53rd St Barnabas Scout Group Cyprus
Explorer Scout Page
Three Explorers Dalia, Marina
and Anna received their
Republic Award on Monday
4th February 2008 by former
President Tasos
Papathopoulos at the
Presidential Palace. The 53rd
is very proud that three of our
members managed to gain
this hight award as Explorers.
and Anna received their
Republic Award on Monday
4th February 2008 by former
President Tasos
Papathopoulos at the
Presidential Palace. The 53rd
is very proud that three of our
members managed to gain
this hight award as Explorers.
Trooper Team win race.
On Saturday 31st January 09
our Explorers Scouts went to
Alasa Bridge and raced their
home made Go-karts down a
windy dirt track to the river.
It was the best of three races
to determine the winner. The
main drivers were Anna for
team TAKEM 4 and Christian
for team Trooper. Team
Trooper won all three races
which was due to better
turning on the corners but
lost 3 - 2 on the strait sprint
races with all taking turns in
the driving seat. It was great
fun and enjoyed by all who
took part. The next challenge
will be to build a boat for one
person and racing it in the
sea in June. Lets hope Team
TAKEM4 can equal the score.
On Saturday 31st January 09
our Explorers Scouts went to
Alasa Bridge and raced their
home made Go-karts down a
windy dirt track to the river.
It was the best of three races
to determine the winner. The
main drivers were Anna for
team TAKEM 4 and Christian
for team Trooper. Team
Trooper won all three races
which was due to better
turning on the corners but
lost 3 - 2 on the strait sprint
races with all taking turns in
the driving seat. It was great
fun and enjoyed by all who
took part. The next challenge
will be to build a boat for one
person and racing it in the
sea in June. Lets hope Team
TAKEM4 can equal the score.
Values Badge
On the Saturday 6th Feb 10
the Explorers spent the day
completing their survey about
Animal Welfare in the villages
of Vouni and Kilani. The
Explorers spent two weeks
preparing the questionnaire
and after the Activity produced
a booklet of their findings
which was sent to the Animal
Welfare Society.
On the Saturday 6th Feb 10
the Explorers spent the day
completing their survey about
Animal Welfare in the villages
of Vouni and Kilani. The
Explorers spent two weeks
preparing the questionnaire
and after the Activity produced
a booklet of their findings
which was sent to the Animal
Welfare Society.
Above: Our Explorers at the
27th Sea Scouts for the
Theofania Service on the 6th
Jan 2010.
27th Sea Scouts for the
Theofania Service on the 6th
Jan 2010.
Above: The Explorers at
the Beginning of the
Thales Challenge Hike
27th - 30th March 2010.
the Beginning of the
Thales Challenge Hike
27th - 30th March 2010.
Cycling Our Way Through Villages.
On Sunday the 23rd of October, 6 Explorers went to the new scout hut in Yermasoyia they had to be there with their
bikes at 8:30am.Skip asked us to ride round the scout hut. Jessica and I found it hard to go up the hill but then when we
had to come down I was fine until I stopped suddenly and fell off my bike. We packed our bikes into the minivan, got into
the cars and drove off to the start, Louvaras Village. When we arrived I had a feeling that this day wouldn’t go well. We all
got our bikes out of the minivan and went down steep hills. I started praying to God but the others were having a whale
of a time! Antony was going too fast and fell and hurt himself badly. This made me feel even worse. Then Charlie
phoned Skip to tell him my bike was dangerous. He did this to wind me up because I had just noticed and read a
warning sign on my bike!! Ha, Ha. I was not confident at all.
