On Wed 23rd April '25, members heard from Daniel Chappell, a scout leader in the Ballarat District for over 13 years.

Daniel works locally in the health care sector and demonstrated his strong commitment to scouting, which he first became aware of the when his son joined the 3rd Ballarat Scout Group which has 50 scouts. Daniel noted that scouting, established by Lieutenant-General Baden-Powell, is based on fundamentals of the defence force system, with a similar hierarchical system of patrols, platoons and their respective leaders.

Daniel spoke of the many activities that teach the scouts a wide range of leadership and life skills. He made the point that all of these activities exclude digital devices and technology. Among the activities mentioned by Daniel were:

• Annual ‘Construction/Destruction’ day for scouts and guides where they design and build a slingshot to shoot water bombs at each other
• Raft Regatta, where scouts plan, budget and build a structure for racing;
• Leadership course, including training, budgeting, communication and preparing shelter
• The Cohen Shield competition, a weekend camp where scouts learn skills such as navigation, construction and cooking; and
• ‘Mud Camp’ at Mildura.

As a leader, Daniel has taken 30 scouts to a jamboree at Tailem Bend; been a leader at the Victorian Jamboree; and taken 10 venturer scouts to New Zealand. Daniel is currently fundraising to erect a new abseiling tower, zip line and rockclimbing wall, all with disabled access, at the Pax Hill Scout Camp.