Stroud is once again returning to its routine after being invaded by 550 Scouts and Leaders for the Hunter and Coastal Corroboree 2024.
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Held from January 17-21 and drawing Scouts from throughout the Mid-Coast region and across the state.
The event centred on three main days of activities held at the Stroud Showground.
During their stay the scouts engaged in a range of activities including archery, canoeing, swimming, camel rides, along with a town walk visiting local places of historical and cultural significance; just to name a few.
There also was a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) based activity involving the construction of a robot and writing a program to control it on a laptop computer.
According Scouts region commissioner and camp chief, Bruce Leverton, Stroud residents were extremely supportive of the gathering.
"Stroud was very, very welcoming," he said.
"On the town walk the people at the museum, the historical people from the church, the people from the war memorial, the school and all the shopkeepers were wonderful."
In return, the corroboree itself provided a sizeable input to the local economy over the five days.
All food was purchased locally before being prepared by the scouting group to feed the 550 hungry mouths.
I think by day five they were getting a bit anxious because they are going home to get on their phones and their computers and games and all the things that they do.
- Region commissioner for scouts and corroboree camp chief, Bruce Leverton
The Scouts were aged from 11 to 15 years old, and 40 per cent were girls.
Scouts NSW boasts 16,000 youth and adult members from various cultural and faith-based backgrounds and with varying abilities, making Scouts one of the largest youth organisations in the state.
Apart from the "traditional Scouting skills" of camping and bushcraft, these days the organisation offers more extreme challenges, such as abseiling, overnight hiking, rafting, canoeing, canyoning, snow activities, rock climbing, sailing and even flying.
Additionally, the organisation fosters an environment that develops skills that can be carried over long after the individual has moved on from Scouting.
"The life skills that they're bringing away from being in a Scout camp for five days where they have to all work as a team to go and get the food, to bring it back and cook...all those types of things," Bruce said.
For more information on Scouts NSW go to nsw.scouts.com.au/contact/contact-us/
