Toa Payoh District Campfire 2010

A month long of preparation and extra meetings combined with lots of hardwork and planning. It all culminated on 20^th November 2010, when Scouts, Cubs, Leaders of Toa Payoh District gathered round the campfire for a night of rekindling brotherhood and Scouting fellowship. The Campfire was jointly hosted by Beatty Beavers Scout Group and First Toa Payoh Eagles Cubs Pack guided by our Akelas and Scout Leaders.

It was a very busy day for the Cubs and the Scouts, making sure all things prepared a month before were all in place ready for the evening. Gateway construction; Firepit installation; Backdrop; Performance rehearsals; Refreshment preparation and the list goes on. We arrived early in the morning, and everyone were busy on their work till evening. After much sweat and effort, the sun was about to set, signaling the arrival of our District mates and the commencement of Campfire soon enough.

Eco-Adventure Trip to Vietnam 2010

On the 9th of June, Beatty Beaver Scouts embarked on a trip from Singapore to Hanoi, Vietnam. We were there to learn about the Vietnamese culture and their way of life, as well as to take the opportunity to commune with Nature through Adventure.

We had to reach the airport by 6:30 in the morning and most Scouts, who were not willing to part, came with their parents. By 7am, all the Scouts had already arrived and the Scout Leaders brought us to check in our luggage. Soon, we walked through the gates, got our passports stamped and were eagerly waiting to board the plane. We boarded the SIA plane and which took off soon after. It took 3 to 4 hours to reach Hanoi from Singapore and there was a 1-hour time difference between the two countries. The food that the plane serves was okay and there was even ice-cream.

We reached Vietnam at about 11:00am, Vietnamese time and met up with the tour guide after checking out of the immigration. The tour guide introduced himself as Mr Ling and we boarded the tour bus which brought us to a restaurant where we had some traditional Vietnamese noodles. The soup was salty but the chicken was cut into small shreds and was very tender. After lunch, we visited a temple which used to be an university for the royal family, which the Vietnamese takes pride in being the first university in Hanoi. Currently, it serves as a temple for Confucius believers and also as a popular tourist attraction.

The next place we went to was the Ho Chi Minh Memorial. We were not able to enter the Memorial but we knew that many tourist as well as Vietnamese came to pay their respect, to the late freedom fighter that brought victory to the Northern Vietnam communist during the Vietnam War. We visited a Shrine known as Lotus Temple and learnt about the story behind it. In order to go to Sapa, the next destination we are going, we had to spend a night in a train. The train ride lasted for 6 to7 hours and there was only one toilet in each carriage. We had a sumptuous dinner before boarding the train which left at about 9pm.The train arrived at 6am the next morning and we boarded a bus to a hotel.

Unfortunately, we were not staying in that hotel as we were only there to bath and have breakfast. We had to eat as much food as possible as we were about to trek 14kms to a village for home stay. We started trekking soon after breakfast. The Sec 1s were not experienced and they had trouble keeping up so the seniors had to rush them and keep a watchful eye to ensure our juniors don’t get dehydrated. While trekking up the mountains, the cool fresh breeze and the great green scenery kept us company all the way. Of course, fatigue kept us company too, but we managed to overcome it in general. As Vietnamese depend heavily on agriculture, we saw many rice terraces along the way. Hills were cut into rice fields and pipes made of bamboo were used to transport water to enable good irrigation for the land.

Although it was a very challenging trek throughout, with some of the trails rather narrow and muddy making it easy to slip and fall into the mud, we managed to finally reach safely the house that we were supposed to stay in, at around 12pm. We washed our shoes and feets before placing our bags next to the beds we were sleeping. The bed was simply a mattress with a mosquito net above to keep out the many insects that fly into the house at night.

The next thing we did was trek to the river to have a good swim in fresh pool. The water was extremely cold and the current in the middle of the river could sweep anyone of us away. But under the watchful eyes of our Scout Leaders, who were ensuring our safety, we had a refreshing swim and went back to the house to bath again in hot shower, just before nightfall. For dinner, they served us traditional Vietnamese food. Most of us have not eaten Vietnamese food and were not use to it. After a Scout’s Own led by the Scout Leaders, we were ready to sleep.

We woke up the next morning at 6:30am and had a simple breakfast of bread, biscuit and, coffee or tea. We packed our bags, thanked the host and left for the next village. As it had rained the previous night, we were lucky to be able to walk on a road rather than the planned path which was too muddy to walk on. We trekked about 9Km, learning new campfire song as we walk and looking at the scenery. We stopped for lunch at a picnic ground and had sandwiches. We had to prepare the sandwich by ourselves with the ingredients that were given to us, such as eggs, cheese and chicken. After lunch, we continued our journey to the next village. We took a shortcut which was filled with mud, on which some of the Scouts slipped and our shoes became very dirty. We finally reached the house at 4:30 pm and had to wash our shoes with a pipe and a sponge. After a bath, we walked around the village; to see what was village life in Vietnam was like, before trekking to another waterfall nearby the village. . We did not swim in that river but rather, clean our shoes and socks in it. Thereafter, we were served dinner which consisted of the same Vietnamese food we had yesterday but we had French fries made with butter as well. It tasted saltier than the normal French fries and had a buttery taste (obviously!!!). We had our usual Scout’s Own before going back to our bedside to pack our bags and sleep.

