thisthriftybusiness

[thisthriftybusiness]

Scout selfies

We’ll see your WOSM new World Bureau selfie…

…and raise you a Scouts Australia YPR Coordinating Team selfie!

#scouts #scouting #wosm #selfies #world bureau #YPR #scouts australia #scoutsypr #new job

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beyondthrifty:

There was a time that I was a shy young boy. I had to be pushed to keep trying at things, and I lacked a significant amount of confidence. Perhaps the hardest time in my life was setting out at high school. I was desperate to be a part of the “cool” crowd; to be respected by those people that I...

------------------- Tomorrow my new adventure begins! I'm not too sure what this blog is going to be really... I can only presume some kind of blog sequel. Follow if you're as intrigued as I am!

#thisthriftybusiness #beyondthrifty #adventure #scouting #ypr #sydney #leavinghome

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#travel #world

[thisthriftybusiness]

7 and a half months condensed to 15 minutes. This was my 2013 - travelling and Scouting around the world.

#scouting #travel #rovers #world #international #vietnam #cambodia #switzerland #italy #germany #spain #croatia #lithuania #unitedkingdon #uk #canada #usa #australia #scouts #b-p #baden-powell #kisc #kandersteg #pinkie #geriopedomis #jamboree #irw #moot2013 #thisthriftybusiness #messengersofpeace

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From Spring Short Term Staff 2013 at Kandersteg International Scout Centre.

#kisc #pinkies #Kandersteg #scouting #Rovers #agora #WOSM #spring2013

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‘Adventure’ was one of the three words that kept coming up from the ‘Choose 3 words to describe Scouting’ campaign a while ago (if you didn’t see it, it was started by Bear Grylls and the idea was to choose 3 words that described Scouting to you), but at some point you want to step out of your...

#feelingspecial #thisthriftybusiness

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I thought perhaps I should give an update…. Nothing profound, but it may be a little while before I can properly post something. Hopefully transit-boredom will be able to present its opportunities for writing and collating pictures.

I’m in Geneva for the next two nights. Last night myself, Ruairi...

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The cruise, operated through Busabout and Katarina Line cruises was my true “touristy” part of my trip. Our crazy Belgian tour guide “Damo” made sure that the week was a perfect balance of chilling, partying and history lesson. The boat housed the Croatian crew, Damo, and 20-odd young...

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REblogged with photos (finally)

So here I am in Lithuania. The small town of Telšiai is in the north-west of the country, not too far from the border with Latvia. This was not a place I expected to come on my trip, knowing next to nothing about the Baltic region! This considered, I heard there was a Jamboree on here, and...

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#scouts #scouting #rovers #baden-powell #b-p #scouts are cool #youth #young adults

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#scouting #scouts #rovers #kisc #kandersteg #messengers of peace #international #australia #spanish work party #cambodia #switzerland #woodbadge #world moot #wosm #wagggs #canada #koala

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I. R. W! – SO. ARE. WE!

Twice each year, the Kandersteg International Scout Centre (KISC) holds the International Rover Week (IRW) – once in winter and once in Summer. The IRW is staffed by Greenies – Helpers at KISC who have worked at the Centre before and know a thing or two about how it runs. It has been said that the role of IRW is the best available at KISC. Having had this opportunity for the Summer IRW for 2013 – KISC’s 90th Jubilee Year – I can say that this assessment is possibly true!

  After having gallivanted around Europe, I was very excited to return to KISC to once again work with many close friends and make some new ones. The opportunity to spend 2 more weeks working at the Centre was one that couldn’t be passed up.

For this IRW, we greeted 33 Rovers from 21 countries from all around the world; each of the six WOSM regions were represented. The Rovers (aged between 18 and 30) participated in a whole range of activities. Highlights included the overnight Lötschenpass hike (including a crossing of an alpine glacier), tubing along the glacial Aare River from Thun to Switzerland’s capital, Bern, a traditional Swiss fondue evening (in true KISC-style), swimming in Oeschinensee (Lake Oeschinen) the 350m Kandersteg via Ferrata, the Jubilee challenge day involving orienteering, high ropes activities and more, a Messengers of Peace forum session and environmental service activities on the campsite, participating in KISC in-camp activities and more!

  I had the honour and challenge of co-ordinating the food for the IRW, and what a task it was! With cultural diversity comes diet diversity: 5 vegetarians, 4 Halal diet (during Ramadan no less) and 1 Kosher. Despite the challenge, this was good fun, and good experience for my aspiration of one day becoming a Catering Assistant at KISC.

  The IRW was an experience like no other. The speed with which these young adults related to one another was incredible. It is moments like these that I am reminded of the true significance of Scouting and the enormous relevance of it to this age group. Despite all the differences we have, there are so many similarities between us as Scouts, which for me sets an example for the rest of society.

  Two weeks of the most fun I have ever had.

#kisc #kandersteg #switzerland #rovers #international rover week #irw #scouting #scouts #bp #international #b-p #baden-powell #wosm #wagggs

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A brief KISC return, then Paul McCartney!

Following my trip to Spain, I made a (very) brief return to Kandersteg to attend a reception attended by the Chairman of Scouts Australia’s National Executive Committee, David Jones. The reception involved the presentation of a cheque to KISC for $AU5200, which has gone to a refurbishment of the Upper Hut kitchen – a location visited by many Scouts in the Summer period. This article (although not 100% accurate) reports on the reception! http://www.scouts.com.au/newsletter.asp?BulletinStory=26557120

………..