We had just past check point 2 when Antony fell down again and ripped his shorts! HA HA. We all biked up to Amyrou
Monastery in Apsiou (bless you). We all went into 2 churches. Natalia and Antony were our translators and asked
question. It was quite interesting. We met some nuns who told us about their holy water which had performed a miracle
on a blind girl that made her see. So Natalie and I, who both wear glasses, put some holy water over our eyes. So now
we will wait and see!!! When we got all the information we needed, we left the church and started to pedal again. I got a
blister on the inside of my thumb because I was stressing out too much and gripped my handle bars to tight. Anthony
had another real bad accident. Stunt Man not so cool!! Then after we all passed the check points we ended up at the
new scout hut again. Alex and I where cooking while the rest were cleaning. We all sat down on our sore buts and ate
the delicious souvlakia made by Alex and I. The Great Chefs.
Written by Samantha (Explorer)
On Sunday the 23rd of October, 6 Explorers went to the new scout hut in Yermasoyia they had to be there with their
bikes at 8:30am.Skip asked us to ride round the scout hut. Jessica and I found it hard to go up the hill but then when we
had to come down I was fine until I stopped suddenly and fell off my bike. We packed our bikes into the minivan, got into
the cars and drove off to the start, Louvaras Village. When we arrived I had a feeling that this day wouldn’t go well. We all
got our bikes out of the minivan and went down steep hills. I started praying to God but the others were having a whale
of a time! Antony was going too fast and fell and hurt himself badly. This made me feel even worse. Then Charlie
phoned Skip to tell him my bike was dangerous. He did this to wind me up because I had just noticed and read a
warning sign on my bike!! Ha, Ha. I was not confident at all.
We had just past check point 2 when Antony fell down again and ripped his shorts! HA HA. We all biked up to Amyrou
Monastery in Apsiou (bless you). We all went into 2 churches. Natalia and Antony were our translators and asked
question. It was quite interesting. We met some nuns who told us about their holy water which had performed a miracle
on a blind girl that made her see. So Natalie and I, who both wear glasses, put some holy water over our eyes. So now
we will wait and see!!! When we got all the information we needed, we left the church and started to pedal again. I got a
blister on the inside of my thumb because I was stressing out too much and gripped my handle bars to tight. Anthony
had another real bad accident. Stunt Man not so cool!! Then after we all passed the check points we ended up at the
new scout hut again. Alex and I where cooking while the rest were cleaning. We all sat down on our sore buts and ate
the delicious souvlakia made by Alex and I. The Great Chefs.
Written by Samantha (Explorer)
Three Day Camp Yermasoyia 14th - 16th October 2011
So, on the 14th of October, Friday, 13 Explorers and myself met at the
Yermasogeia scout hut at 4 o' clock. As soon as we got there, we started
setting up camp, as we would be staying there for 2 nights to help set up
for the opening ceremony for the 246th scout group. When we finished
the tents, we moved benches, put up 2 shelters and finished off the
pioneering that we had started on work days. Friday was a tough day.
We worked until about 7pm where we had dinner. Dinner was chicken
and potatoes. After we finished, we had a really small break, then
continued pioneering until about 12. At 12 we all dragged ourselves to
our tents, got ready for bed and fell asleep. Saturday morning begun
with a wake up call at about 6. Alex, Charlie and I, woke up about half an
hour earlier to prepare breakfast. We had bacon and egg butties. After
breakfast we still had a few more jobs to finish off, Starting with
pioneering -again. We set up the boats, canoes, flags and the jet skis.
We tidied the area up and before we knew it, More and more scout
groups were arriving for the event. The ceremony began at about 4, and
by 5 it was all over. I must admit it was a bit boring, but it was only 1 hour
long. As soon as everybody left, we helped the 246 take down all the
projects and pick up all the papers and bottles all over the floor. When
we finished, we decided to join in with the joti. We had 2 laptops and we
were trying to connect to the internet. Half of us went to bed because we
were so tired, whilst the other half were talking to scouts all over the
world. On Sunday morning, we got a lie in for an extra hour which we
were all so thrilled about! When we got up, we packed our bags, put
down our tents and the shelters, put everything away and tidied up to
make the site look how it was when we arrived. At 11 our parents came
to pick us up. We said bye to skip and made our way home. The camp
was really fun and I cant wait for another!
