"KonTiki sails with the Pirate of the Caribbean"

KonTiki 2009 - 6th - 8th March 2009

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KONTIKI GAZETTE
Second Edition
First Edition
KON TIKI NEWSLETTER – FEBRUARY 2009

CHAIRMAN’S CHIRP

By now you should all have sharpened your cutlasses and let the parrot preen itself to be geared up and ready to sail on 7 March 2009. I don’t know about you but I am looking forward to the launch of the event and making sure that we all have a weekend of good clean fun.

To recognise my patrol (HQ Staff) look out for the buccaneers in uniform and those wearing bibs or who will be clutching quills, parchments to record important information and speaking devices. If you have any question please contact any of these people who will be happy to assist you or point you in the right direction to find your answers.

On looking at some “old notes” I wonder whether Scouts will rise to the occasion this year or whether we will again see a Ranger Company sail into first place. No doubt time will tell and I wish you all a fair wind and good sailing.

We have another new feature at Kon Tiki 2009. There are so many of you all taking photographs that we have launched a competition to see if we can find the picture of pictures. You are invited to visit the HQ tent and seek out the photo pirate who will help you download digital pictures and make sure the one you wish to enter is marked with an “X”. At the end of the day we will choose a winning picture and the author will be awarded a great prize.

All the other pictures will be put onto a disc and will be made available for sale to those who would like a major pictorial review of Kon Tki 2009.

Kon Tiki competitions are split over a wide sector of events. Teams NOT entering a raft can still participate in any other compo event as long as they show this on the entry form. A word of caution, the overall trophy can only be won by a team that competes in the raft and camping events.

From last Kon Tiki there is a number of missing provincial life jackets that were used by a number of people and apparently not handed back to HQ. If you have a few or know where we can trace them, please let us know.

At the end of Kon Tiki everyone looks forward to “The Presentations”. It has become quite a mission however with every winner collecting their certificates or trophies in a massive contingent. May I suggest and ask that one or two persons only come up to collect the prize and that flags stay with the Groups. In some instances I have no problem with two or even three people coming up to the front but let’s keep it to that and slicken up the presentations and time that it takes.

A suggestion that has come up is that we consider launching an hour earlier at 11:00 and come ashore an hour earlier at 11:00 on Sunday. Can we have your comments at Kon Tiki? We will raise the issue at the first team meeting so be prepared to offer your comments.

I often refer to “my patrol” or the Kon Tiki Patrol in talking to you from time to time. This is the patrol that “runs” Kon Tiki and makes sure everything is looked after and actually happens. So that you know who’s who, here they are: -

Allan Baudry (Vice Chairman), Dave Osmond (Camp Chief), Mark Pollock (Emergency Services), Darren Robinson (Chief Judge), Harry Neily (Water Safety), Lesley McGillivray (Girl Guide Liaison), Adrienne Pollock (Beaver Challenge) and Nicola Triegaardt (Information).

The sub-camp chiefs, every member of the medical staff, our radio team, gate controller and the police also play a big part in helping the Kon Tiki Patrol with the running of the event.

CAMP CHIEF

Remember teams may choose their sites BUT team numbers will be allocated later. The Camp Chief allocates all camp, team and raft numbers. It is the TEAM NUMBER that is your ID on rafts, gateways and to be put onto entry and any other form. You will be known by your team number so tattoo it onto your foreheads!!!

Dustbins will be put out at every ablution and we really make a strong request and plea that everyone makes use of this facility instead of putting gunk down the loos!!! There will be a phone number on every dirt bin, so if you see anyone stuffing a T-shirt down a loo instead of into a bin, give us a call and we will take the necessary action. Let’s work together on this one and avoiding the annual great blockage sagas.

Security is a priority and every sub-camp will this year be helping to make sure that safety is maintained to make this event even better and to allow fun to prevail.

CHIEF JUDGE

2009 will see a number of changes to the way competitions at Kon Tiki have been judged in the past. We are hoping that the changes, asked for by you the participants will be welcomed.

There is an old saying that “one can’t please everyone all the time, but try to please the majority most of the time” and hopefully these new changes will address some of the requests that we have received in the past. Some of these changes/additions are pointed out below, but as per previous years please remember to read the handbook as all the changes are in it.

Some of the changes/additions are:
  • Supporter’s meal to be prepared and judged in the “working campsite” come rain or shine. Once campsites have been allocated the judging matrix with times will be made available.
  • Rafts also have a competition meal that they can participate in, with judging happening on the water. Green flag or cell call = meal ready and a gig with judge aboard will call on you and come aboard to judge the raft meal.
  • There will be a raft crew dress up competition on the Sunday morning during the Naval review.
  • “Live-in working” supporters campsites will be judged. In the past some groups have produced model campsites to be judged and then had their supporters living in another campsite. You may still produce model campsites if you wish, however they will NOT be marked and will NOT get bonus points.
  • Scores to be published from time to time at the judges tent. Any queries can be made to the Chairman or his Depyty who will meet with the Camp Chief, Deputy Camp Chief and Chief Judge to sort out.
  • Q & A on some points :
    • Raft Pioneering means gadgets on raft
    • Raft Construction means the actual raft itself
Raft mobility will take place on Sunday morning before the line up for the Navel review begins.

Volunteer as a judge – contact Chief Judge who will consider u for this and/or future events?

EMERGENCY SERVICES

We urgently need rubber ducks to be used by the emergency services. If you know of a parent or even have a “duck” of your own that can be made available, please contact any one on the Kon Tiki Patrol. Your help will be really appreciated.

Liquor and illegal substances now solely a police matter. If you decide to use liquor or take drugs or used unacceptable substances and are caught, the law will take its course. Scouting cannot interfere with the police action that will be taken, so be warned.

USE THE CELL NUMBER 076 270 0723 FOR ANY EMERGENCY OR TO CONTACT THE KON TIKI PATROL WITH INFO SUCH AS PEOPLE BLOCKING DRAINS OR OTHER SECURITY MATTER.

FINAL WORD

Suggestions and feed-back is always important so there will be a suggestion box at the Info tent. One word of caution, let’s not have one person write the same suggestion on 10 pieces of paper !!! We can also see it when some notes are written by the same pirate using his or her left hand, so beware!! We are always prepared to look at practical suggestions and do read your comments so let’s be constructive and not write stuff just to fill the box.

INFO

Remember that there is the Kontiki Booklet that is up on the web page for you to download and which carries all the data and “rules” of the event. No Group should be without one!!.

In 2009 there will also be a contest to see who has actually read the booklet and not just carrying it about to feed the parrots.

Well that’s it so “see you at Kon Tiki”

Yours in Scouting (and Pirating)

Jan Schubart
Kontiki Chairman