After this brief two-day visit, I departed the alps once more with two other pinkies, Will (GB) and Neala (CA) for Verona. This trip was a couple of months in the making, and for the express purpose of seeing former-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney perform in a Roman amphitheatre. I have long attested that I would cry if I ever had the chance to see Paul McCartney and I very nearly did. The man is an absolute machine. At 71, Paul puts on an incredible show and doesn’t seem to tire. This is what he played:

Eight Days a Week

Junior's Farm

All My Loving

Listen to What the Man Said

Let Me Roll It

Paperback Writer

My Valentine

Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five

The Long and Winding Road

Maybe I'm Amazed

I've Just Seen a Face

We Can Work It Out

Another Day

And I Love Her

Blackbird

Here Today

Your Mother Should Know

Lady Madonna

All Together Now

Lovely Rita

Mrs. Vandebilt

Eleanor Rigby

Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!

Something

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

Band on the Run

Back in the U.S.S.R.

Let It Be

Live and Let Die

Hey Jude

Encore:

Day Tripper

Hi, Hi, Hi

Get Back

Encore 2:

Yesterday

Helter Skelter

Golden Slumbers

Carry That Weight

The End

#kisc #kandersteg #pinkie #scouts australia #upper hut #donation #cheers #paul mccartney #verona #happy birthday will #concert #music #the beatles #paulisamachine

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Playing catch-up

As much as I'd like to fill in all the gaps in this blog so they're in order... I don't think I can! So unfortunately I'm going to have to tack them on the end. My sincere apologies. Here come some catch-ups from forever ago!...

#c'est la vie

[thisthriftybusiness]

You've returned from the trip of a lifetime, made some of the best and strongest friends and memories you could ask for.... You think you've settled back into daily life, the routines are in place and life is "back to normal". Then you receive a postcard from a friend on the other side of the planet and you remember exactly what it was all about. So much of life is surreal now. As much as I'm loving being home, I am so lucky to have so many amazing people and places to miss.

#cascais #portugal #postcard #travel #pinkie #kisc #kandersteg #scouting #international #home #friends #memories #diogo #rovers

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Home time.

The very meaning of this word, and the thoughts it conjures, has changed drastically for me over the past seven and half months. Once upon a time, I felt that I could only ever have one home. As a child, I remember having nightmares about my parents selling our house; this building (where I grew up) was in my eyes, the very definition of home. This is the place upon which all my memories of growing up centre. It is interesting how much we associate a place with the memories and experiences that define us. I've often said I could live abroad for maybe a year, two years at max. Now I'm not so sure. Whilst I am still proud of the place and society in which I grew up, and from whence my nationality is defined, I now feel so much more a citizen of the world. Recently, a friend told me "the world is your home". Yes, to some extent this is true. Now, maybe I could live somewhere else longer if the opportunity arose, or indeed if I sought such an opportunity. But this wouldn't automatically make it home. I have had numerable future-defining experiences over the past several months. I have made incredible new friends, with whom I share memories and experiences. As with my house, I am haunted by the idea of leaving these people behind. Over the course of this seven months, I have found myself using the word "home" often. Regularly, this was to refer to the place where I could rest, but always it was the place where I would find those with whom I shared these memories and experiences. I'm not sure my original home will feel the same upon my return. What I am sure of however (though I acknowledge this is yet to be proven), is that just about wherever I go, I can find some sense of home. So long as I'm not alone, I will find a home.

#scouting #rovers #travel #home time #family #friends #experiences #memories #kisc #world #home

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thrifty thought #10: thisthriftybusiness

The namesake of this blog came about due to an ongoing feeling of perplexity surrounding the word "thrifty" - the seventh Scout Law in Australia, and the ninth in Baden-Powell's original Scout Law. The original Law read: "A Scout is thrifty, that is, he saves every penny he can, and puts it in the bank, so that he may have money to keep himself when out of work, and thus not make himself a burden to others; or that he may have money to give away to others when they need it." This wording is undoubtedly old, having been written in the early 1900s. I have often felt that the word itself is, too, outdated, and subsequently not ideal for youth in a modern world. As Scouting and the world around it has changed over time, I believe also that the relevance of this law has changed. What I now believe hasn't changed, is B-P's sentiment in writing it. I believe that B-P wrote this Law as he felt a Scout should take some responsibility for himself (and I use the masculine form as that was relevant at the time), and not take for granted the things he had that sometimes others did not. B-P was a revolutionary man. With many revolutionary ideas. He started the Scouting movement in a very different world to ours today, when concepts such as childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood were very new. He was able to recognise the developmental significance of these age groups, and the need for good values and opportunities for practical development in all areas. It is with this in mind that I feel B-P's sentiment associated with the word thrifty extends way beyond money. As Scouts, and more generally, as human beings, we need to acknowledge what we have and be careful not to take these things for granted. This means our money, definitely, but it also means our energy; our energy in the sense of how we spend our time, where we allow our worries to lie, how we use our words, the focus of our emotions, and the use of our values. Thriftiness is about resourcefulness; it is about economy in all things and making the most of opportunities. Every one of us can benefit from really taking this into consideration. This thrifty business is not such a confusing thing really. It is in everything we do and it makes a whole lot of sense.

#thrifty #thisthrifybusiness #Baden-Powell #B-P #scouting #scouts #rovers #rovering to success #scout law #international scouting #youth #development #energy #resourcefulness #value #adolescence #childhood #young adulthood