1st Clifton Gardens Sea Scouts 70th Birthday

After many, many days of heavy downpours and what seemed like non-stop rain, we woke on Sunday morning to clear blue skies.  It was such a pleasant surprise.

A great place to spend some of your childhood

A great place to spend some of your childhood

And the blue skies were so welcome because Alfie’s sea scout group was celebrating its 70th birthday.

View out to Sydney Harbour

A ‘shed’ with a view

The first meeting of the Group was in a private residence in Clifton Gardens on the 19th of August, 1944.  Being the sea scouts, it needed a boat and the first boat was a 27-foot whaler christened ‘Gilwell’ by Lady Baden-Powell at Balmoral Beach in October 1947.  In March 1951 the first section of the boat shed and meeting hall was built on the beach at Little Sirius Cove.  There was no power to the new shed and lighting was provided by batteries.  By October 1954 a second floor had been added and both floors were extended in 1970.  In 2007 some badly needed renovations were completed on the shed which should allow it to remain a resource for the young people of Mosman for many years to come.

Playing in the water or on the sand

Playing in the water or on the sand

‘Cliffo’, as it has come to be known, has introduced many young people to a lifetime love of sailing and boating.  Through fundraising and generous donations, Cliffo owns a number of tasars, lasers, canoes, kayaks and rowing boats.

Winter in Sydney

Winter in Sydney

The invitation to the birthday celebrations stated that a sausage sizzle was being provided but asked if everyone could bring a plate of something to share.  Having had a dinner party the night before and an appointment Sunday morning, I hadn’t actually spent hours in the kitchen preparing anything.  I raced to the shops and tried to think of what I could make that would be quick and easy and came home with some strawberries, marshmallows and bamboo skewers.

To BBQ sausages you must have a patriotic apron

To BBQ sausages you must have a patriotic apron

At lightning-pace, I pushed the strawberries and marshmallows onto the skewers and laid them out into nice neat rows and carefully covered my platter in glad-wrap and then already an hour late, we piled into the car with the platter, an esky of drinks, a bag of swimming gear and two excited dogs.

Two is company!

Always together

When we arrived the sausage sizzle was in full swing and I put my platter down on the outdoor table then went to get my camera to take a photo of my creation.  I came back to the table and in my brief absence there had been a stampede and most of my skewers were no longer in existence.  I protectively guarded what was left of my dishevelled skewers and managed one quick photo of the remnants.  Seconds later they were all gone and Alfie missed out.

The remnants

The remnants

Never mind, he was happy where he was and that was in a canoe where he spent a good couple of hours.  While he was out on the water there were speeches and then the first ever member of the Cliffo Scouts was asked to cut the cake.

The speech

The speech

The first cub-scout to enrol

The first cub-scout to enrol in 1944

The cake was cut into generous pieces and passed around and Alfie missed out on cake as well – in fact I don’t think he had anything to eat or drink the entire day and that’s fairly standard as he’d rather be running around and when presented with these sorts of opportunities, food is just a nuisance.

Alfie

Alfie

He didn’t just run around; he was also buried.  The cubs dug a deep hole in the sand and I don’t know why it’s always Alfie but it always is and he was the one buried up to his ears and he couldn’t have been happier.

Is that comfortable?

Is that comfortable?

Sirius Cove is an unleashed dog park and so Ruby and Rosie had a lovely day of sniffing and scavenging.  Ruby found a sausage that had rolled of the bar-be-cue and Rosie found a chocolate chip cookie.  They were rationed to a light-diet later that day.

Stolen goods

Stolen goods

The weather to celebrate the 70th birthday couldn’t have been better.  Although a winter’s day, there was warmth.  I could feel some heat in the sunshine which was a sure sign Spring is almost upon us.

Boys!

Boys!

The ‘shed’ has been an important part of the lives of many young people in the area; a place where they go to learn new skills, make friendships and gain confidence with being on the water.  It’s a ‘shed’ that exists because of the generosity of volunteers who week after week give their time to train up young boys and girls and give them some adventurous outdoor time.

The out-house!

The out-house!

It was a wonderful and relaxing way to spend the day and Alfie in his uniform, running around with the other cubs, was very proud to be a part of the celebrations.

Sign on the inside of the bathroom door.  Personally didn't see any flowering shrubs.

Sign on the inside of the bathroom door. Personally didn’t see any flowering shrubs.

1st Clifton Gardens Sea Scouts:  Sirius Cove, Mosman NSW 2088

The cake

The cake

 

Comments

  1. What a wonderful day! I could have done the kayaking and getting buried in sand but no way am I going to miss out on cake. 🙂

  2. A great day. Poor Alfie, no food. I’m sure he got stuffed later though and having fun in a canoe and being buried in sand by your friends is always better than eating. Though those sausages looked yummy as well as your strawberry skewers.