I love being a Explorer!
Anna Ch ( Explorer )
So, on the 14th of October, Friday, 13 Explorers and myself met at the
Yermasogeia scout hut at 4 o' clock. As soon as we got there, we started
setting up camp, as we would be staying there for 2 nights to help set up
for the opening ceremony for the 246th scout group. When we finished
the tents, we moved benches, put up 2 shelters and finished off the
pioneering that we had started on work days. Friday was a tough day.
We worked until about 7pm where we had dinner. Dinner was chicken
and potatoes. After we finished, we had a really small break, then
continued pioneering until about 12. At 12 we all dragged ourselves to
our tents, got ready for bed and fell asleep. Saturday morning begun
with a wake up call at about 6. Alex, Charlie and I, woke up about half an
hour earlier to prepare breakfast. We had bacon and egg butties. After
breakfast we still had a few more jobs to finish off, Starting with
pioneering -again. We set up the boats, canoes, flags and the jet skis.
We tidied the area up and before we knew it, More and more scout
groups were arriving for the event. The ceremony began at about 4, and
by 5 it was all over. I must admit it was a bit boring, but it was only 1 hour
long. As soon as everybody left, we helped the 246 take down all the
projects and pick up all the papers and bottles all over the floor. When
we finished, we decided to join in with the joti. We had 2 laptops and we
were trying to connect to the internet. Half of us went to bed because we
were so tired, whilst the other half were talking to scouts all over the
world. On Sunday morning, we got a lie in for an extra hour which we
were all so thrilled about! When we got up, we packed our bags, put
down our tents and the shelters, put everything away and tidied up to
make the site look how it was when we arrived. At 11 our parents came
to pick us up. We said bye to skip and made our way home. The camp
was really fun and I cant wait for another!
I love being a Explorer!
Anna Ch ( Explorer )
Above: Explorers at the
District get together at the
285th Scout Group in Ekali
on Sunday 9th October.
District get together at the
285th Scout Group in Ekali
on Sunday 9th October.
Platania Hike and Camp 5th - 6th Nov 2011
The Explorers met at the scout hut in the morning to begin our camp. At 9 we got on the bus, and
headed towards the mountains. We stopped at about 14 km from the campsite and hiked for about
2 and a half hours before we finally reached the last checkpoint, camp. We had about an hour
break and then we got a 15 minute tutorial on how to build a Bivowac, and then we had to make
one ourselves! It was kinda hard and it took us about 2 hours to finish it. After that, we had dinner.
Dinner was a burger and chips! After dinner, everybody went up to the campfire, sang songs and
had a laugh. After Campfire we watched 'Zoo keeper'. It was a really funny movie. After the movie
everyone got into their pyjamas and got into bed. Everyone apart from Aaron, Alex, Sophie and I
though. We slept on the floor in a Bivowac. It was surprisingly very very warm though! In the
morning we got up at about 6 or 7 and went for breakfast. At about 9 we went to play paint ball! That
was very fun as well! I didn't get shot at all, and skip got shot 3 times! By 12, everything was packed
up and everybody was ready to leave, so we got in the bus and went back to the scout hut where
our mummies and daddies were all waiting for us! What a great camp!
By Anna Ch ( Explorer )
The Explorers met at the scout hut in the morning to begin our camp. At 9 we got on the bus, and
headed towards the mountains. We stopped at about 14 km from the campsite and hiked for about
2 and a half hours before we finally reached the last checkpoint, camp. We had about an hour
break and then we got a 15 minute tutorial on how to build a Bivowac, and then we had to make
one ourselves! It was kinda hard and it took us about 2 hours to finish it. After that, we had dinner.
