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Helen Finlay and Paul Baulch from our Regis Head Office dedicated their time during their break to volunteer at the Victorian Jamboree.

VicJam is a fantastic opportunity for scout kids across Victoria to come together for an array scouting activities. It’s a chance for young members of the community “to try new things, take part in activities that they would never have been able to do before and meet people from all parts of society that become their friends for life”. This VicJam was particularly special after many social events throughout the year were cancelled due to lockdowns throughout Victoria.

A paddock in Elmore was transformed into a tent city that housed over 4,500 people for 10 days. During that time, the scouts got to take part in many activities at the Elmore base, including zip lining, rock climbing, laser tag and splat ball. There was also caving, canoeing down the Murray River, water skiing at Lake Nagambie, gold mining in Bendigo and other outings.

Paul was involved with running activities for CubJam, which was a new initiative for 8-11 year olds. There ended up being 1,900 Cubs visit across his 5 days volunteering. During those days, Paul was running woggle making, but also spent numerous hours in planning and preparation before the event.

Helen volunteered 7 days as part of the onsite Medical team working as a nurse. She and the team provided medical care to make sure everyone was healthy before getting back to the fun. Helen loved the change from her current role in Infection Control and going back to nursing for those few days.

Every evening was jam packed at the site, with live entertainment featured on the main stage as well as a cinema with free popcorn. A highlight for Helen was visiting the scout units from across the state, and “meeting people from all parts of Victoria”. Paul loved engaging with the Cubs and “helping them to achieve outcomes they thought they couldn’t”.

When asked about their favourite part of volunteering at VicJam, Paul stated he loved “seeing the smiles”, and Helen enjoyed “spending time with the young members and watching them grow into competent leaders of tomorrow”.