Delamont: Medical AlertEast Belfast District Millennium Camp
Delamont: Medical Alert
Perhaps it was the County Down air, the change in scenery or the smell of wood-smoke, but all the Cubs at the Millennium Camp seemed to be affected with Compulsory Contrary Disorder or CCD. This is a not too well know disease which causes the patient to do the exact opposite to what he is asked to, or should do.
Classic symptoms include:
Ø Standing complaining to an Akela that you are freezing whilst wearing only a T-shirt and shorts when it is raining and then donning your uniform and a fleece when the sun comes out.
Ø Having a walkway between your tents totally clear and roped off and insisting on walking over the guy lines
Ø Standing in the rain getting soaked and then sitting in your tent when the sun is splitting the trees.
Ø Being told to take a packet of crisps and then lifting a Mars Bar.
Ø Standing around a campfire huddled together choking in the smoke when the other side of the fire is completely clear
Ø Being asked to queue up for tea at the Marquee but going to the park
Ø Queuing up for an extra burger and then stating that you do not want it when it is handed to you
Ø Being told 20 times (and that is not an exaggeration) not to jump over the guy lines and then jumping over them.
Ø Holding a sausage on a stick over the embers so high that only a bolt of lightening would cook it or so close to the flames as to make charcoal more edible
Ø Pushing a sausage on to the blunt end on the skewer whilst the other sharpened end virtually skewers your hand
Other symptoms include:
Ø Selective Deafness, apparent when the only words the Cub hears are "tuck shop"
Ø Partial Dysfunction of the Limbs, obvious in those that fall over invisible obstacles and drop anything put in their hand
Ø Loss of memory, the latter being easily diagnosed if the leaders end up with 3 bin bags full of lost property which doesn't belong to anyone.
Ø An inability to find things is a new side effect, which I discovered when a Cub announced he had lost his scarf only for this Akela to find it round his neck!
Ø The final and perhaps most dangerous symptom is, a tremendous ability to annoy every leader within a 200m radius of your location just by being there.
Ø The only treatment for carers of those suffering from CCD is a long break, totally divorced from the patient....Thank goodness for the Summer recess!!!!
Brian, CSL 4th
Millennium Memories
Let’s think back for a moment to a weekend in late May and to recall some of the highlights and record our thanks to all those who worked so hard to make our Millennium Camp at Delamont such a memorable occasion. Here are a few of your editor’s favourite memories:
¨ Roy Lamont in his Red Indian Costume….and Jenny’s home made stew served in the caravan late on Friday night.
¨ My own Cubs getting washed sharing one basin of cold water placed on a wall outside the makeshift toilets. I wouldn’t have liked to be last in the queue to use that water!!
¨ Walking round the Millennium Stone several times each night willing it to collapse like the walls of Jericho!
¨ 30th ACSLs Jan and Lorna in their Squaw costumes with their polystyrene cacti! David’s valiant attempts at smoke signalling while Fiona was stalking Cubs in the forest with plastic arrows and a super-soaker!
¨ 3 of my new Cubs, Jeff, Matthew and Michael, being invested at the Saturday Evening Ceremony and 99th Cub, Jonathan Elliot, being presented with a special trophy in recognition of having completed all 38 activity badges.
¨ Lighting the millennium beacon and campfire (my seconder Paul turning the gas supply to the beacon off and getting shouted at by the Deputy DC was unfortunately equally memorable!)
¨ That BBQ for about 500 people. Ernie Sharp, unexpectedly finding himself forced out of retirement to man the Hot Dog Stand when the army failed to show! (great to see you haven’t lost the Dunkirk spirit!)
¨ Waking Suzi (and as it happened Valerie too which was an added bonus) with the combined 3rd and 30th Cub Scout Choir’s rendition of ‘Wake Up Little Suzi, its time to go home’ on Sunday morning. (Getting soaked with ice-cold water by daughter Cherry later…revenge is sweet!)
¨ John and Suzi’s Red Indian extravaganza…that human aeroplane…the undersized totem pole..the war chant..the 7th’s slippery slope and the 3rd’s tepee.
¨ a much needed coffee in the 4th/99th hospitality tent late on the Friday evening. (How many cups of coffee did you have this weekend Brian?)
¨ Rev.David Campton competing to be heard over the thunder and lightening on Sunday afternoon.
¨ Racing against time to get tents and marquees down and then driving home along flooded country lanes in the heavy rain.
Many thanks to David and the District Team, particularly Deputy DC Ian, who worked so hard to ensure that the weekend was a success. Thanks also to the Wardens’ Team at Delamont, to Christchurch BB Company for the loan of their marquee, to the Rev.Campton, to the Lord Mayor of Downpatrick, to Noel Thompson and Steven Watson and company from the BBC, and to 99th CSL Alex for inviting them along to the event.
David