Dinner was a burger and chips! After dinner, everybody went up to the campfire, sang songs and
had a laugh. After Campfire we watched 'Zoo keeper'. It was a really funny movie. After the movie
everyone got into their pyjamas and got into bed. Everyone apart from Aaron, Alex, Sophie and I
though. We slept on the floor in a Bivowac. It was surprisingly very very warm though! In the
morning we got up at about 6 or 7 and went for breakfast. At about 9 we went to play paint ball! That
was very fun as well! I didn't get shot at all, and skip got shot 3 times! By 12, everything was packed
up and everybody was ready to leave, so we got in the bus and went back to the scout hut where
our mummies and daddies were all waiting for us! What a great camp!
By Anna Ch ( Explorer )
Christmas Camp Platania 10th - 11th December
So, Saturday morning on the 10th of December, we met up at the scout hut at 9 to go
to Platania camp site for our Annual Christmas Camp! We loaded all our personal
kit onto the buses and left the scout hut. It took us an hour to get to camp, and when
we did we unloaded the buses and minivan and spent some time in our rooms and
huts where we would be sleeping. At 1.30 we got on parade to go and eat. We ate
Burgers and Chips! They were pretty amazing burgers! At 2, the Explorers went off to
an Adventure park in Kyperounda. When we got there, we were divided into 2 groups;
one went Rock Climbing, and the other, Paintball. Our team went Paintball first. We
got our protection suits, masks and gloves on, got told some important rules, and
then went on to playing. We got split into two teams within our group. To win, we had
to eliminate the other team by shooting them. Our team, (Alex, Natalie, Aaron and I)
beat the other team in both games! When we finished the two games, we switched
with the other group, and went to try out rock-climbing. When we got to the climbing
wall, we got a 5 minute introduction to rock climbing, and then began. As we were
watching the others climb, we thought 'It can't be that hard', But I'll be honest, It was A
LOT harder than it looked. It took me ages to climb it. We had about an hour at that,
and then we got back on the minibus, and made our way back to camp. When we
got back, we finished off burning our names in the wood strips and waited for
Dinner. Dinner was at 7, and we had Pastichio. That was nice! After that, we had
campfire for about half an hour, and then went down to the dinner hall to watch 'Yogi
Bear' with the cubs, and then 'Salt' with the scouts. Halfway through 'Yogi Bear' 3
Santa's came to visit! We all got a bag of Chocolate Coins. After 'Salt' we were all
absolutely shattered, so we went to bed. In the morning, we got up at 7 and started
preparing for breakfast. After breakfast we went and got into Uniform for
photographs. After the photos, which took a while for Skip to get the perfect one, we
all loaded the bus, and went home. The camp was amazing! Especially the
Chocolates!
Anna Ch ( Explorer )
So, Saturday morning on the 10th of December, we met up at the scout hut at 9 to go
to Platania camp site for our Annual Christmas Camp! We loaded all our personal
kit onto the buses and left the scout hut. It took us an hour to get to camp, and when
we did we unloaded the buses and minivan and spent some time in our rooms and
huts where we would be sleeping. At 1.30 we got on parade to go and eat. We ate
Burgers and Chips! They were pretty amazing burgers! At 2, the Explorers went off to
an Adventure park in Kyperounda. When we got there, we were divided into 2 groups;
one went Rock Climbing, and the other, Paintball. Our team went Paintball first. We
got our protection suits, masks and gloves on, got told some important rules, and
then went on to playing. We got split into two teams within our group. To win, we had
to eliminate the other team by shooting them. Our team, (Alex, Natalie, Aaron and I)
beat the other team in both games! When we finished the two games, we switched
with the other group, and went to try out rock-climbing. When we got to the climbing
wall, we got a 5 minute introduction to rock climbing, and then began. As we were
watching the others climb, we thought 'It can't be that hard', But I'll be honest, It was A
LOT harder than it looked. It took me ages to climb it. We had about an hour at that,
and then we got back on the minibus, and made our way back to camp. When we
got back, we finished off burning our names in the wood strips and waited for
Dinner. Dinner was at 7, and we had Pastichio. That was nice! After that, we had
campfire for about half an hour, and then went down to the dinner hall to watch 'Yogi
Bear' with the cubs, and then 'Salt' with the scouts. Halfway through 'Yogi Bear' 3
Santa's came to visit! We all got a bag of Chocolate Coins. After 'Salt' we were all
absolutely shattered, so we went to bed. In the morning, we got up at 7 and started
preparing for breakfast. After breakfast we went and got into Uniform for
photographs. After the photos, which took a while for Skip to get the perfect one, we
all loaded the bus, and went home. The camp was amazing! Especially the
Chocolates!
