It has been a very sad time of late. Two key figures in the County have recently passed away. Tony Hawksworth, District Commissioner for Lowestoft died at the end of May. I attended his funeral today when Lowestoft honoured him in true Scouting fashion. All the District flags lined the road to say goodbye to a much loved and respected Leader. I’m not sure who arranged the fly past but it could not have been more timely! Tony was an inspiration to all who knew him and never let his illness stand in the way of doing things.
Patti Thirlwell’s funeral last Thursday was as jolly as Patti herself. We all went on a Lion Hunt through Patti’s life. Patti was a creative Leader and a champion for young people.
Both Tony and Patti gave that bit extra which made them extraordinary people. They will be greatly missed.
On a lighter note now, the County Cub Camp was a great success. The weather was sunny and not too cold, unlike at the Suffolk Show where it was freezing. I was only there on the first day but Martin Agar and his team braved the cold for both days. We did well though with lots of enquiries to join.
I have attended lots of meetings and AGMs, and I was able to present Pat Andrews from 2nd Ipswich with the Bar to the Silver Acorn; an other remarkable Leader who works tirelessly for the Group. I attended the 8th Felixstowe AGM where Carl Cracknell and his Executive are doing a great job.
A highlight for me was to present Zoe Hartill with the Queens Scout Award. Zoe is the County Network Administrator and a Cub Leader with 1st Orwell. The Cub Scouts were all very impressed with her presentation.
A few adverts now………….Richard Freeman and Keven Mulley have written a book called Scouting in Suffolk, the First Hundred Years. It makes fascinating reading and is worth every penny of the £14.50 A true labour of love! Drop me an email or contact County office if you would like a copy.
Next, don’t forget to book for the MOOT camp at the end of August; it’s going to be a really great experience. See the MOOT website for more information. Don’t forget to book onto SMILE'13 in September again see the website for more information
I hope to catch up with lots of you at your District AGMs. Take care and I do hope the weather improves for your Summer Camps.
Jenny