By Gabriella Payne
The sun was shining on Sunday 11 July as the Pakenham Cub Scouts laced up their shoes, topped up their water bottles and strapped on their backpacks as they set off on a mountaineering adventure in Garfield North.
The troop’s hike up Mount Cannibal signified not only a physical challenge for the young Cubs, but also gave them an opportunity to reflect on their own achievements over the challenging past 12 months, with two Cubs receiving some very special recognition.
At the top of the mountain, Natasha Ramage and Lucas Algie were presented with their Grey Wolf Awards, in honour of all the hard work and commitment they had shown the Pakenham Cubs over the years.
This journey was memorable for more reasons than one, particularly for both Natasha and Lucas, who will be transitioning to the local Scout group in the near future.
Rachel Byron, the Cardinia Scouts district development leader, said that the hike had been a wonderful bonding activity for the group and it was great to be able to get together and celebrate Natasha and Lucas’ achievements at the summit.
“Pakenham Scout Group Cub Section hiked Mt Cannibal on the weekend to present two youth members with their Grey Wolf Awards, the peak award for the Cub Scouts.
“Natasha Ramage and Lucas Algie worked hard throughout their time in Cubs, and especially during lockdown in 2020 to be able to achieve their peak award before linking up to Scouts,” Ms Byron said.
“Congratulations to both youth members on this amazing achievement!”
Ms Byron said that in total, the young adventurers hiked a total distance of 4.1km or 5,067 steps – a mammoth achievement for the group, especially for some Cubs who had never taken on a challenge like this before.
All in all it was a wonderful, sunny day out – and the Cubs can’t wait to get back out to the mountain again soon.