Anna Ch ( Explorer )
Animal Welfare Project
Once we became ventures we slowly started to do the Values badge. Over
the past few weeks we have been working on this badge by making a
questionnaire to give out to people and as a result to see how aware people
are about animals and how they treat their pets. One meeting we had to
guests come and talk to us about animals. One patrol had a talk about dogs
and the other patrol about cats. It was very interesting what they had to say
about animal cruelty and how some people do not care for the pets and what
we should do to prevent this. They also helped us by giving us ideas for our
questionnaires. We continued our badge by visiting the Sirius dog Sanctuary.
We had the chance to have a look at the dogs. We continued our badge
Once we became ventures we slowly started to do the Values badge. Over
the past few weeks we have been working on this badge by making a
questionnaire to give out to people and as a result to see how aware people
are about animals and how they treat their pets. One meeting we had to
guests come and talk to us about animals. One patrol had a talk about dogs
and the other patrol about cats. It was very interesting what they had to say
about animal cruelty and how some people do not care for the pets and what
we should do to prevent this. They also helped us by giving us ideas for our
questionnaires. We continued our badge by visiting the Sirius dog Sanctuary.
We had the chance to have a look at the dogs. We continued our badge
by visiting the Sirius dog Sanctuary. We had the chance to have a look at the dogs. We were then split up to 3 teams
and we were given a dog to care for. She showed us how to feed the dog, how to teach it to do tricks and also how to
discipline it. We all had a lot of fun and learnt a lot from visiting the dog sanctuary. We still have a long way to go until
we gain the badge as we have the presentation to complete about what we have learnt and the questionnaire to give
out. It is a very enjoyable badge though and we are all learning a lot about animals.
By Olivia ( Explorer )
and we were given a dog to care for. She showed us how to feed the dog, how to teach it to do tricks and also how to
discipline it. We all had a lot of fun and learnt a lot from visiting the dog sanctuary. We still have a long way to go until
we gain the badge as we have the presentation to complete about what we have learnt and the questionnaire to give
out. It is a very enjoyable badge though and we are all learning a lot about animals.
By Olivia ( Explorer )
Hotel stay in Pafos 21-22nd of January
We all met up at the St. Barnabas church at 7.30am. Our aim was to reach Pafos and
get to the Tomb of the Kings using the public buses as our way of transport. So we
crossed the road to the old hospital and took a bus to the old harbor. While we were
waiting for the intercity bus we all topped up our phone credit and watched everyone as
they walked by. The bus came at 8.30am and we were off to Pafos. The trip was not very
long as we all had a lot to tell each other about our first few weeks at school. Once we
were in Pafos we took a bus towards the tomb of the Kings. When we arrived at the
Tomb of the Kings we took many pictures of all the rocks and of the pillars. We didn’t
have a chance to have a full look around the Tomb of the Kings as it suddenly started to
pour with rain. We had to quickly put on our waterproofs and catch a bus back to the old
harbor we had our lunch. From there we took a bus to the Phaethon hotel where we
would stay for the rest of the weekend. We followed a group of British people who were
staying at the same hotel to get to it. We arrived at 1.00pm at the hotel which was two
hours earlier so we went to Samantha’s and Hanna’s hotel room and watched some
Arabic television which Anthony found hilarious. At 3.00pm Skip arrived with our
suitcases and we went to our rooms to get changed into something casual as we were
in our uniform. We then had lunch at the hotel because we were very hungry. After lunch
we decided to get into our costumes and go to the indoor pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and
steam room which were really nice! At around 5.00 pm some of us went for the Bingo
competition and the others stayed in the pool. At 6.00 we all had showers and went to
the lounge room to have a game of Pictionary. It was really fun and SKIP’s team won
who was Olivia, Skip and Anthony Ch. We then had around half an hour to get dressed
for dinner. It was a really delicious meal and Skip looked very cool in his cowboy shirt.