    I laughed at the girls and their found treats … cause stuff you find or sneak is always better than stuff mommy feeds you.

  3. What a great and fun day! The two two dogs looked so cute, too 🙂

    Julie
    Gourmet Getaways

  4. Shashi @ RunninSrilankan says:

    A sunny day after a slew of rainy ones can be so so refreshing! Glad the sun came out so Alfie and Ruby and Rosie could enjoy this special day!
    You had an awesome idea for the perfect quick snack! And I agree with Maureen – no way would I miss out on a slice of that chocolate cake!
    Happy Monday Charlie!!

  5. What a wonderful day out! Love those strawberries with marshmallows!

  6. It has felt like spring is in the air – looks like a perfect sunny day – great for a bit of vitamin D – love your last minute plate of food.

  7. It looks like a wonderful celebration, and the area is gorgeous! Interestingly, the Boy Scouts here in the States are divided into regions or “Councils” and the Council for our region is named Baden-Powell. A connection I am sure!

  8. Doesn’t that look like a fun day! Sea scouts sounds like a fun group to be part of. And how nice for the dogs that they got to go too!

  9. What a great day Charlie – and definitely much better for sunshine I suspect. Your skewers looked lovely and I can see why they disappeared so quickly. You just can’t go wrong with those ingredients! I do remember Alfie being buried in previous beach visits so it seems he has a talent for that activity…it’s fortunate he enjoys it!

  10. What a nice story, Charlie. And I totally get it that Alfie was too busy to eat! Seventy years–quite impressive. And I love the shots of the girls.

  11. Looks like a lot of fun! How cute Alfie is to be up to his ears in sand (such a sport)! Bet he is still finding sand everywhere!

  12. Hi Charlie, it is so nice to see Alfie run about and have a great day. Your dogs are beautiful!

  13. What a fun day! Glad it was a nice one.

  14. What a fun day Charlie! I loved seeing the First Scout there to cut the cake- I wonder what he thinks of the young ones nowadays? 🙂
    A bit of sunshine, spring air and lots of healthy activities seem to make Alfie one happy boy indeed, and well worth a bit of sand in the pants! Xox

  15. We’ve definitely been waiting for those clear days! Says me who is typing while it is pouring outside her window 😛

  16. NO! If you’re seeing signs of spring, that means fall and winter will soon be here. Seriously, so glad you had a nice day for the celebration! LOL at Alfie in the sand!

  17. Who needs food when you have got the beach 🙂

  18. Gday! What wonderful weather for a beautiful celebration Charlie!
    I have always wanted to be buried up to my neck only lol and sounds like a fun day was had by all!
    Cheers! Joanne

  19. Well, it’s still pouring here at the moment! [Thank the Lord, no hours of watering the garden!!] . . . glad Ruby and Rosie felt comfortable when the sausage sizzle was announced!! . . . interesting learning curve about my ‘opposite’ part of Sydney . . . . had I ‘still’ been ‘there’ I would have been almost on the opposite side of the Harbour from you, dumb as anything 🙂 !!!!! But great story about I was totally ignorant!!!!!!

  20. What a wonderful day out. Oh Alfie, why aren’t you interested in food? I have a feeling my little man is going to be into everything too but definitely the food as well.
    Glad the sunshine came out for you!

  21. Love that the girls got to go too. It was a surprise to see the sun wasn’t it?
    It looked such a lovely cake you think someione could have taken it out of the box. LOL

  22. Could this be any more fun? What a great way to celebrate 😀

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  23. What a lovely day for a great celebration. Cool pics, great activities, a speech & a lovely cake to end the day with.

  24. What a fun day! And a reprieve from rain and a taste of spring. I love the marshmallow and strawberry idea! How easy and tasty, I’m stealing it for my next get together. 😉

  25. My son would be like Alfie. No food, but happy running around and playing in water. He’d miss yummy food and cake, and won’t be enough playing time. 😀 Glad to hear you had a nice warm day in winter time. We’re moving into fall soon… not so ready! Will enjoy some warmth from your blog posts. 😀

  26. What a fun day for all, including the pups! I always love the weather when it begins to turn towards spring and you get the warmth of some not necessarily anticipated sunshine. I could see the quality of the light in your photos and they really communicated such a beautiful day. I love your skewers–so did everyone apparently. They are so simple yet really elegant with the colorful strawberries and the contrast in bamboo. Now I’m on to see what else you’ve been up to…obviously I could access your site this morning. I don’t know what was going on yesterday!

  27. It is so very beautiful there,Charlie! I a so glad Alfie is enjoying the Scouts.My grandson just moved up to full Boy Scout (as opposed to Cube Scouts here), and now the real action starts! His dad and uncle made Eagle Scout,(top of the top).We’ll see how far this one goes.

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