Kialla Scouts have come back from the Australian Jamboree, having experienced the trip of a lifetime. Pictured are (back) Scout Breanna Graham, 13, youth service leader Taj Leader, 16, Scout leaders Rob Graham and Melissa Graham and (front) Scouts Liam Graham, 11, Cody Powell, 12, Zac Riseley, 12, and Patrick Shields, 11.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
The 1st Kialla Scouts are back from their first Australian Scout Jamboree.
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Kialla Scouts made the 30-hour bus drive to Maryborough, Queensland, where they were joined by around 10,000 Scouts from all over Australia.
The jamboree happens once every four years, popping up as a mini city in towns across Australia.
Scout leaders Rob and Melissa Graham went along with the Scouts for their very first jamboree, which included 10 days of fun and activities.
“Some are on site and adventurous stuff, from abseiling to mud runs to challenge courses,” Melissa said.
“For off-site activities, one was Australia Zoo, one was exploring Maryborough and what Maryborough had to offer, and the other one was to Hervey Bay to do activities at the beach.”
Kialla Scouts alongside Scouts from Echuca, Kyabram, Blackburn and more at the jamboree. Photo: Supplied.
Scouts enjoyed massive Australian acts performing each night. Photo: Supplied.
There was also entertainment, with comedians such as Dave Hughes and big Australian bands such as Shepard.
Melissa went to the jamboree as a line leader, assisting in the health and wellbeing of both leaders and Scouts within her unit.
Rob also went as a line leader, but also a carer for Breanna Graham.
Only just a few weeks before the Scouts were set to make the journey to Queensland, Breanna had major surgery on her knee.
“I was lucky enough to be cleared to go still,” Breanna said.
“It was really good, it was very inclusive, I got to go abseiling and zip-lining, even though I had a full leg brace on.”
Crutches and a leg brace weren’t enough to stop her from making the most of her jamboree, with her unit altering their own activities to ensure Breanna could have a go.
Scouts Breanna Graham from 1st Kialla, Alex Fleming from 1st Chelsea Heights, Zac Riseley from 1st Kialla, Aiden Tasker from 1st Chelsea Heights and Venture Scout Eve Elliott from 1st Blackburn. Photo: Supplied.
Scouts Alex Fleming from 1st Chelsea Heights, Zac Risley from 1st Kialla, Aiden Tasker from 1st Chelsea Heights, Charlie Morrison from 1st Kyabram, front, chief commissioner of Scouts Australia Brendan Watson and Breanna Graham from 1st Kialla. Photo: Supplied.
“One of the activities was walking along a beam, and because I couldn’t walk without the crutches, I bum-shuffled across it, and everyone else saw me bum-shuffling across it, and wanted to see how hard it would be, so they all tried to bum-shuffle across the beam as well,” she said.
The 13-year-old only joined Scouts last year, but loved spending the jamboree meeting new people and making friends.
Liam Graham, Cody Powell, Zac Riseley and Patrick Shields all joined Breanna on the jamboree, and all made memories that will last a lifetime.
Cody Powell, 12, and Liam Graham, 11, show off the badges they traded with other Scouts.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
“At Australia Zoo we went to the Crocoseum, and we watched the crocs get fed, and we got to see a lot of animals,” Liam said.
“My favourite was doing the abseiling and zip-lining ... I’ve done zip-lining a couple of times, but I did try a few new things, like going backwards,” Zac said.
Patrick said he loved his trip to Hervey Bay, where his group got to make catapults, and Cody said he loved seeing the crocodiles and alligators at Australia Zoo.
Venturer Scout Taj Leader also went to the jamboree as a youth service leader. Working at the sub camp, his role was constantly changing in what was the first time he had attended in a youth leadership role.
“I got moved around each day, so I worked at the shop, one of the days I worked at the international tent, which was the world organisation of scouting, so I learnt a lot about that and the other countries,” he said.
“Some of the days I worked with activities, which were fun, I got to meet a bunch of Scouts, and the last day I helped pack up.”
After having so much fun at the Australian Scout Jamboree, these Scouts said they had their sights set on the World Scout Jamboree, which will be in Poland in 2027.
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