Ascension : 1ST ASCENSION GIRLGUIDING EASTER CAMP CAMO
Submitted by The Islander (Cheryl Anthony) 15.04.2010 (Article Archived on 29.04.2010)
Yet another year Easter has passed us by in a flash!! Our traditional Easter Guides Camp feels like a dream now…………The theme this year was:- CAMP CAMO…….
 ASCENSION ISLAND 
1ST ASCENSION GIRLGUIDING EASTER CAMP CAMO
Yet another year Easter has passed us by in a flash!! Our traditional Easter Guides Camp feels like a dream now…………The theme this year was:- CAMP CAMO…….Before we left for camp there were a lot of concern that the road had been washed out after spending time to resurface it beforehand, and we will not be able to go to camp. With experiencing “bad roads” to the camp site during my 13 years of Girlguiding I knew we would still go to camp no matter what!! Camp wouldn’t be fun without some mud pack.
Friday, 2nd April 2010 with trucks laden we made our way to our campsite at North-East (Ashpit) in the bright hot sun and reached our destination at 10:45 a.m. By 12:30 the tents were erected, gadgets sorted for the Patrol tents and kitchen tents and all sat to enjoy lunch. Gadgets as usual were fascinating, to see how the girls can come up with ideas to store, stack and pack their things. Kirsty gave them an idea of hanging towels without pegs. From her days of camping with the Guides she showed them that the ends of the towel could be pushed thru the strands of string and it holds the towel well intact.
The Patrols experienced putting up their brand new tents for the first time, with the Lions wondering why theirs did not look like the Dolphins and couldn’t find where the poles had to go through, only to find their tent was beginning to pitch upside down!! Once the mistake was found everything went according to plan…..or so we thought until Shannon Rae holding the Patrol sign for Christiane to bang in place experience a knock on the forehead as the mallet head came off. Shannon was dazed for a few minutes but was cooking the dinner soon after!!
Tents and Lunch out of the way firewood was collected by Patrols, fireplaces sorted and some wanted to cook their dinner at 3 p.m.!!! Very keen but the answer was no it would be too soon!!
Kirsty is on the way of achieving her Camp Licence so she was in full control of the whole camp, checking for positive, and negativity in all areas to give points out of 5. During camp the girls would be working towards 5 badges:- Fire Safety, First-Aid, Performing Arts, Personal Safety and Camper Advanced.
Dinner was cooked by 5:30 p.m. of spaghetti Bolognese, with Dolphins licking the pots clean and their meal had a good taste and colour to it. Lions on the other hand had a rather faded colour but taste very nice but they didn’t eat all!!! So to stop the hunger we had a fish fry going in the Leaders area which all the girls could have had a second course meal. With the cleaning out of the way it was time to chill out.
The wide game was such fun that it was played over and over with Caitlin falling in the ring, Tiffany falling 3 times, Kirsty, Shannon D, Tiffany and Nicole running right into the gutter of water. Then Caitlin burnt her lip on the tent rope as she ran into it! Shelly, Megan, Shannon Rae and Christiane came in unhurt!! At 10:30 p.m. Dolphins came to report to me that they had taken their porch down from their tent. They were marched right back to put it back up as this was to keep any rain/mud out from the main tent.......teehee!
Saturday morning 7:15 bright and early girls began walking about the campsite with toothbrushes in their hands………with the look from their hairdos I bet they would have wanted their GHD Straighteners to be with them there and then!!! Dolphins hoisted the flag and with breakfast, cleaning of tents and toilet emptying by the Dolphins out of the way, Kirsty set to work on their first task of camp which was designing their entrance sign for camp. The sign was done in camouflage colours, leaves and twigs to represent our Camp name……..CAMP CAMO!! Once the sign had been all painted Robert placed it above our entrance only to find he nailed it upside down!! Taken down he realised the girls should be helping him so instead of “chilling” secretly; they were summoned to his aid and put up in a jiffy!! After lunch it was not time to rest, Kirsty had them doing tie-dye. Their shirts came out beautifully and also their hands were tie-dyed as well!!!! The gloves in the kit would have fitted 3 hands in one glove!!
