Mums and Scouts share their favourite places
Published Sun 12 May 2024
Mother’s Day is a wonderful opportunity for families across NSW to celebrate what they love about the mums and mother figures in their lives.
For many in Scouts NSW, it is a chance to spend time with these loved ones doing their favourite things in their favourite places. The development of skills learned in Scouting including bushwalking, canoeing, photography and performing arts has allowed both youth and adult members to have fun and challenging experiences within their family units.
Mums are seeing the development of SPICES in action – their children are being adventurous (Physical Development), adaptable (Intellectual Development), and expressing their feelings (Emotional Development) – as they interact with them in the great outdoors.
Below, 11 of our Scouting mums (and one Gran!) share some of their favourite things to do and places to go with their loved ones.
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Natalie and Cooper of 1st East Ryde Scout Group “I lead the Joey Scouts at 1st East Ryde Scout Group and Cooper is a proud member of the Cub Scouts. We have a beloved outdoor ritual that we regularly take together: Cooper pedals ahead on his bike while I glide along behind on my scooter, navigating the winding paths of Wilga Park, ELS Hall Park and Santa Rosa Park in East Ryde and Macquarie Park, following Shrimptons Creek. It’s a dynamic duo adventure that we've cherished for a year, providing needed exercise and a shared exploration of nature's local wonders.” |
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Joanne and Sasha of 1st Maclean Scout Group “My son Sasha is a Venturer Scout and I’m Leader of 1st Maclean Scout Group. Our family shares a love of outdoor activities. We’ve walked many places on the Eastern seaboard, but the Heritage Trail at the Gibraltar Range is a favourite for Sasha and me. We put in a lot of preparation and plan our hikes carefully, checking the weather and packing the right gear and plenty of snacks. I’m a keen landscape and flora photographer so I document our trips. Sasha has now discovered surfing so maybe that’s our next shared adventure.” |
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Gai and granddaughter London of 1st East Gosford Scout Group “I’m Deputy Assistant Chief Commissioner and my granddaughter London is a Cub Scout at 1st East Gosford Scout Group. My home, Scout Camp Kariong on the Central Coast, is our favourite place. My husband and I are live-in caretakers, and London loves spending time here because it’s where her parents were married. Sunday afternoon family get-togethers with soccer on the lawn and sunsets by the falls, followed by marshmallows on the campfire, always get the best smiles.” |
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Jinny and Jareth, Kyra, and Kirsten of 2nd Castle Hill Scout Group “We love exploring National Parks in Australia. Stargazing at Mundi Mundi Plains near Broken Hill, walking on pink salt-encrusted mud flats at Murray Sunset National Park, experiencing the ancient landforms at Mungo National Park and soaking in a thermal pool in Kosciuszko are some of our highlights. As Treasurer with 2nd Castle Hill Scout Group, I was once asked if Scouting was still a thing? I’m rapt to say it is and a lot of the outdoor activities we undertake are an extension of things our family loves to do. Our kids pick up life skills, make meaningful friendships and most importantly they’re so busy that they avoid unending screen time!” |
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Erica and Ollie of 1st Balcombe Heights Scout Group “I’m Region Commissioner for Diversity and Inclusion for Greater Western Sydney and a District Venturer Leader for Hills and Parramatta. My son, Ollie Wicks, is a Cub Scout at 1st Balcombe Heights. Family visits to koala sanctuaries on the NSW Mid North Coast are our favourite things to do. Ollie has adopted two koalas, Howie at Port Stephens and Ruins Way Baz at Port Macquarie. Neither of them can live in the wild – Ruins Way Baz was severely burnt in a bushfire and Howie has lost his sight. We love going to the sanctuaries to learn how to help injured animals and what we can all do to keep them safe.” |
