Words by Daisy-May Creighton
On Saturday 11th January the Maryborough Showgrounds was inundated with 3500 extra people as they arrived for Future Scout Day and our second Visitors Day. As these guests entered, the Mall became a hub of excitement while the food vendors, Scout Shop and Contingents became crowded.
Outside of the Scout Shop, I noticed Taliah from Unit T010 and her visitors on the ground with badges scattered in front of them. Taliah explained that her visitors used to do Scouts with her in Victoria, before they moved up to QLD. Luckily, they are close enough to Maryborough to come and visit and see what the Jamboree is all about, despite not currently attending as Scouts.
Many families could be seen visiting their Scouts, Venturers, Rovers and Leaders who were attending camp. Being Future Scout Day, many of these visitors consisted of younger siblings who were aspiring to be a Scout and looking to see what AJ was like. This included Adam, Alex and Andy, who came with their Mum and Dad from Brisbane. The family stayed the night in Birkdale and travelled to the Jamboree site in the morning. They said they were looking forward to seeing what activities there were, especially the zipline at The Summit!
Lastly I spoke with Joey Leader, ‘Patch’. We know that travelling around a Jamboree site can be a hard task with a Joey Mob or Cub Pack, but Patch came up with a brilliant solution. He created a special cart to hold his Joey and Cubs’ gear, and help them and their leaders find him when it’s time to muster. It took a moment before I realized that there was a Joey in there! Overall, this was a very creative and practical way to transport his littlest visitors and their gear, and I feel like other leaders should take notes!
Speaking of taking notes, I think many of us could take notes from the Future Scout Day organiser, Emmi Thomas. Her planning for the day began in July, when she was appointed to her role on the AJ2025 Visitors Day Team. When asked if she’s done any activity like this before, she said yes but not on this scale. Emmi is the Branch Commissioner for Joey Scouts in Queensland, so has been involved in running the annual ‘Joey Scout Jaunt’ for a few years now, an event similar to Future Scout Day but just for Joeys and their families.
Emmi expressed that she felt the Future Scout Day was quite successful, stating that “those who embraced the conditions we were given and tried their best to enjoy their day, despite the weather, really enjoyed it.” She mentioned that it was a day for reunions too, with past Scouts who live nearby and know people involved in AJ coming to visit. This included a guest that Emmi had met at AJ2013, that wanted to come back to see how different this Jamboree would be.
Overall it is important to recognise all the work that Emmi put in to leading the charge for Future Scout Day. From organising the registrations, to arranging Joey and Cub Scout gift packs and badges, she really was a Future Scout Day Hero.
Another person to give credit to for all their hard work in coordinating the other two Visitor Days is Kym Ham. Her efforts should be commended and we have her to thank for contributing to the success of the Visitor Days!
