San Anton School Scout Group, which forms part of the North District of the Scout Association of Malta, was founded by a group of parents during the scholastic year 1992/3. It was the first co-ed scout group on the island. 

Weekly meetings are held every Saturday between 15.00 - 17.00 hrs on the school premises.  These are a combination of fun and games as well as programme work which is set by the National Scouting Association. This aims to help the child to develop physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally                              

Apart from the regular meetings, various activities are also organised, the highlights being Easter and Summer Camps. Outdoor events have included treasure hunts, abseiling, canoeing and hikes. Visits to historical sites and museums are frequently organised. The Group has camped overseas on three occasions, visiting France (1996) and Sicily (2003 and 2005). 

From time to time, the Group also participates in District and National Scouting events and competitions

RECENT EVENTS:

CAROL SINGING 15/12/08

The meeting of the 15 th December was dedicated to Carol Singing. Together with the leaders the unit, troop and pack (some wearing Christmas hats to add to the festive cheer) visited St Vincent de Paule Residence where they were first met by Ms Sue Bharwani, who is in charge of entertainment at SVPR, and she explained what SVPR is all about.

She then proceeded to take us to some wards where the children could sing.  The corridors were beautifully decorated with lights and Christmas decorations.  The first few wards we visited were indeed special as these were the ones were married couples live together and take care of each other. 

The children enjoyed singing their best. They were also encouraged to go into the rooms so the residents could appreciate and hear better, whilst also entertaining those who were confined to their beds. At times the residents also joined in the singing and clapping. A tear or two were shed when we were leaving and several cheers of appreciation were heard.  This only gave the children more motivation to sing and be jolly as they realised that a small effort could greatly cheer someone up.  Some of the younger cubs were heard commenting: "these people are just like my nanna and nannu" and "how nice it is to see them smile".

In one of the male wards the evening meal was being served and the children entertained the elderly whilst they ate!

At the end of the afternoon Ms Bharwani kindly offered the children specially made sandwiches and drinks. After all the singing these were very much appreciated.

BOWLING 22/12/08

The entire Group was treated to an afternoon of bowling at the Eden SuperBowl as a special Christmas celebration. Excitement ran high at all ages as scores were recorded and loud cheering could be heard across the lanes as pins bowled over. The event proved very popular with many asking for it to be organised again. The activity was complete with snacks being handed out to all.

JOTI 2007

This year’s JOTI (Jamboree On The Internet) saw the ventures, scouts and cubs participate for over 19hrs during an overnight activity held on October 20th specifically for this worldwide event. It was the second time the group participated and a first for the Cubs. The school computer lab was turned into a communications centre where contacts were made across the globe. Contacts were established with over 60 different countries across many time zones. Maps were hung and countries marked as connections were recorded. The Pack and its leaders attempted to discover this year’s WOSM centenary motto: ‘One World One Promise’ in different languages and succeeded in obtaining 24 translations! This event helped highlight the spread and wide diversity of scouting.

Tree Planting: Saving Trees... Saving Ourselves

The meeting of October 27th was held at the Red Tower area in Mellieha where the group participated in the National Tree Planting Weekend.

‘Foresta 2000’ is a site at Mellieha managed by the PARC Dept, Birdlife Malta and Din l-Art Helwa. In May 2007, 3,000 trees were destroyed. The public's reaction was anger and outrage and, following an appeal made by 34U, Lm40,000 / €93,174.94 was raised to replace them. The weekend served not only to replace those 3,000 trees, but also plant another 6,000 – making a total of 9,000! The aims of the 34U campaign is to have a nation wide tree planting programme with the full participation of the public, national institutions, businesses, unions, voluntary organisations and others. Furthermore the campaign promotes the creation of woodland recreational areas.

This event proved more than just a fun activity – it was about our social responsibilities and looking after our national heritage, hence the choice of the slogan for the event. San Anton School Scouts’ contribution can be seen at the site marked as ‘Green 16’ where ventures, scouts and cubs eagerly helped plant several trees which were then tagged with the group’s name. The ventures were there not only for the duration of the meeting but actually spent 2 full days on this activity and were heartily thanked by the organisers. We hope to revisit the site in the future.

First Aid Course:

In September 4 Ventures, 5 scouts and 5 Leaders participated in a first aid course organised at school by the Malta Red Cross Society. 5 of these members were recertifying. All found the course very interesting and enjoyed learning basic first aid skills. The course was very ‘hands on’ with lots of practical sessions as well as the theoretical aspect.

San Anton Scouts - Marsa Scouts

A joint activity between two patrols from San Anton Scouts and 2 patrols from Marsa Scouts was organised on the 15 th September.

The aim of the activity was to promote the ‘socialising’ of different scouts in a scouting activity whereby they will understand that although there are many differences between the groups the ideals / activities of scouting unites them all.

The activity was opened by San Anton scouts who said a prayer and raised the Malta flag. An opening game was organised by Marsa scouts. The scouts then planned 3 different short (5km) routes around the area and proceeded to take these routes. The leaders and helpers checked their routes and met them at the checkpoints. After returning to school, a short ‘debrief’ was held. The closing game was organised by San Anton. Here the object was to get the whole ‘team’ over a wall, the first to succeed being ‘winners’. The activity ended with a prayer and flag down by Marsa Scouts.