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Vanessa and Siobhan of 2nd Baulkham Hills Scout Group “Siobhan and I like to visit historic cemeteries. I have been researching my family history for more than 20 years and as part of that research we travel around to locate the headstones of people I am researching. We have been doing this activity together since Siobhan was a toddler. Siobhan's skills learnt through Scouting have really contributed to the success of our headstone hunting adventures as often these cemeteries are quite large and are not mapped. It can be difficult to locate the correct area to search for the headstone we want to document. Using her planning and navigational skills, Siobhan has become very good at this activity and has learnt to appreciate the history that can be found in cemeteries. They are also a haven for wildlife and rare plants, and we enjoy walking through the natural environment together. We both really enjoy the serenity of the cemeteries and love following up on interesting monuments later and sharing our findings with other family members. It has become our family joke that we can't drive past an historic cemetery without stopping to investigate it!” |
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Natt, JB, and Penny of 1st/2nd Merrylands (St Anne’s) Scout Group “Our favourite place to go is Umina on the Central Coast. We love the beach, the park and the local cafe. We love taking our dogs to the off-leash section at the northern and southern ends of the beach, and collecting shells. We also love canoeing at Berrima in NSW. I was re-introduced to canoeing as a Cub Scout Leader at 1st/2nd Merrylands Scout Group when they tried it for the first time this year at our Founder’s Day Camp. I was cautious because I was in a scary capsize when I was a young Scout, but JB and Penny convinced me back in a boat and we’ve been having a blast!” |
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Suzanne and Matthew of Normanhurst Scout Group “I’m Assistant Group Leader at Normanhurst Scout Group and Matthew is now a Venturer Scout. Our favourite thing to do together is camping by the ocean – and Emerald Beach near Coffs Harbour is a special place for our family since Matthew was a baby. We enjoy swimming and boogie boarding and exploring the headlands; we’ve been lucky enough to see dolphins swimming below. Over the years, we’ve expanded our Emerald Beach trips to include bike riding, fishing and four-wheel driving in the forest hinterland.” |
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Adele and Kaysanne of 1st/2nd Merrylands (St Anne’s) Scout Group “Kaysanne and I love musical theatre. She’s been at my side throughout my years producing items in the Cumberland Gang Show, the variety production written and performed every year by Scouts and Guides of western Sydney. Kaysanne's finally old enough to join the cast this year and is a member of the junior dance team. It has been wonderful to see her rehearse each week. I look forward to watching her perform at Parramatta Riverside Theatres in July as part of Cumberland Gang Show's 2024 production ’Off the Record’ and put her dance skills to work.” |
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Belinda and Ben, Emily, and Edward of 1st Tambourine Bay Scout Group “Our family loves to kayak on the Lane Cove River. I’ve kayaked for more than 20 years, and more recently as part of 1st Tambourine Bay Sea Scouts. My youngest son Edward participated in an overnight paddle to Cockatoo Island recently and I was there as a driver of the safety boat. We regularly go camping as a family – especially in the Blue Mountains National Park. I joined Ben and Emily at last year’s weather-affected World Jamboree in South Korea. While it was great to see their resilience under difficult circumstances, I’m convinced that typhoons and camping don’t mix.” |
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Jen and Zac, Ryan, and Ethan of Maryland-Shortland Scout Group “I’m the Scout section Leader at Maryland-Shortland Scout Group in Newcastle and my sons have all been through Scouts. My youngest, Zac, and I love canyoning together in the Blue Mountains. Sharing our canyoning adventures is special when we witness each other's challenges and achievements. Zac recently encouraged me to abseil down a 40m cliff and jump 7m into a rockpool. I ask my boys to always do their best and be their best and I hold myself to that as well. With Zac watching, I had to try and even thought I was terrified, I did it!” |
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Melinda and Dylan of 1st Kempsey Scout Group “I’m a Scout Leader with the 1st Kempsey Scout Group and Dylan is a Venturer Scout with Camden Haven Sea Scouts. Dylan and I love to camp together. Our special place is Camp Eagle Eye, at Glenreagh in the Clarence Valley. We’ve been going there regularly for six years – from when Dylan started as a Cub Scout. It’s a place to share quality time and to catch up with our Scouting family.” |
