Blair Atholl Jamborette

The Blair Atholl Jamborette
Ceilidh's, Campfires and Country Fairs

Over the ten days of the Jamborette, the Scouts and leaders have chances to take part in many different kinds of things, beyond the more traditional Scouting daily activities. Each evening the Staff Club had an entertainment - group singing, performances by Scouts and leaders, a Ceilidh ("kay-lee", or dance party), and so on, followed by a staff snack ("supper" to the Scots). The Scouts, too, had evening entertainment, from their own Ceilidh, or a concert by a rock band, to a "Shorts and Shades Party". Scouts and Staff had a Burns Supper, complete with haggis and bagpipers (we had lots of haggis - yumm!), and the staff also had a special Staff Supper and other parties through the Jamborette. One evening, the staff was invited to dinner at the sub-camps. I was at MacLean, and greatly enjoyed a sing-a-long led by "Auntie Clogs", the Dutch leader and subcamp Aunt.

The weekend campfire was moved into the Kross due to rain, and the tent was more than large enough to house the entire camp - Scouts and Staff - plus the younger Scouts and leaders from the Satellite Camp, which runs in the field across the Castle Road on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday is also the day for the Country Fair, when each contingent gets a chance to put on a display "selling" the wares of their country to the other Scouts, Satellite Camp, and visitors in exchange for "Atholls" - the quaint local currency having an exchange rate of approximately zero. Our contingent taught the visitors to make Dream Catchers, an American Indian custom originated by the Oneidas of central New York. For one Atholl, a visitor received a twig, string, beads, feathers and instructions on how to tie them all together into a device to hang above the bed to catch the good dreams and trap the bad.

Chief Scout of the United Kingdom Scout Association, George Purdy, was in attendance and presented the Chief Scout's Award (roughly equivalent to the BSA Eagle) to a number of Scouts. Scottish Commissioner Dorothy Kinloch was also there, and received a special award presented by the Japanese Scouts.

Piping in the Haggis	The Staff Burns Supper
Dancing at the Ceilidh	Chief Scout George Purdy with Chief Scout Award Recipients
Doug teaches German Scouts to make Dream Catchers	Washing up.	Japanese Scouts do a folk dance at the Staff Club
Scottish Scout Jazz Band	Japanese Scout presents award to Commissioner Dorothy Kinloch
Pat Reilley, BSA California, with Marcin Madzia, Polish Scout Leader	Morgan and Dan at the Shorts and Shades Party with Karen Walker, Canadian Scout Leader
Sing-a-long at MacLean Subcamp center: "Auntie Clogs"