We also won some money from the district! The dinner was very enjoyable but soon we
were all very tired by the end of it. At around 12 o’clock we were all asleep. The next day
we had to be dressed and ready for breakfast by 9.00am. We all looked very tired but
were immediately woken up by the smell of the food. There was so much food to
choose from! After a very enjoyable breakfast we all wanted to go to the pool again so
that’s what we did! We had lots of fun the second time too! At around 11.00 am we had
to go upstairs and pack our stuff and be downstairs, ready for lunch. The lunch was
also very delicious! We left the hotel at around 2.00 pm and headed back to Limassol.
We all had a really fun time and we all thank the parent’s committee for subsidizing the
hotel price and giving us the chance to go to the hotel.
By Olivia Ph
We all met up at the St. Barnabas church at 7.30am. Our aim was to reach Pafos and
get to the Tomb of the Kings using the public buses as our way of transport. So we
crossed the road to the old hospital and took a bus to the old harbor. While we were
waiting for the intercity bus we all topped up our phone credit and watched everyone as
they walked by. The bus came at 8.30am and we were off to Pafos. The trip was not very
long as we all had a lot to tell each other about our first few weeks at school. Once we
were in Pafos we took a bus towards the tomb of the Kings. When we arrived at the
Tomb of the Kings we took many pictures of all the rocks and of the pillars. We didn’t
have a chance to have a full look around the Tomb of the Kings as it suddenly started to
pour with rain. We had to quickly put on our waterproofs and catch a bus back to the old
harbor we had our lunch. From there we took a bus to the Phaethon hotel where we
would stay for the rest of the weekend. We followed a group of British people who were
staying at the same hotel to get to it. We arrived at 1.00pm at the hotel which was two
hours earlier so we went to Samantha’s and Hanna’s hotel room and watched some
Arabic television which Anthony found hilarious. At 3.00pm Skip arrived with our
suitcases and we went to our rooms to get changed into something casual as we were
in our uniform. We then had lunch at the hotel because we were very hungry. After lunch
we decided to get into our costumes and go to the indoor pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and
steam room which were really nice! At around 5.00 pm some of us went for the Bingo
competition and the others stayed in the pool. At 6.00 we all had showers and went to
the lounge room to have a game of Pictionary. It was really fun and SKIP’s team won
who was Olivia, Skip and Anthony Ch. We then had around half an hour to get dressed
for dinner. It was a really delicious meal and Skip looked very cool in his cowboy shirt.
We also won some money from the district! The dinner was very enjoyable but soon we
were all very tired by the end of it. At around 12 o’clock we were all asleep. The next day
we had to be dressed and ready for breakfast by 9.00am. We all looked very tired but
were immediately woken up by the smell of the food. There was so much food to
choose from! After a very enjoyable breakfast we all wanted to go to the pool again so
that’s what we did! We had lots of fun the second time too! At around 11.00 am we had
to go upstairs and pack our stuff and be downstairs, ready for lunch. The lunch was
also very delicious! We left the hotel at around 2.00 pm and headed back to Limassol.
We all had a really fun time and we all thank the parent’s committee for subsidizing the
hotel price and giving us the chance to go to the hotel.
By Olivia Ph
Above: Explorers at the St
Georges Day Celebrations
in Nicosia May 2011.
Georges Day Celebrations
in Nicosia May 2011.
