SCOUTS from the 1st Mansfield Scouting Group, recently, undertook a rite of passage as old as time.
Since the beginning of the scouting movement, youths from around the globe have headed out into the big wide beyond, leaving their homes, their families, and their communities behind.
Standing on their own two feet for many for the first time in their lives, they walk the long and winding path that leads from innocence to experience.
From childhood to adulthood.
For the 11 scouts from Mansfield Shire, it began with a 28-hour bus journey to Maryborough, Queensland.
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Why didn’t they simply fly?
Because they were merely 11 of around 3000 Victorian scouts who made the trip to the Australian Jamboree 2025 held by Scouts Australia.
The airlines struggled to accommodate that kind of mass migration north and so 60-70 buses made the trip up.
There, 10,000 scouts had gathered from all corners of the earth.
There were contingents from Canada and Korea and from the USA and Sri Lanka amongst other places.
Regardless of their origin, each of the 10,000 shared a common destination.
Independence.
There, in the absence of their families, they began building resilience and overcoming difficulties and having a whole heap of fun.
They went abseiling, ziplining, test driving drones, doing woodwork, running obstacle courses, and honing their archery skills in between trips to Australia Zoo, Queensland’s theme parks, and days spent swimming and paddle-boarding at the beach.
Everyone had a great time exploring their independence and making new friends but there has definitely been plenty of knuckling down, working hard, and learning important lessons for the group from Mansfield.
Split into patrols of half a dozen, the scouts worked together as self-sustaining units capable of looking after each other.
The children, mainly aged between 12-16, survived and began to thrive standing on their own two feet.
For two whole weeks.
When they’ve eaten, it’s food they have prepared for themselves.
When they’ve enjoyed the feeling of a fresh pair of socks or a clean pair of jocks on hot and sticky days under Queensland’s summer sun, it’s because they’ve washed the socks and the jocks themselves.
Each patrol has taken their turns to skip the day’s planned activities and the fun, to stay behind at the campsite to clean up after themselves and after others.
And while much of what they learned there was responsibility and resilience that will serve them well into their adulthood, they have had a whole heap of fun along the way.
Scout Leader Jasmine Beekman, who has enjoyed the privilege of leading the scouts on this once in a lifetime trip, could not be more proud of the group and the growth they have shown.
“Fourteen days is a long time away from home and it is a long time to be away from their parents,” she said.
“They’ve had a lot of fun.
“At times they have started to miss their home and their parents and it has been up to them to pick each other up and to keep the fun going.”
“The trip has been a huge, life changing experiences for the scouts and they have learned so much about resilience and friendship.”
Though heavy rain turned their Maryborough campsite into a muddy bog and left the scouts contending with damp socks and dirty clothes, they had the time of their lives.
The 1st Mansfield Scouting Group have now returned home to their loved ones.
The next big scouting jamboree won’t be for another four years.
But the fun and the learning never stops for the 1st Mansfield Scouting Group who fill each and every calendar year with a wide range of activities.
If you know of a child aged between 12-16 who would enjoy scouting, the Mansfield group are always welcoming new members.
Similarly, if you would like to get involved as a scout leader, contact Mansfield Group Leader Peter Coffey at peter.coffey@scoutsvictoria.com.au to express your interest.
Hard-working and passionate volunteers such as Jasmine Beekman and her fellow leaders are integral to the scouting organisation and help children make so many memorable moments and learn so many valuable lessons they take into adulthood.