By now, it was time for a nice shower!! First in was yours truly and I felt like a celebrity with the cameras flashing!! A shower was well deserved as we had no rain and it had been scorching hot since we arrived. Although all been nice and clean it was not time to “chill”, Kirsty had them making camo hats for the competition on Sunday!! During this time we overheard talk what part on a DVD they were up to. When asked what DVD? Answered……the one we watched last night………straight away points were taken off the Dolphins for actually watching it and both patrol’s DVD players were confiscated!!!! DVD at camp? What next???
Tonight’s meal is BBQ so the girls cooked their meal with Tiffany been the first to let a burger escape into the flames. I thought I would demonstrate the quick flip way but the end of the spatula got fasten and the flame flared so my one got away as well!!! We still had enough to go to all. At 9 p.m. we went on our wee ramble. Beforehand Kirsty tied string to trees weaving in and out to confuse the girls in the dark. Setting off their were squeals that they could hear scuttling of feet in the trees……only a land crab…….then Shelly leading the way shouted out “Oh a tree”…………yes Shelly, we know we have been passing thru thousands of them for the past few minutes hahaha! Eventually, the string ended and so we continued our walk singing along the way. Return to camp with only Nicole and Shannon Rae needing hot chocolate and cookies!!
With the sun still shining brightly on Sunday the Brownies with their Leaders Diana, Shelly and later Hannah arrived at 10:30 a.m. to spend an overnight camp with us for the very first time!! While they got organised in pitching their tents the Guides all dressed in camouflage gear made the campsite in readiness for our Open Day which would be from 2 p.m. Parents of Guides and Brownies came along at lunch time with lunches for their daughters. Judges, The Administrator and Claudia, Sgt James and his wife and Debra Green went along to the tents and surroundings as the inspection took place. We had over 100 people at the campsite with Kirsty organising races of:- 3 legged, egg & spoon, wheelbarrow, piggy back etc… before the high-lite of the day took place – Volley Ball. This went into late evening of 7:15 p.m. but in the meantime tea was brewing on the fireplace for all those tea drinkers accompanied by cakes and sandwiches contributed by parents and friends.
8 p.m. with all seated around the campfire with hot chocolate we sang our favourite songs and then roasted marshmallows on the embers. To conclude this wonderful evening each unit did their taps and sang Kum Ba Yah. The last of the visitors left at 10:30 p.m. so it proved a successful day.
Monday morning 7:15 the Guides and Brownies were up and tents dismantled by their own choice, before breakfast of Eggy Bread, Bacon and Sausages. Kimbo arrived at 10 a.m. to help with the clearing and packing, following swiftly by Nicky Burns, Brig, Jimmy, Sharon and Fowl. With so many hands making light work the campsite was packed away by mid-day. The Guides formed in to have their points revealed………Dolphins (for the 10th year running) came in with 112 points and Lions 104. Shannon Rae Yon brought the Dolphins to these winning point for the hat competition (she did not want to decorate a hat she decorated only her own hair) and the winner of the best tie-dyed T-shirt…..also the Best Guide throughout the whole camp……..WELL DONE SHANNON RAE.
Our camp concluded with taps and prayers by Caitlin and Tiffany.
We would like to say a huge THANK YOU to AIG Worksmen for all they did in smoothing the road, giving us water and especially to my very own 2 Fairies and Wolfpack for all your help, the parents, friends and Robert for all you did to make this another successful Easter Camp, our Judges for doing a very hard task and Johnny’s Scouts for the loan of the tents, not forgetting all the Scouts who lent their camo gear for the occasion. Anyone else who helped in whatever way…….many, many thanks.
Cheryl, Kirsty, Annis and the 1st Ascension Girlguiding Unit
 
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