On 8^th March 2024, 20 boys from 10^th KL Air Scout Group participated in a 3D2N Jamboree held at I SKOVEN @ Sendat, a campsite in Hulu Yam Bharu, Selangor. This was the second Malaysia Jamboree @ Selangor (MYJam) being organised by a group of scout leaders voluntarily. There were troops from British Scouting Overseas (BSO), Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and local scout members from both 10^th KL and SEAL 30. This time, the total number of participants have increased to approximately 110 Scouts, with around 20 leaders and adult helpers in the organising crew.

We arrived at about 1400 hrs on Day 1, and were told to quickly pitch our tents due to gloomy weather observed. Unfortunately it started raining just when we were halfway setting up, and we had to take shelter under a hut for some time. Once the rain had stopped, the Senior Scouts worked together and helped the Boy Scouts in getting the tents fixed. That was when we saw all the other troops had arrived gradually, around 1700 hrs. We then took a short walk to a neighbouring site, where we had a brief ice-breaking session with all scouts involved. The theme of this year’s Jamboree was Lord of the Rings, so the patrols were given names like Hobbits of the Shire, Orcs of Mordor, and Men of Gondor. Later, we began preparing our dinner and a simple spaghetti was served, to which we realised that we still needed more improvements on our cooking skills. It was Lights Out after we finished our dinner and did the cleaning, making sure we get enough rest for a long day of programmes the next day.

Day 2 began with bright morning sunshine, and we quickly had our breakfast just to be in time for the opening ceremony of MYJam 2024. The Camp Chief gave a brief welcome speech and we were then gathered in our respective patrols to start conquering our quests ! There were fun activities being conducted by the Scout Leaders, like Fire Lighting, Pioneering, Science Station, Wood Carving, Archery, and some mini-games that challenged our teamwork altogether. The campsite was buzzing with 100 over scouts running about to finish as many quests given as possible, to fight for the Champion Patrol Award. There was a short lunch break in between, and activities resumed right after, with some patrols given permission to take a cold dip in the river after running around under the hot sun. That was rather a chill time with scouts splashing water with their new friends made in this jamboree.

In the evening, all troops were back at their base preparing their own special menu for the cultural night dinner, whereby every troop will supply enough portion for sharing, and all scouts would get a chance to taste a huge variety of food in one go – it was a big feast ! To name a few, there were cheeseburgers, paella, barbecue grills, dumplings, dim sums, salads, roti & pancakes, curries and so much more ! Everyone shared a great time trying out different food while chatting with their new friends over dinner.

As the night grows old, here comes the highlight of the jamboree – the campfire. All scout troops were given slots for performance, including songs and dances, and also a sketch. For 10^th KL, we presented our usual “First Six Songs” that we were taught all these years, as we always start our own campfire with the cheerful and uplifting medley. However, after a few rounds of fun and interactive performances, the campfire got cut short by sights of lightning at some distance not too far away from our campsite. We were told to take shelter under the huts immediately. Once it had cleared up, we were told to get back to our base and it was Lights Out, in case the rain would be pouring down soon.

On Day 3, we had our breakfast quickly and continued to finish off the remaining quests, before the closing ceremony in the afternoon. We had so much fun from the activities that we didn’t feel like breaking camp on this day. During the ceremony, awards were given out to the best patrol, and scouts with excellent performance. Everyone received a souvenir as well. The troop flags were collected respectively, and that marked the end of this eventful jamboree. As we bid farewell to our new friends in scouting, we hope to have more chances like this to earn memorable scouting experience. It was great camping out again with the brother scouts of 10^th KL !

–
Justin Nicholas
Senior Scout Troop Historian
Court Of Honour 2023

Malaysia Jamboree @ Selangor (MYJam 2024)

16 March 2024