SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL
SCOUTING
It is interesting to note that whenever activities involving hiking or camping are organised in the school these is always a considerable number of boys who want to take part - and invariably these activities prove to be most enjoyable. It is therefore surprising that a greater number of boys in the school are not members of the Scout Movement where these activities and many others equally interesting take place all year round.
Particularly in the Senior Scout Section of the movement (15 - 18 years) activities of an adventurous nature play a prominent part, and parties of Senior Scouts from Hull have during the last few months carried out many such activities.
A number of rock climbing expeditions have been held in Derbyshire and West Yorkshire, and potholing expeditions have been undertaken by a number of Senior Scout troops. One of these was to Stump Cross Caverns, where part of the cave system is open to the public and on this occasion the party spent four hours underground exploring the remoter parts of the caves. The cave incidentally is the one in which a West Riding man is trying to break the world record for staying underground - 100 days I believe is the target.
Canoeing is another activity which is popular and recently a six mile canoe race was held near north Frodingham on the River Hull. During the summer holiday, expeditions are held in many parts of the country and in Europe and I know of three parties from Hull who this year will be visiting Greece, Switzerland and Norway.
Scouting, like all other worthwhile activities, has to have certain rules for its members, and all scouts have to undertake to do three things, namely:
1)To do their duty to God and the Queen
2)To help other people at all times
3)To obey the Scout Laws
In my opinion these three positive requirements provide an excellent code of conduct right through life, not just during boyhood, and it is because of this that the Scout Movement can be lasting value to any member.
Briefly, the first requirement is covered by regular attendance at some place of worship; and the second is covered by real effort to be of some service to the community; and in connection with this the Senior Scout Section and Rover section have undertaken many worthwhile “good turns” in the City. These range from assistance at camps for physically handicapped boys to work on centres for old people. The Scout Laws are ten in number, and cover such topics as Honesty, Courtesy, Loyalty, etc. - they are not “don’ts” but “do’s” - a positive call to action in fact.
Any boys prepared to accept these fundamental rules and looking for something to do in their spare time could do very much worse than give Scouting a try.
E.A.M.
THE SCHOOL CAMP
We left school at 9 o’clock on the 10th May with a party of ten boys from West Dock Avenue School for the School Camp at Farndale. It was half past eleven when we arrived in Farndale to find the boys from the school which was leaving waiting for us. The remainder of the Friday was used in issuing out blankets and sleeping sheets and after some of the boys played football while other wrote home.
On Saturday the cooks got up at 7 a.m. to cook breakfast and the rest of the camp got up at 7-30 a.m. Breakfast finished ,the washing up was left to the duty cooks and the rest of the camp prepared for their individual activities. One group preferred to go on an expedition, another group practiced Base Campcraft, and the other group had a project organised by the group leader. On Saturday afternoon the different groups carried on with their different activities while the teacher from West Dock School laid out a trail for a treasure hunt which five members from each group tried to follow on the night, but at a crossroads one of the markers had been blown away and everybody was at the same place looking for the marker. Finally, one of the boys found a marker and everybody was on the trail again. The five boys from West Dock Avenue School won. The second night was more settled than the first. The rest of the week was spent in much the same way basically, but each group doing a different thing each day. We had a few amusing experiences such as the time when we tried to move the wash house and it collapsed. One day after we had just finished doing something a few of the boys were in one tent reading when suddenly somebody looked in at the door and started complaining about the state of the tent, and at the time nobody knew who he was, so we all turned round and looked at him as if he was some sort of lunatic. He turned out to be an education officer. Another time a chicken was eating the scraps off the top of the wet pit when it fell in and drowned. We made several swings, two pulleys across the river, and a rope bridge also across the river.
During the week there was only one accident - that was when a boy dived for the rugby ball and landed on a tent peg and winded himself, but it was thought that he had internal injuries. The weather was not very good up to Tuesday but then the sun came out.
We left the camp site on Friday in, if I may say so, better condition than we found it, although it was good when we arrived. We arrived back at school at 1-20 p.m. after a very enjoyable week away.
A. Silburn