Handover Ceremony 10 July 2010

[This blog was written by our scribe, Jeremy Tan]

The meeting on 10 Jul 2010 was in many ways like a mini National Day Parade, minus the fireworks and 21 rounds canon salute. It was an eventful, spectacular and very memorable occasion. We had colour party, flag unfolding, oath taking, bow our heads and observed a minute of silence, inspection of the "Cubs- of- Honour" by Akela, singing of songs, cubs' "precision" foot drill (only the cubs were capable of), awards presentation, handing and taking over ceremony with supportive parents adding to the colour and pomp to the occasion. Loud cheers, claps and noises were the order of the day. Before the whistle at 9:00 am to signal the start of flag breaking, the cubs who took part in the recently concluded Sixers' Training Camp (STC) held at Terror Sea Scouts Camp, were heard sharing their terrified experiences. Inspection,10-km walk, uphill climbing on soapy wet slippery ground sheets, sleeping under tents in the drizzling night and 6 a.m exercises were the "horror" buzz words. Now I know why the campsite is called "Terror " camp. After flag breaking, it was the presentation of progress and proficiency badges by Akela to the deserving recipients, amidst loud cheers and applauses. It was sure a proud moment as recipients marched to receive their badges from Akela. [The following badges were given out: Gold Arrow: Lim Xiu Jie, Moses Tan, Travis Lim, Timothy Ng, Nicholas Lim, Hameem Bronze Arrow: Cheow Sue-Jane Camper: All who attended the Sixers Training Camp Life Saver: Travis Lim, Brenda Wang, Moses Tan, Hameem, Alex Cheong, Sean Lee, Rayson Song, Lim Xiu Jie Linguist: Evan Lee, Nicholas Lee, Chan Shawn Kit Entertainer: Ryley Yeo, Andrew Yeo, Marshall Chong, Eugene Lim, Zack Soh, Jonathan Koong, Jonathan Lam, Ryan Lee, Auyeung Ming Min Musician: Travis Lim Collector: Evan Lee, Moses Tan, Lim Xiu Jie Special Job Week Achievers Woggle Bronze Woggle for those who earned at least $150 Silver Woggle for those who earned at least $200 Gold Woggle for hose who earned at least $600. They were: Surya, Niven, Jonathan Koong and Lim Xiu Jie A Special Black Leather Gold Woggle for the top earner, Timothy Ng Well done Cubs! All of you make us proud!] As in National Day Parades, we next had "motivators" to teach and lead the cubs in song singing while Akela was busy at one corner of the Kids Zone attending to aspiring cubs for the Akela Award. These motivators had lots of practices at STC and were very good in leading and motivating parents and participants at STC in singing "Cotton Fields", "Pack up your troubles" "Mosquito" (to name a few), at campfire night. However it was very challenging for the majority of the cubs who were not at STC to keep up, but the motivators persevered. With each practice, the cubs quickly picked up the lyrics and were able to harmonize. All enjoyed the singing session and were highly charged, not knowing what was to come next. It was then foot drill time. Senior Sixer Samuel Chin, Assistant Senior Sixer Julian Tan and their merry Sixers like "regimental sargeant majors" in the army, commanded the cubs to "kiri pusing", "kanan pusing", "belakang pusing", "sedia", "senang diri" and "kekana lurus". Many of the cubs were footloose and could not keep up with the commands, at times appeared confused. A few cubs were embarrassed when they executed commands in the opposite way, drawing chuckles from the rest . At the end of the half hour footdrill, the cub next to me murmured that he was already "kepala pusing" (head groggy). Akela than presented the bronze, silver and gold woggles to recipients who worked hard during Job Week and earned themselves the woggles . More badges were presented by Akela to aspiring cubs for the Akela Award. It was then time for the highlight of the morning. Akela announced the appointment of the new Senior Sixer (SS), Assistant Senior Sixer (ASS), Sixers (S) and Assistant Sixers (SS). Clinching the top appointment was Brenda Wang (SS) and assisting her will be Timothy Liu and Cheow Sue- Jane (ASSs). Certificate of appointments and Leadership badges were presented to the newly appointed SS, ASS, S and AS. The handingand taking over ceremony followed next. It was both a joyous and sad occasion. We bade the outgoing SS, ASS and S goodbye and good luck as they retire to prepare for their PSLE examination. We were happy to welcome the new appointees and look forward towards them for their leadership and lead us. Following HPPS tradition, the newly appointed Sixers lifted and carried the outgoing Sixers in fireman's lift style and walked a distance over 30 metres. Like my dad's favourite song "He ain't heavy , he's my brother" , the new Sixers symbolically demonstrated that no challenges (including carrying the bigger and heavier out going Sixers) were too big to overcome in the "long and winding road" that lay ahead of them. Many parents whipped out their cameras and video-cameras to capture this touching moment to reflect with their children in years to come. As I witness the morning events unfold, I reflected how joining HPPS influenced my thinking and shaped my behaviour. I joined HPPS in 2009 as a recruit cub, shy, quiet, reserved and have a dislike for and afraid of unfamiliar surroundings. From taking part in HPPS activities plus the guidance from the Adult Leaders and the interaction with fellow cubs, I preserved and became a more confident cub. Fast forward to 10 Jul 2010, I am now an Assistant Sixer. Like many of the cubs, Scouting has benefited me. I am determined to continue as a Volunteer and aspire to be an Adult Leader after my Henry Park school days. I will share my experiences with young cubs and scouts. It is with a tinge of sadness when I think that in 2 years time, it will be my turn to bid HPPS farewell.