By Michael Bennett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Ridgetown Independent News
The 1st Ridgetown Scout Troop has had a busy start to 2023.
The troop welcomed three members of the Chatham-Kent Police Services to last Tuesday night’s weekly meeting at the Scout Hut. Special Constable Brenda Koldyk and Constables Shawn Hoskins and Adam VanKesteren talked to the Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Ventures about policing and safety.
VanKesteren and Hoskins showed the youth the inside of their police cruisers. The youth were all amazed by how the front of a cruiser looked like an office, complete with a computer. They also discovered how uncomfortable it would be for a person sitting in the backseat of a cruiser.
The officers talked about some of the equipment they use in their daily line of duty.
The biggest highlight for the youth was sitting in the cruisers and turning on the lights and sirens.
Sp. Cst. Koldyk addressed each of the four age groups with important safety tips.
“She gave a really good talk, mindful things that the kids may experience in the coming years,” said Troop Scouter Adam Frazee.
Some of the discussions included paying attention to your surroundings and speaking up if you see something that doesn’t feel right. They were told to pay attention to younger children when something looks off and how it is all right to ask if they’re okay or need help.
Sp. Cst. Koldyk also talked about situations that warrant a call to 9-1-1 versus a non-emergency call, like a cat in a tree, to the 519-352-1234 line.
She also talked about true incidents that happened to people and the consequences of their actions on their own life and the lives of others. One example was if four occupants were in a car and one was not wearing a seat belt and the effect that can have on everyone in the vehicle if there is an accident.
“We’re very thankful to the officers for taking time to talk to our troop,” Frazee said.
The 1st Ridgetown’s Scouts and Ventures (youth aged 11-17) spent the Feb. 3-5 weekend at Camp Cataraqui on their annual winter camp.
“We had to pick the coldest night of the year,” Frazee said, with a laugh, as Friday night’s temperatures were down -17ºC and a wind chill of -28ºC. “Everyone was amazed how much harder it was to do common things that we would normally do at camp the other three seasons.”
The bitter conditions proved to be a life lesson for the Scouts and Ventures as they experienced the conditions faced by the homeless and those affected by housing insecurity and homelessness.
“They learned empathy by doing,” Frazee said. “We were lucky enough to be prepared to spend a few cold nights outside while many people face this without the proper gear night after night.”
On Saturday, the 1st Ridgetown Beavers (ages 5-7) were joined by members of troops from Chatham-Kent, Essex and Windsor for a day of activities. The Scouts and Ventures also had a fun day of activities, including Travois building, making Bannock over the fire, a crokinole tournament, fire building and tobogganing on Chatham-Kent’s best toboggan hill, which features a new and improved high-power LED lighting.
Saturday night was a ‘balmy almost tropical feeling’ -2ºC, compared to Friday night’s conditions.
“Everyone slept very well, so well that most slept in the next morning,” Frazee said.
The 1st Ridgetown Scout Troop also participated in the return of the Kub Kar Rally to its traditional January date at the W.I.S.H. Centre in Chatham on Jan. 28 with about 40 participants from Chatham-Kent’s four scout troops – 11th and 19th from Chatham along with 1st Wabash and 1st Ridgetown. The event was held last April on a smaller scale due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Several members of the Ridgetown troop were among the winners as awards were presented to participants for speed, design, originality and finish.
Garrette Bogie won the Kub Kars’ speed division, while Miles Tate placed sixth. Patrick O’Rourke placed second in Kub Kar Finish for his hand-made race car. Ridgetown troop members dominated the Tractor Division. Conner Keys finished first, Alex Frazee second in Originality, Ian Thompson was first and Emma Hooper second in Design, Aiden Frazee first and Duncan VanWaes second in Finish, and Liam Molnar first in Stock. Travis Clark was first in Seasoned Finish, Jorja Heidt was first in Seasoned Design, and Duncan Vanwaes was second in the Special Award for Tractors Stock.
The 1st Ridgetown Scout group has been part of the community since 1913 and has provided a space to meet by the Ridgetown Rotary Club for the last 91 years.
The troop currently has about 40 girls and boys enrolled in Beavers (ages 5-7), Cubs (8-11), Scouts (12-15) and Ventures (15-17).
The troop includes many members from the Blenheim, Erieau and Cedar Springs area, where there is only a Girl Scout troop but nothing for boys.
Unlike many youth organizations that suffered dramatic enrolment drops or folded altogether during the COVID-19 pandemic, the 1st Ridgetown Scout Troop actually grew.
“We bucked the trend during COVID. A lot of groups shut down, but we kept the program going, resulting in many kids joining,” Frazze said.
The Scout Troop adapted to Zoom meetings early in the pandemic before many businesses and industries switched to online group sessions. Members of the troop tuned in faithfully to the hour-long Zoom sessions.
“It was a lot of work, like trying to do a TV show from your basement, but it’s what kept our numbers up,” Frazee said. “We did lose a couple of kids who weren’t into Zoom, but we gained quite a few.”
Frazee said the troop returned to in-person meetings when allowed by Public Health during the various phases of pandemic restrictions.
The next big event for the 1st Ridgetown Troop is Planetarium Night on Feb. 21 as the ceiling of the Scout Hut will be transformed into the night sky with a presentation on the constellations.
Anyone aged 5-17 is interested in joining the 1st Ridgetown Scout Troop can register online at www.scouts.ca and follow the instructions.
