By Alex Chien Fishing. A skill that our ancestors utilized to obtain food in the olden days, a skill that many of us do not see a need to learn. However, being ventures, it is our duty to always excel in all aspects, including those that are not included in the normal scouting syllabus. On the 13 April 2019, we gathered at school, equipped with brand new fishing rods, reels and fishing line. We were first taught the importance of taking care of the ring-like objects that appeared on the fishing rod, called guides. They were extremely delicate, and could break off with the smallest of force applied. Their purpose was to bring the fishing line from the reel to the tip of the fishing rod. Thereafter, we learnt how to connect the fishing line from the reel to the fishing rod. It involved having to wind the thin nylon string several times before ending it off with a stopper knot. Once attaching the fishing line to the rod, we were taught how to attach the reel to the fishing rod and the different parts of the reel. Particularly interesting was the drag knob, a feature that allowed one to control how easily the line can be adjusted. Although we were unable to put our fishing skills to the test that day, we certainly learnt that there was way more to a fisherman than just catching fish. Numerous processes had to be completed before the rod was ready to be utilized .

By Joshua Low and Siauw Yu Hern From 8 to 10 November, the Scouts attended the Scout Leadership Course Part 2 held in Catholic High School. Throughout the camp, we grew, bonded and realised our inner potential as leaders. The countless leadership opportunities given allowed us to take up new responsibilities which prepared us for future leadership positions. Through the leadership rotation system, we experienced the upcoming leadership roles we would have to take up in the future. One of the key leadership skills the scouts had to learn was awareness. Awareness of self, awareness of others, awareness of surroundings and awareness of weather. Adapted from Sun Tzu's Art of War, this is the first step to good leadership. To be aware of yourself is to understand your strengths and weaknesses and know your limits. This is the first step to improving yourself, where you work on your weaknesses and try to push your limits. One way the scouts put this into practice was during the pioneering component of the camp, where many scouts had to push themselves physically under the hot sun to maintain a high standard of knots. Knowing others, is the next aspect of leadership. It is important to know what you can offer and contribute to your patrol, such as volunteering to do tasks that you know suit your strengths and delegating tasks to others that you know can do a better job than yourself. A good leader can delegate tasks to the best man for the job, allowing the patrol to achieve speed and efficiency. This was put to the test during their cooking competition and backwoodsman cooking, where the scouts had to delegate cooking to their best cooks, fire handling to their best fire handlers and so on. It is also an important factor when deciding the amount of time to be given for an activity, where you have to consider the efficiency and limits of the patrol members at the same time. For those who were SPL, many of them had to make judgement calls on the target timing for the whole troop to finish an activity, based on his perception of his troopmates' abilities. Awareness of the terrain and weather is also crucial, as scouts had to work with the space and materials given to them. This was best demonstrated during backwoodsman cooking, where the scouts had to stay organised and hygienic in order to carry out the activity safely. Besides awareness, the scouts also had to learn how to communicate effectively as both leaders and followers. During supper and bathing, the SPL had to coordinate two concurrent activities in two different locations, and this forced him to give clear instructions to be followed so as to avoid overrunning the time. Another example was during strike camp, when the SPL had to coordinate the tear down of the campsite as efficiently and effectively as possible. In order to do this, he had to coordinate all 8 patrols to simultaneously take down their campsite so as to centralise many processes such as washing of equipment and returning them to store. Through this camp, the scouts gained much needed experience on how to lead others more efficiently. It also helped them train their stress management as they had to shoulder heavier responsibilities while making clear, good decisions. To many of them, the badge and certificate they got were not important; it was the experience and knowledge that they brought home which defined the camp.

