Words by Liz Powles
A popular fashion at Jamboree is crazy and fun Unit shirts, where the Unit works together to create a fun and exciting piece of clothing that they can wear during the event. This becomes something to show how proud the Scouts are of their Units and leaving them with an exclusive merch item to remember the Jamboree. Units meeting on pre camps leading up to the Jamboree, spent some time creating a fun theme or mascot to put on their shirts. Unit shirts act as a fun calling sign for their Unit and start conversations about where they are from and the inspiration for the designs.
On some Unit shirts Australian animals including the QLD Cane Toad, Wombats, Snakes and even ducks (found to be the mascot of the South Australian contingent HQ) are found to be the perfect mascot for their group to show off our awesome country. The sun smart Unit of T026 have included on their long sleeve shirts the QLD Cane Toad wearing a sombrero representing the Jamboree location and their Victorian home (south of the border).
Another idea that quite a few Units enjoy is using popular cartoon characters, including the Minions and Spongebob Squarepants among others, with Units even dressing up their mascot in Scouting gear.
Some Units have decided that letters and numbers aren’t the right name for their Unit and instead came up with names that represent them as a group. Unit C047 – nicknamed the Guardians of the Jamboree – are out on camp, protecting the galaxy of Scouts across the Jamboree site. While the Rubber Duck Mafia Unit FC025 are out being sneaky across site, they’re always ready for a challenge.
A common theme across most Unit shirts is making sure to represent each Patrol on the shirt. This includes naming their home groups, including the whole Unit’s names or, for Units who are hosting international Scouts, having their native animals or plants on them. Unit C047’s design includes the Sri Lankan elephant to make sure that everyone in the Unit is included and feels represented on the shirt. Unit T033, who are hosting some New Zealand Scouts, was also inspired to include the NZ Contingent fern leaf.
While some Units all agreed on their designs, others were conflicted in their decision making. Unit FC037, made up of Venturers from rural NSW, were divided between two ideas: Utes or Fairies? They all really wanted to wear tutus while on camp, which gave them the idea for fairies, but they also wanted to represent their rural home with utes, since most of their Unit have their Learners permit and all drive Utes at home. But how could they choose? Their Unit Council had to step in and make the final decision. Why not do both? So their Unit shirts feature fairies chilling on top of utes and allow the Unit to represent their home and still enjoy their tutus.
Unit shirts are everywhere at AJ2025 and are so fun to look for! Whether you’re on activities or on Duty Patrol, make sure to look around for some interesting shirts, and don’t be afraid to ask about their inspiration. Every Unit has a great story to tell and would love to share it. Maybe you’ll even get some cool ideas for next Jamboree! Even Leaders enjoy fun shirts too.
