The Western Cape Region of Scouts South Africa holds an annual competition to test the skills of junior scouts, called the Upton Shield, which entails a hike of about 10km where the teams are tested at bases along the way. This year, 64 teams from the Western Province took part, in glorious autumn weather a fortnight ago. The route was from Strandfontein Pavilion, ending at the Sea Scout base at Muizenberg, and the theme was “Shipwreck survivors”. A team of four from the 2nd Somerset West Troop earned first place for the second consecutive year, with teams from 1st Somerset West and Gordon’s Bay doing very well by ending tie in third place.
Teams from Strand, Stellenbosch, and Hermanus, all part of the Helderberg District, also participated on the day. The competition has been held at a different venue every year since 1950. It is only the third time that a troop from the Helderberg has taken first place. Pictured are members of the winning team from 2nd Somerset West, from left, patrol leader Lucia Schmutz, Ethan Cahill, Chantal Robinson and Andrew Wittridge.