By Siauw Yu Hern and Ryan Loh Updated: 25 December 2021 Today was the annual CCA showcase to attract new Secondary 1s to join our Troop as Scouts. As APLs, we were put in-charge of planning and organising the Scouts booth. We were honoured to organise this event for the Troop as this was the hallmark event of the month, to build strength for the Troop so that we are able to have a strong unit and a good year ahead. After our proposal was approved by the teachers, we got down to work. We soon found out that organising this event turned out to be a great opportunity to expose ourselves to a diverse range of scouting skills. Under the guidance of Yu Chuan, our Venture, we made the bushcraft weapons to be used and shown on the day. They included – the Bow and Arrow, Blowpipe, Atlatl, Fishing Spear and Bola. A few of us also came back during Saturday to build a model campsite, gateway, and even a catapult under the guidance of the Ventures. Putting the Troop before self is one of the most important core values of Catholic High scouting, so there were many times that we had to take out our own time to prepare for the showcase. With the cooperation of everyone and focus on putting the Troop at the top, we were very efficient and we completed all the gadgets in an hour and had the remaining time to clean and prepare trophies and awards. Another scouting value we displayed was being prepared and adaptable to all situations. This was exemplified when we were suddenly relocated to the Computer lab from our initial location of Special Room 4B on the day of the showcase. Initially, our campsite and catapult were to be seen from Special Room 4B, but this was not possible at the computer lab. This, however, did not daunt us as we were confident that most of the school population would notice the massive gateway and appreciate the pristine campsite over the course of the next few days. We improvised and we decided that we were not going to let the location weaken our showcase. Hence, we brought the catapult up and built it inside the computer lab. Of course, there would be no firing of the catapult given that its unextended height already touched the ceiling. Nevertheless, it was a good show of true scouting spirit of perseverance. The entire event went smoothly afterwards and many Sec 1s enjoyed learning and using the various weapons made. Some of the seniors even managed to meet and catch up with some of the Cub Scout juniors. This was a show of what scouting is about and we hope we managed to encourage them to be adventurous and step out of their comfort zone to join and learn to lead. Afterall, there is no better place to pursue scouting than at Catholic High Scout Group.

By Liu Muxin We had our Scouts 70th Anniversary Dinner today. It was held in the school hall of Catholic High School. There were more than 300 guests at the dinner. We are honoured to have our former principal Brother Joseph as our Guest of Honour. We would like to thank our Chief Commissioner and our HQ official for gracing our dinner. It was a night to reminisce the old times, to renew our promise to do our best, to do our duty and uphold our Troop motto 智仁勇.

By Lucas Loh This jihe, we made our own bow and arrow sets using cane and comms cord. We learnt about the various parts of the bow such as the limbs and many tiny but important details in crafting a bow. We also managed to test and learn proper stances and techniques on aiming and firing a bow, and this allowed us to better understand the mechanics of the bow such as the draw weight. At the end of the Jihe, we understood how to make and use a bow out of bushcraft materials, giving us yet another valuable survival skill set.

By Liu Muxin The Troop Website was launched today, Saturday, 31/03/2018, by Venture Webmaster Liu Muxin at 1448hrs. The Venture Unit gathered at the Scout Den to witness the launch. They were proud to be witnessing a milestone in the history of Catholic High Scout Troop. From now on this website will facilitate the dissemination of information to the Scout Troop as well as updating them on any new events. Look forward to the resources and information on the Troop Website in the future!

By Liu Muxin Our Catholic High Scout Troop Anniversary Campfire would be held 1 week from now. This campfire is expecting 500 guests and it will be a night to remember. See you on the 14th of April!

By Liu Muxin Our Scouts went for the Adiji event today to welcome the Chief Scout, her excellency President Halimah Yacob. We were honored to partake in this event, building a model campsite and furniture.

