Written by Seah Zhang Qi, Edited by Chey Jedd
The investiture ceremony is an important annual tradition in Catholic High Scout Group where Scouts are recognised, empowered and rewarded for their efforts and dedication towards the Troop, as well as towards scouting. It is the passing of the torch from the seniors to the juniors, the responsibility of carrying the Troop, guiding the juniors younger than them, setting an example for others to follow. As the roles of the seniors are passed down to the juniors, the complete trust in carrying out their duties to the fullest is also placed on their shoulders.
The Troop gathered on 19 February 2022 for our annual investiture. This year, we had pushed the date of investiture back by 1 month to allow the PLs of each Patrol to have more time to handover their Patrol affairs to their juniors, as well as allow the Leaders to have 1 extra month to assess the batch of Scouts who would be stepping up to take over. This also allowed for the new batch of Secondary 1 Scouts to witness this important ceremony for their first time, having a taste of the bonds formed, characters developed, and experience gained through joining our Catholic High Scout Group family.
The Troop assembled to commence with one final 升旗 led by our 2021 SPL Law Jia Jun before the Secondary 4 Scouts step down from their leading roles or promote to become Venture Scouts. After 1 hour of drills training, the investiture ceremony began.
Shouldering responsibilities
The Secondary 2 Scouts who were invested marched up with their PLs, placing one hand on the flagpole and forming the Scout salute with the other to recite the Scout Promise. The rest of the Troop put their hands up with the Scout salute as well, all reciting the Promise in unison with the newly invested Secondary 2 Scouts.
As the newly invested Scouts took off their red national scarves and had the Troop scarves put over them by our Group Scout Leader (GSL) Mr Andrew Chua, it embodied the Troop's recognition of them as Catholic High Scouts and faith in them to always put the Troop at the top, putting in their best to serve the Troop.
For the SPL, ASPLs and 8 PLs who were invested, along with the numerous other appointment holders who were recognised and invested, the investiture signified the trust bestowed upon them to lead the Troop to continuous success and glory. With this strengthened trust, the appointment holders are reminded to maximise their potential with the chance they have been given to guide the Troop to an even better version of itself.
This year, 12 new Ventures were promoted, bringing the overall strength of the Venture unit to an impressive 22 Ventures. This investiture symbolised the heightened trust in the newly appointed Ventures to pave the way for the Troop, guiding the Scouts, planning, training and running activities to ensure a smooth running of the Troop behind the scenes, ensuring a steady progression for the Scouts.
Above: Video by Venture Scouts Loh Feng Ryan and Law Jia Jun
Celebrating 2021
Last but not least, the investiture ceremony capped off with the Prize Presentation. Over the course of the year, there were many ups and downs and sudden changes to training formats, with the biggest obstacle being Circuit Breaker. In spite of this, the Troop remained strong against adversity.
With the support of our Venture unit, a new form of June Camp was created; June Challenge, where everything was moved online. With different activities and side missions testing the Scouts to the best of their abilities through a blended format, it allowed for intense inter-Patrol competition even during Circuit Breaker.
The Patrols did their best and competed ferociously to gain as many points as possible. With the ranking of June Challenge taken into consideration, as well as the Patrols’ performance throughout the rest of the year, the Patrol that came out above the rest, and was named the Overall Best Patrol of 2021 was Cobra Patrol. Congratulations to Cobra!
After the ceremony, the Troop gathered for 降旗 led by our new 2022 SPL Joshua Lee.
On my chosen way
Investiture is an important event for every Catholic High Scout, being a recognition of efforts, a strengthening of trust, a renewal of commitment and so much more. Each Scout, Venture, Rover, and even Leader reflects on their scouting journey thus far and what they can do to push themselves higher.
As 2021 has come to a close and a new year has arrived, this event marks the beginning of a brand new year of scouting in Catholic High Scout Group. A year riddled with challenges, primed with obstacles, but destined for progress.