By Tyler 'Crash' Stark
It's only a matter of weeks until we are all gathered in Maryborough, Queensland, for the ultimate quest – AJ2025!
It's almost the end of term and Scouts is wrapping up for the year. You want to get ready for Jamboree, but it's a bit too early to start packing (trust me, packing all of your socks and undies now is going to make the next three weeks feel much longer). So what are you going to do?
Don't worry, I've got you covered!
Consider this your Crash Course - start practising now so that you're ready when you get onsite.
Cooking!
You'll be cooking for your Unit at Jamboree, so get in the kitchen and tell your family's Head Chef to take the night off, because you're handling dinner! Just remember – there's no fancy appliances in the Unit Lines, just a barbecue, and you're cooking for around 40 people. So choose your practice menu carefully – you're going to have a lot of left overs.
Grocery shopping!
While we won't have access to the local Coles or Woollies, each Sub Camp will have a Corner Store! This is where you'll pick up your Unit's food supplies and take them back to your site. Next time your family comes back with groceries, practice by helping bring them inside! They'll be a bit further away than your driveway, though, so have your parents park the car at the other end of the street and you can drag them back from there.
Washing!
Everyone washes their own clothes at Jamboree – even our Camp Chief Geoff Doo! You don't want to be the Stinky One in your Unit, so you have to know how to wash your socks. Scoop all of the grubby clothes off your bedroom floor, and grab your Scout uniform while you're at it (it's probably been a while). Check the pockets (for treasure, snacks, wildlife, etc.) and throw everything in the (hang on, let me check my notes here...) bucket?! Yep, bucket. There's no onsite laundry, so we hand-wash! Don't forget the detergent/soap/laundry sauce, a bit of water, and everything will at least come out smelling a little better than when it went in.
Showering!
Okay, so hopefully you can handle the washing part of this one yourself (doing this properly will also really help you to avoid being the Stinky One), but you're not exactly going to have an ensuite bathroom attached to your tent. So the bit to practice here is making sure you've got everything you need with you BEFORE you go to the shower block! We're talking before and after – it's no good getting out of the shower nice and clean and putting the same sweaty socks back on, you'll have to start all over again. Grab your towel, a change of clothes, some soap, and your shower shoes – it's time to go to the bathroom. The shower block is going to be a bit further than three steps down the hallway, though. Walk down the street and back with your shower gear before you head to your bathroom – just try not to drop any undies on the walk there.
Sleeping!
Again, you should be pretty good at this – but that's in your own bed and in your bedroom. At Jamboree, you'll be sharing at tent! To get used to sleeping with other people, drag all of your family's mattresses into the living room – you're having a sleepover! Blanket fort optional, snacks mandatory.
Don't worry if you haven't mastered these AJ2025 Survival Skills yet – you've still got time to practice! Once you have the hang of these you'll be ready to QUEST!
