Edward Shield 2017
Cub packs throughout Cape Town eagerly prepared themselves for the grandest pack challenge of the year. The Edward Shield Event. The only requirement – Be Prepared. And that we were. Armed with 11 cubs in our pack, Akela marched our little wolves through the challenges, one by one, while Bagheera was a great example to her cubs, jumping in as a facilitator at one of the bases.
We were given clues and told to pack palm sized rocks, bottled water and a few other cubcraft gems. We wondered for days what we would need these little things for. As we worked our way through the challenges, everything started to make sense and "aha" moments were abound.
The competition started at 11:00 am sharp. Each base was aptly named after one of our legendary catchment area dams which sparked great opportunity for conversation with our youngsters. We were told to build self-watering eco systems, to identify the process flow of our water supply and discover some amazing sea creatures. Through all the challenges we faced, we learnt something new. Something that matters.
We learnt to work together as a team. We learnt that a well organised event goes a long way. And we saw just how many awesome people there are in our community, prepared to invest their time in the lives of our special little humans.
Above all else, we were taught that it’s not about winning. It’s about doing our best.
After an incredible weekend of team building, laughter, tears, heat, exhaustion and absolute life satisfaction, we added the day to our archives. The history of 1st Muizenberg. Our pack. Our Family. And despite not making the leader board, we walked away with a huge sense of accomplishment for having participated.
1st Muizenberg would like to extend our congratulations to the 2017 winners and a huge thank you to the organisers of the event. We had a great time!
Foot Note:
In 1918, Cubbing was about 18 months old when it received a Shield to be competed for annually. It was decided to follow the principle of the Gordon’s Shield making the competition for General Cubcraft.
The Shield was purchased out of the balance of the funds collected to present a gift to Major Edwards on his retirement as Provincial Commissioner, and named in his honour - the Edwards Shield - as the Cape Peninsula's efficiency shield for Wolf Cubs.
The first competition did not take place until 1919 when it was won by 7th Cape Town Pack.
Glancing through the list it's fascinating to see the change in demographics. Suburbs that once had many young children and numerous Packs have now been replaced by suburbs and Groups the did not even exist in 1919.
http://www.scouting.org.za/capewest/heritage/Edwards/Edwards%20Trophy%20Winners.htm