Life Saving: 

A group of 2 leaders, 4 ventures and 3 scouts attended a life saving course organised by the Royal Life Saving Society Malta Branch held thrice weekly over a month between July and August.  The course consisted of theoretical sessions, land drills and practical sessions in the sea.  Differing successful levels of skill achievement were rewarded with a Bronze Cross, Bronze Medallions and Life Saver Badges 1, 2 & 3.

Summer Camp 2007

As soon as school was out, the Group camped at Ghajn Tuffieha between 28th June and 3rd July. A very busy programme started with the pitching of hike tents, ridge tents and a dining shelter. All members decorated tie and dye t-shirts on the first day which were worn with pride throughout camp. Beach, water and sand games dominated the hot days. Recyclable materials were put to good use during competitions for scouts and cubs to build seagoing craft. The Ventures opted for something more solid and built a large raft which they used to get from St Paul’s Bay to St Paul’s islands. Campfire meals were popular with all, especially the scouts’ ‘Ready Steady Cook’ which this time had a ‘party’ theme. A cub astronomy night was animated with rock models, built to scale, of the solar system. Four grade 11 scouts undertook a large pioneering project to build a catapult. Their dreams of using small cubs as missiles were never realised but cubs and scouts all enjoyed firing bean bags across open space. A mapping exercise and short hike did not prove very popular with some scouts due to the hot weather. The scouts who went clay sloping also felt very hot although they enjoyed the activity. A quiz and ‘survival exercise’ in the shade of the dining shelter were fun and relaxing. Since several ventures had finished exams, many attended camp and had a busy programme to keep them occupied. Some very new cubs and scouts proved their worth as they camped well and joined in all activities. An afternoon was dedicated to combined games between all sections, these always proving very popular. A family evening was held where parents and siblings visited the camp and enjoyed a meal all together. As always Fr Bernard visited to celebrate Holy Mass on Sunday. We would like to thank all those who, although not members of the group, helped in the organisation of camp and the running of some activities.

Swimming Activity – 02/06/07

The afternoon of the 2 nd June saw the cubs and scouts meeting at Ta’ Qali National Pool for an afternoon of water fun and games. Many ‘Swimmer’ proficiency badges were awarded. Some scouts preparing for their Chief Scout Award undertook a 750m swimming challenge.

St Anthony’s Day – 13/06/07

As part of the Group’s 15yrs anniversary celebrations a clay relief model of St Anthony created by the renowned Maltese artist Andrew Diacono was presented to the school during the celebrations to mark St Anthony’s Day on the 13 th June. The model was blessed during mass and then hung in the foyer for viewing that evening. It is to be placed in the school chapel for veneration. Many past leaders attended the event. Bookmarks with a picture of the model and a prayer on the reverse, were distributed to all attending the celebrations.

Annual Parade 2007

The bright morning of Sunday May 6 th saw the Group, together with all the other Scout Groups and Guide Companies of Malta, march proudly into Valletta to salute the president. Scout Thomas Borg Barthet was chosen by the Association to carry the North District Flag, indeed an honour for our Group.

Easter Camp 2007

This year the traditional Easter Camp was organised at Għajn Tuffieħa. Camp started with pitching of hike and ridge tents for all. Throughout the camp campfires and campfire meals were popular with everybody.

The programme of activities was very full with cubs enjoying an egg hunt and guided visits to Għar Dalam and Fort Luċian. Their expressions of creativity were seen in posters, greeting cards and pavement chalk paintings. The highlight for the cubs must have been the visit by Mr H Borg Barthet who gave a talk on ‘bugs’. The many mounted specimens he brought with him drew much interest.

The scouts also had a very busy programme with excursions to catacombs, clay slopes and some country walks. 8 scouts preparing for their ‘explorer’ badge undertook a 2 day / 1 night expedition in 2 separate groups. A lot of mapping and compass work was done in preparation for this. Mud ovens and a pioneering project were built by some of the younger scouts. All scouts enjoyed the trips down to the sandy beaches, during both day and night, to relax and play games. One morning was dedicated to 4 activities organised by those scouts preparing for their Chief Scout Award.

Unfortunately not many ventures attended camp due to matsec exams. However those that came enjoyed the break from study routines and appreciated the camping experience. An orienteering game was planned for them by their leaders.

One afternoon saw all the group participate together in joint games organised by some past SAS scouts who joined the camp to help out. Later that evening Fr Bernard visited camp to celebrate Holy Mass.

Festa Scout 2007

To mark the centenary of scouting the Scout Association of Malta organised a Festa Scout at Ta’ Qali over the weekend of the 16-18 th March ‘07. 28 scout groups from all over Malta and Gozo participated in the event. It was an opportunity for groups to show the public what scouting is all about. Many activities were held over the weekend with many groups opting to camp on site. Outdoor cooking and pioneering skills were demonstrated. San Anton School scouts participated on one afternoon and provided crafts, knotting skills and games for all who wanted to join in. During the event our ventures, scouts and cubs circulated among the other groups and enjoyed their activities. Unfortunately the weather that day was not good and, towards the end, the group was caught in a downpour. For many children this just added to the fun of the day.

Downloads:

Scouts Registration Form

Information for Parents

Newsletter 5

LINKS:

www.scouts.org

www.maltascout.org.mt

www.scoutshopmalta.com

www.basescoutilpavone.it

www.scout.org