorded, however, that firewood was collected from a local sawmill.

Eight Scouts took part in overnight hikes. The locations of these were not identified in the log report, but they were probably in the Northumberland hills. David, Gordon, Roderick McCrorie, Robert Wright and Callum Glenny completed their ASS hike, while Andrew Davies, Graham Bolster, Colin Roach and David Eadie completed their CSA hike. In fact, this was David Eadie's second CSA hike as he volunteered to join the others to make up the numbers.

Training and testing sessions on the various tests associated with the Scout Standard and Advanced Scout Standard were carried out on a regular basis and four Scout Standard badges weer awarded at the end of camp. Four Scouts also gained their mechanics proficiency badge by working on one of the cars parked in the field.

There were also a couple of day trips. On Saturday, 1st August, the whole camp travelled by coach to Berwick Upon Tweed to catch a train Ito Edinburgh, where a packed lunch was had in Prince Street Gardens. Several of the Scouts visited the swimming pool, which probably had the highest chlorine levels in history and where David Gordon demonstrated how to swim the front crawl with one leg out the water. They then walked back into town through Holyrood Park. There was also a visit to Tisos in order to buy canoe paddles. Another day trip took place on the 30th July when the troop (in full Scout uniform) took a coach to visit Melrose Abbey and Galashiels. They were also meant to be visiting Abbotsford (the home of Sir Walter Scott), but this was abandoned when it  became clear that most of the Scouts were more interested in sweet shops than culture. 

A small group of Belgian Scouts accompanied the troop on both these day trips. The Belgians were also camping with the 70th for most of the time there and it is likely that Alistair Cram had invited them to join the 70th during their stay. It is also possible that they borrowed camping gear from the 70th. For most of the time, the Belgian Scouts did their own thing, but there were a few joint activities which included games of football and ice hockey, a couple of joint campfires and a couple of BBQs. A single Belgian Scout also participated in a game of cricket and was cheered on by his compatriots as he attempted to master the game.

On the Sunday, the Belgians witnessed the spectacle of the Scottish Scouts rehearsing in the campsite for a parade along Coldstream High Street to Coldstream Parish Church. The parade duly followed with David Eddie and Douglas McEwan carrying the flags, and the church service was run by the Rev Penman. On returning to the campsite, there was the traditional insurgent of parents as they visited the site and took their offspring for meals, while the remainder played cricket.

Successful though the camp undoubtedly was, it was not without problems - the most annoying being the presence of 3 donkeys and about 4 horses. These caused havoc with the kitchen shelters and damaged several camp gadgets, and they had to be constantly persuaded to go somewhere else to play. Eventually, it was found that fitting jets of water at them were quite effective in getting them to move on. More seriously, it is likely that they were the cause of various stomach problems and vomiting experienced by several Scouts and Scouters. One theory behind this is that they may have been licking plates and cooking pots in the early hours of the morning before anyone was up. The glorious weather also had a downside, namely a couple of cases of heat exhaustion. The only accident, however, involved John Kerr who suffered a cut close to his eye when collecting wood. It required stitches. On the positive side, it meant that both casualty and attendants had the opportunity to go into the local health centre where there were  pleasant toilets and very attractive receptionist. 

Other highlights during the camp included a camp sports day which involved a tug-o-war, throwing the welly, tossing the caber, and hammer throwing. The hammer was a massive mallet that was used to hammer in the stakes used to pitch the small marquee, and it was about the same size as Mus and Callum Gillespie. Another highlight was a massive water fight. Initially, this started off on a small scale with Glip setting out to soak Kenny Kerr. It then progressed to Tommy Boag and David Bolster attempting to soak the Kenny Kerr and the rest of his Patrol. Kenny Kerr then went on a diplomatic mission round the other patrols and before long there was an overwhelming attack on the Scouters by the Scouts to gain their revenge. 

The latest edition of the Percy Perusal was issued at camp, and several Scouts had the opportunity to join the Percy Club and even get a lift in Percy such that they gained 'Privileged Membership' status (e.g. Andrew Firth and Mark Edgar). There was healthy trading in Percy shares and Percy Bonds, the latter being introduced by Andrew Wilson at a value of 10 smarties per bond. As a result, the camp shop ran out of smarties within the day. At one point, Kenny Paton attempted to set up an anti-Percy Club. However, an irate Graham Bolster soon nipped this in the bud by chasing Kenny round the campsite.

At the end of the camp, various awards were made. Ewan Blair (Clyde) won the Novice of the Year Award. David Gordon won the Camper of the Year Award with Mark Edgar a close runner up. Kevin Byng was awarded with his Mountaineers Badge and with the Camp Twit Award, having faced stiff competition from Graeme Wright, David Gordon, David McEwing, Andrew Firth and Callum Gillespie. The final presentation was to Alistair Cram when SPL Kenny Kerr presented him with a paperweight from the troop in gratitude for his many years as Scout Leader..