We woke up early at 4:45am the next morning in order to catch the train back to Hanoi. We had Vietnamese noodles for breakfast which were rather salty. A jeep came to take our bags and the Scouts sat in a coach. The ride was bumpy but the views of the mountains were great. We reached a hotel next to the train station to have dinner. There were plenty of Vietnamese in the hotel as they were watching the world cup in the restaurant that we were having dinner. The food was better than the past few days and we had a great time. We boarded the train and spent a night in it just like the first day. We arrived at the Hanoi station at 5:00am and had a walk around a park with a huge lake. We had the same traditional Vietnamese noodles as the first day and after breakfast, we visited a market. The market sells things like coffee filter, bags, shoes and Vietnamese coffee. You can bargain for the price you are willing to pay and the shopkeepers give special discounts when you buy more of their goods. After shopping, we went to the airport, bid farewell to our tour guide, and went back to Singapore.

Reported By,

Jason Tan

Troop Scribe

CCA Open House 2010

On the 9^th January 2010 was Beatty’s CCA Open House. It was on this day, that our newly arrived Beattyians will go around to see the many interesting displays put up by all the CCAs, and choose the one that they are going to be with for the next 4 years. Certainly not an easy decision to make, especially so when there are plenty of CCAs in a school.

As the Beavers wanted to do something special and captivating, we decided it would only be wise to plan well ahead. Scout are always Prepared. Plenty of weekdays were spent together in December, planning and preparing our stuff, so that we can showcase the best of Scouting to our Sec 1s.

In the end, we planned to build a gateway, a clothes rack and a tower for the students and parents to see. We had drawn the designs, figured out where to place them and how to decorate them. A week before the CCA open house, we started building the clothes rack and gateway. Most of the Scouts did the gateway as it was very big and it required a lot of manpower to build. Not an easy task you, you know. Two other Scouts and I were appointed to build the clothes rack. Our Scout Leader, Kumanan Sir, printed for us coloured brochure to give to Parents and students during the CCA open house. Want to know how it looks, well just go download it at the left hand side of this Blog.

On the actual day, all of us had to arrive in school by 7.30am to prepare before the Parents arrived. We started putting up the banners, placing our awards and cleaning up the place. Our booth was located next to the Koi pond and so we had plenty of space to place our structures. The Rover Scouts came back to Beatty to help us, which we Scouts deeply appreciate. Reminds me of the Scout Law, “A Scout is Loyal”. Our Patrol Leader, Xuan Jie, even brought a radio to play the many Scout songs we have. We also build a billboard which some of the schools wore to advertise scout. We were all very excited about this recruitment!

The Parents arrived at 9 am, at the entrance of the school; we handed out brochures and told them to visit out booth. The Parents and students then proceeded to the hall for a briefing about the CCAs available in the school. Some of the Scouts helped to distribute water bottles to the Parents who were watching the performance by different CCA groups, all so that we would be visible.

When all the Parents and students left the hall, most of the CCA groups line up in front of the hall to promote their CCA and to give out pamphlets. We wanted Parents to check out our booth and let their children experience what Scouting is all about. So, we too tried our best to lure the Parents and son. While the Parents were at our booth, the Seniors gave each Parent a tour and showed them the benefits of being a Scout.

As the process of meeting and marketing Scouting went on for each Parent/son duo, we realized that quite often, Parents have this stereotype that Scouting is all about Adventure and Outdoors. Which is of cause, a positive stereotype. And of cause, there were those who thought Scouting was all about knots only. But in general, we did manage to pull in the right type of students into our booth. Those who were keen in Outdoors. These were the kinds we wanted too.

At the end of the day, when all the parents had left, we went to dismantle all the structures we build. Though tiring it was the whole day, we enjoyed very much, because we knew we put in our very best. We were not so much worried about the numbers of Scouts we would get.

As a “Well Done” token, Mr. Tham, our Auxillary Volunteer Leader, bought us lunch from KFC. We had a grand lunch that day, eating chicken and drinking soda. Tired but satisfied, we felt proud of what we did. Beatty Beavers Rockz!!