By Liu Muxin 70 years of existence is a long time. A long time to witness hundreds of scouts who had “passed through the gateway” of our scout group and are now successful young men enriched by the experience. We have done reasonably well for the last decade. But let us not rest on our laurels, continue to strive towards the betterment of Catholic High Scout Group in whatever we do. May we always continue to grow in wisdom, benevolence and courage! Andrew Chua (GSL) 合久必分， 分久必合。 一別二十载，七十周年团庆的喜庆活动在由五十周年庆典的筹委会原班人马再次出击，为我团"定下了七个字的标语：“齐心协力创辉煌"，而最后一个字"煌"也就成了我团庆典的主题。 “煌” 字乃具"火天大有"之意，它提醒大家必须要齐心协力才能达到目标。 萧炜龙 (VSL 1997) We are very happy to announce that one of our teachers-in-charge, Mr Cai Wenchuan, has been awarded the wood badge. He is currently the only teacher of CHSG to hold the wood badge! Our GSL, Mr Chua, with National Operations Commissioner, Anbarasan T. Click here to download our programme booklet! Arrival of Guests | 6.00pm An incredible show put up by the Unicron Scout Group dancing along to a mashup of K-Pop songs. Lighting of Campfire | 7.20pm The Campfire has been lighted which symbolises the official start of the Catholic High Scout Group 70th Anniversary Campfire! Unit Cheers | 7.40pm Each Scout Unit performed their individual Unit Cheers, with each one being louder than the last, starting with Montfort Knights Scout Troop and ending with Catholic High Scouts Group. CHSG Cub Scouts | 7.50pm The Catholic High Cub Scouts put up a wonderful dance performance to the song "Uptown Funk"! Fox Scout Group | 8.00pm An amazing choreographed performance by the Fox Scout Group to song of "Superheroes" by The Script. Unicorn Scout Group | 8.10pm An incredible show put up by the Unicorn Scout Group dancing along to a mashup of K-Pop songs.

By Lucas Loh The NPC team at 9am today to receive the teams from Peirce and Mayflower. The objective of today was to get the teams to know themselves, know each other and know their ability as one team. The day started off with Icebreakers, by first introducing their names and one thing that about themselves. The teams were then mixed to form three patrols, and they had to work together to overcome challenges given to them. After the games, the teams got to know themselves. To better understand each other, they were put through a VOJ challenge obstacle course where teams were given challenges and had to learn to work with each other across different troop cultures and mentalities. One station was a bucket filled with rope placed in the middle of a circle with 3m radius. Teams had to retrieve the rope from the bucket without stepping into the circle and using only 1 3m bamboo stick and 2 ropes. The patrols were dissolved and were given 4 hours to build both a model campsite and a suspension bridge. We managed to accomplish this, as one cluster, despite it being our first meeting. On the overall, the session was a very fruitful one as it motivated the whole cluster team, knowing that in the short span of 4 hours, we were able to complete a model campsite and a drawbridge. It achieved the objectives, which was to let the scouts know themselves, know each other, and know what they could achieve as one cluster team.

By Liu Muxin The Scouts went for their June Camp this year at Pulau Ubin for a total of 4 days. The camp was a form of training as well as a period of time when the Scout can learn through an adventure of an unfamiliar location. Camp Development was the first activity upon arrival at the Jelutong Campsite where each Patrol built Bashas to sleep in. They also built Gadgets out of bamboo to act as clothes hangers. Every morning of their camp, they had an inspection to check their belongings, followed by a flag raising ceremony. The next activities were mock-up scenarios where Scouts can practice their skills such as first aid and how to prone. They were also given situational tests and memory games to play. For their meals, they had to cook their own food with cooking stoves and an open fire. They also had 1 backswood cooking session! Throughout the camp, each Patrol was graded on their skills, with Tiger Patrol graded as Best Patrol of 2018. Joash Cheng, the Patrol Leader of Tiger Patrol was also awarded the Best Camper Award.

By Lucas Loh The cluster group came down again today, to build the project one more time and the mini-pioneering model for the actual day judging. Through careful planning, extra thought was put into making sure that the team would build better than before, improving on speed and safety. This helped the team by optimising work processes and minimising idle time. The team successfully completed the project within the time limit, proving that the tower was well within the capabilities of the team and could be further improved upon. More notably, the team capitalised on the girl's natural ability for details, as they made quick work of the mini-pioneering model. They did an excellent job - doing justice to the tower and making sure every detail was captured.