By Joash Cheng, Jann Lim and Lucas Loh
The troop gathered on 17 January 2020 to celebrate our 72nd 团庆 our GSL's, Mr Chua's, 90th Birthday. As with every year, it was a day full of fun, celebration and fulfillment. All of us had been looking forward to this day and we were in high spirits, ready to do our best and celebrate through the rite of passage of Challenging ourselves, Celebrating the year past and Confidence in the year ahead.
Challenging Ourselves
As a testament to the strength of our Troop, we began the day with the annual challenge of raising the 五层旗杆. A 5-storey flagpole requiring 6 guy lines and 2 A-frames to raise, it is a challenge befitting of the Best troop in Singapore. As the cumulation of our training in the past year, the 五层旗杆 was a test of our awareness and determination to put the troop at the top. The scouts bravely overcame the task of raising the 五层旗杆. Everyone had a role to play, from the scouts who assisted with the A-frames to the Ventures on the guy lines, it was certainly a true display of our troop’s effort coming to fruition.
Celebrating the year past
Next, to celebrate our achievements for the year, we moved on to the Prize Presentation segment in the hall. After a long year of inter-patrol competitions, everyone was excited to find out who would be crowned champion. The best Secondary 1, 2 and 3 scouts of 2019 were Law Jia Jun, Seah Zhang Qi, and Lim Ni Ler respectively. As for the best patrol of 2019, it was Junior Patrol 2, winning both the Overall Best Patrol as well as this year’s top-earning patrol for Job Week 2019.
Confidence in the year ahead
After the prize presentation, we built strength for the troop and invested the Secondary 2 scouts as they finally received their troop scarves, symbolising the trop entrusting them to carry it forward into the new year. As each patrol stepped up to receive their troop scarves, the troop renewed our Scout Law and Promise.
We then proceeded with the investiture of the new appointment holders and ventures. It was a very important day for the incoming batch of appointment holders as they would take on the mantle to lead the troop to greater heights, always seeking to put the troop at the top.
After a quick lunch break, we proceeded with a short games session planned by the level 4 scouts. We played Mother Hen & Eagle as well as Keep The Ball Afloat together with our cub scout brothers from the Primary section. It was all smiles as the troop united as one.
However, the highlight of the day was definitely the lion dance performance! Two lions roared as we ushered in yet another new year of excellence and achievements for Catholic High Scout Group.
We ended the day with a cake-cutting session as well as the presentation of the Long-Service Awards (LSA) to our cub-scout and scout leaders from the Primary and Secondary section respectively. Our GSL Mr Andrew Chua presented the awards much to the applause and gratitude for our leaders from the scouts and ventures. The awardees for the LSA were Ms Lim Ong Hong (Cub Scout Unit, 5 years), Mr Cai Wenchuan (Scouts Unit, 5 years), Mrs Sonia Ang (Scouts Unit, 5 years), and Mr Steven Quay (Scouts Unit, 10 years)
Last but not least, the troop gathered for a time of 降旗 where the new SPL of 2020, Zhang Qi, led the ceremony. We finished off strong with a troop cheer and welcomed the year of Scouting excellence ahead.