Last but not least, on behalf of the Scouts, I would like to thank all Rover Scouts, Old Beavers, Former Teacher Mr. Koh KM, Mr. Tee & Mr. Tham, Mr. Kumanan & Mr. Aru for their time and effort that they took to be there with us, to give us their support and guidance.

Reported By,

Jason Tan                                                        Troop Scribe

Macritchie Reservoir Hike & 56th Investiture Ceremony

On the 30th of May(Saturday), Beatty Beavers went on a hike to MacRitchie Reservoir at Thomson Road. All the scouts who were going to this excursion gathered at school just before 9am. A school bus ferried us to Thomson Road and we alighted at the car park of MacRitchie reservoir. There were about 12 of us scouts who went to the HIke, together with Scouter Huda and Scouter Kumanan.

Here is a little information about MacRitchie Reservoir. MacRitchie Reservoir was constructed in 1867, by a donation of S$13,000 by philanthropist Tan Kim Seng. In 1891, the reservoir was extended and the enlarged impounding reservoir was renamed as Thomson Road Reservoir in 1907. Then, in honour of the Municipal Engineer, James MacRitchie, who designed and built the reservoir, it was renamed again as MacRitchie Reservoir. The park area is approximately 12 hectares and it was opened in 1967. The park has a food kiosk, an exercise station and several shelters and benches that face the scenic reservoir. Knowing all these information really made me appreciate the place even better, since its the oldest resevoir still in existence in Singapore.

Since 2 Patrols were involved, Scouter Huda guided Tiger Patrol lead by PL Alvin, and Scouter Kumanan guided my Patrol (Lion Patrol) lead by PL Xuan Jie. Together as a Patrol, we embarked on our trek along Lornie Trail. Unlike the other trails I've trekked elsewhere, the path was not covered with proper concrete and leaves from the trees filled the path. Shortly after we started walking the Lornie Trail, Scouter Kumanan pointed us to a variety of jungle flora and fauna. One such flora of Macritchie was the Wild Pandan leaf. This plant has two flat edges and in the past, it was use to built attap houses after it had dried up as it was hard enough. Unlike its domestic species, this plant did not have the unique smell. After hitting the end of the jungle trail, we decided to take the wooden board trail next to the water. While trekking, we saw plenty of water skaters, dragonflies and small fishes. We even spotted a kingfisher, which Scouter Kumanan said was a Stork-Billed Kingfisher or otherwise known as Common Kingfisher. There were also some fascinating plants like the Jering plant, which the seeds can be eaten and are use for medicinal uses and the facinating thing about this tree was it's fruit. The fruit of the tree looked like a pocupine, dangerous enough to hurt you. But later we realised that it a way for the fruit to bear the impact on the ground when it falls, just like the durians.

Although we took a bus to the reservoir, going back home was different as we had to walk back to School for the Investiture Ceremony. On the way back, our Scouters instructed us to work together as a Patrol, to budget and purchase rations for our lunch, which we were to cook ourselve. The challenge behind this was that, we had $20 given for a patrol of 7 and had to make full use out of it to cook the most number of dishes for lunch.

As we walked back to school, we decided to cook Chicken, Fish, Chye Sim, Rice and Soup. Well doing marketing at the wet market was certainly not an easy job, especially so when it came to choosing the right fish. Hence, we decided to purchase our groceries at Shop and Save, to save all the hassle.

If buying groceries for lunch was a headache, cooking it was a challenge. Thankfully, my PL (Xuan Jie) and APL (Mao Wei) were both Camp Cooks for NPC 08'. That saved my Patrol slightly, since they were good in instructing us on what to do for cooking. Without them, I guess we probably would end up eating half-cooked food. The food may not be that delicious but we were so hungry that we just gobbled down everything in an instant. Altough cooking as a Patrol was in a state of chaos, since most of us cooked for the first time, I felt it certainly brought our Patrols together well, and I enjoyed every bit of funny moments that happened during the activity.

The day soon ended, with a simple ceremony, which is the Group's 56th, to welcome the tenderfoots into the Worldwide Brotherhood of Scouting, as newly invested Scouts. The Sec 1s took their Scout Promise and were adorn with the Scout Scarve, an identity synonymus with Scouts. The whole ceremony, though short and simple, reminded me of my very own back in Sarimbun Scout Camp just about a year ago. Looking back, it truly has been an eventful first year for me in Scouting.

Reported by,

Jason Tan
(Lion Patrol)

Eastern Coastal PCN Cycling Trip

On the 19th of March, Beatty Beaver Scout Group organized a Post-Jobweek activity for our Scouts who had worked hard for the past week canvassing Singapore for jobs and raising funds for their Scouting activities.


The Scouts gathered at Changi Point for a sumptuous breakfast at the coffeeshop, which is famous for its Changi Nasi Lemak. Thereafter, Mr. Clement from Changi Cycling Services, helped us out to pick suitable bikes for our height. With a Safety Briefing conducted shortly thereafter, we started cycling along the Eastern Coastal Park Connector Network at 10.45am.

