Australian scouts unfazed by heat at jamboree as UK and US pull out
She was having a great time. “I’d rather be nowhere else. I’m meeting hundreds of incredible people every day and we’re finding ways to communicate,” Freya said. “I’m having the time of my life.”
As well as projects such as making bridges, activities included making bracelets and learning about other cultures, including getting henna designs applied to her arm and wearing a sari. “We’ve been handing out Vegemite and talking about Aussie slang.”
Fifteen-year-old Australian scout Freya Hellstrom with a henna design on her arm.Credit: Scouts Victoria
Freya said some activities had been cancelled due to the heat. But she had visited an “absolutely beautiful” palace where there were fire trucks spraying water, and she had danced with locals. Her tent was cooled at night by a flyscreen allowing breezes to flow through.
The BBC reported that the British group of 4500, the largest in attendance, was moving from the jamboree to hotels in Seoul, while the US and Singaporean contingents were also pulling out. The Americans had moved their attendees to a US army base in South Korea.
One member of the UK team told BBC’s Seoul correspondent Jean Mackenzie that the decision to pull out was not only based on the extreme heat but was also down to the facilities and food.
They described the campsite toilets as a “health risk” and said children’s dietary needs were not being met.
The World Organisation of the Scout Movement, the largest international scouting organisation, told the BBC it had asked the Korean Scout Association, which is hosting, to consider ending the event early.
The movement said the host “decided to go ahead with the event” and assured participants that it was doing “everything possible to address the issues caused by the heatwave”.
Harrison said organisers had reported that heat-related condition numbers were decreasing and participants in the jamboree appeared to be acclimatising to the high temperatures.
The heat was not affecting the Australians’ enjoyment of the event, he said.
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“All of the contingents – groups from particular countries – here have been assessing their own processes and managing the risks on a daily basis, and we’ve been doing the same,” Harrison said.
“Every day we’ve been discussing what we’re doing, looking at whether anything has changed in terms of the environment or facilities.
“The South Koreans have made an enormous push to make sure everything is running and working, that there are cool places for people to be, air-conditioned buses, that there are plenty of opportunities to engage in the program and to enjoy the experience of a World Scout Jamboree.”
She was having a great time. “I’d rather be nowhere else. I’m meeting hundreds of incredible people every day and we’re finding ways to communicate,” Freya said. “I’m having the time of my life.”
As well as projects such as making bridges, activities included making bracelets and learning about other cultures, including getting henna designs applied to her arm and wearing a sari. “We’ve been handing out Vegemite and talking about Aussie slang.”
Fifteen-year-old Australian scout Freya Hellstrom with a henna design on her arm.Credit: Scouts Victoria
Freya said some activities had been cancelled due to the heat. But she had visited an “absolutely beautiful” palace where there were fire trucks spraying water, and she had danced with locals. Her tent was cooled at night by a flyscreen allowing breezes to flow through.
The BBC reported that the British group of 4500, the largest in attendance, was moving from the jamboree to hotels in Seoul, while the US and Singaporean contingents were also pulling out. The Americans had moved their attendees to a US army base in South Korea.
One member of the UK team told BBC’s Seoul correspondent Jean Mackenzie that the decision to pull out was not only based on the extreme heat but was also down to the facilities and food.
They described the campsite toilets as a “health risk” and said children’s dietary needs were not being met.
The World Organisation of the Scout Movement, the largest international scouting organisation, told the BBC it had asked the Korean Scout Association, which is hosting, to consider ending the event early.
The movement said the host “decided to go ahead with the event” and assured participants that it was doing “everything possible to address the issues caused by the heatwave”.
Harrison said organisers had reported that heat-related condition numbers were decreasing and participants in the jamboree appeared to be acclimatising to the high temperatures.
The heat was not affecting the Australians’ enjoyment of the event, he said.
Loading
“All of the contingents – groups from particular countries – here have been assessing their own processes and managing the risks on a daily basis, and we’ve been doing the same,” Harrison said.
“Every day we’ve been discussing what we’re doing, looking at whether anything has changed in terms of the environment or facilities.
“The South Koreans have made an enormous push to make sure everything is running and working, that there are cool places for people to be, air-conditioned buses, that there are plenty of opportunities to engage in the program and to enjoy the experience of a World Scout Jamboree.”