The entire network is a total of 42km with connections to 7 Park Connectors. But since all of us were new to this, the Rovers Scouts headed by Rover Isa, planned the shorter loop which measured 32km instead.

32km?? No kick la !!!

Gosh...No one told I'd got to carry this bike over me

The first league of the loop, Coastal Park Connector, was one of the more scenic route, as we passed by lush Casuarina Forest by our left, and the ascending/descending airplanes of various airlines. As we soon approached the East Coast Park section of the route, we took a short break at the National Sailing Centre, where the other Rovers joined us.

At our next pit stop, at Sun Plaza Park, we were all tired and drenched, but still our spirits were very high. No matter how tired you can be, when you see your fellow buddy being in the same state as you are, you just put up a brave front to cheer each other up. At this pit stop, all of us topped up our bottles and had a mid way point stretching. Sure it was good to strech those tired muscles. Rover Venga also enlightened us on how to ensure that our cycling seats were of the correct height.

Erm, are you taking a picture of me? Should I smile?

What's that on the ground? Why everybody looking down?

Smile for Candid Camera !!!

Well the secret is this. When you want to cycle, you must make sure that your cycle is high enough, such that when one of the paddle is at the bottom most point, you leg should be fully stretched and not bent. This will ensure that you do not use too much force while paddling and get yourself easily tired out.

As we approached the end of our route along Changi, we passed by some war time building such as the old Changi hospital and the Old Commando Barracks. The downward slope was also another high point of our journey. The entire journey of 32km took the whole Scout Group roughly 5 hours to complete. Well that's not too bad after all, since many never had such an experience of cycling such long distance.

Rover Parry, are you sure you know how to start fire?

Fire's up. Time to BBQ

Eh, i think you're looking at the wrong angle bro. Camera is here !

When we reached Changi Beach at 3.50pm, we were all hungry and ready to start our BBQ Lunch. Did we have trouble starting fire? Well, sure not as you can always rely on a Scout to do the best job of firestarting in BBQs. As soon as we started the fire going, we began BBQ-ing the satays and chicken wing, as these were what took most time to get cooked. The Rovers as well, joined us in giving a helping hand, while we had our lunch.

Is it HOT???

Food Glorious Food....Yum Yum

After our very late Lunch that we had, we cleared up at around 6.45pm. Of cos, we did not forget the Scout's Code of cleanliness. We never forget to leave a place cleaner then it was when we used it. We quickly made a quick brisk walk from where we were to the tip of Changi Beach Park to catch a glimpse of the Sunset. Well, how fantastic it was can't be described by words. See the pictures below to see for yourself.

Recee to Abandoned Railway Track

Many of you may have heard about the Malaysian Railway that runs between Tanjong Pagar and Woodlands. But what many are not aware of is the Abandoned Railway Track that is more than 50 years old. Where is it? How it looks? And why is it abandoned?

These were the questions that were running in the minds of the 3 adventurous Patrol Leaders, who decided to explore into the mystery and have their questions anserwed. Well, of cos, they didn't go alone. They had their friendly guide, Scouter Kumanan, to guide them through the trek.

The trek started of with us walking alongside the Malaysian Railway, trying to find the slip track that goes away from the main track. Having trekked this route before, Scouter Kumanan was quite familiar but somehow, the overgrown bushes had hid the slip route. Finally we managed to find the route and proceeded on into the thick jungle. As soon as we entered the forest, we started seeing reminence of the Railway track in its original condition.

Throughout the trek, we were faced with plenty of obstacles and challenges. Crossin over thick fallen trees, and navigating ourselves away from thorny Palm trees were a constant turn off. To top all these off, came our biggest challenge of having to cross the dark tunnel that was filled with, god knows what. The whole tunnel was muddy, slippery and wet. You can see frogs and fishes jumping occasionally and giving you a shock at times. Even after crossing the muddy tunnel, we had to bypass knee deep water drains to cross over to dry land. The rest of the trek after that was very much dry and clear. Except for occasional weird calls of birds that we had not heard before at all.

As we drew closer to civilization, right before our eyes was a old bridge (probably over 50 years) crossing the Ulu Pandan River. It certainly looks majestic, compared to those that we see in MRT. Crossing the bridge, over the river was a mind challenge posed to Zhen Jie who was afraid of heights. Not only had we got to cros once, but twice.

In overview, the trek was great one with God's blessing, as nothing bad happen especially in terms of weather. The trek ended with us having a lecture from Scouter Kumanan on how to do a proper Programme Planning for our Patrols and what to look out for when we bring them out for such Outdoor Trip. Oh yea, we learnt about RAMS as well.