GirlGuiding New Zealand leaders Rebecca Kenny and Gemma Whiting of Ashburton will be roughing it in Aussie next week.
The pair are off on an eight-day camp in the northern New South Wales, with more than 1200 others.
It’s the Bush 2 Beach jamboree, a trip to create memories and lifelong friendships.
Kenny and Whiting’s trips are self-funded and are the only members from Mid Canterbury attending.
They will join other leaders and guides from New Zealand, Australia, Bangladesh, the Philippines, United Kingdom, Kenya and Ukraine.
It is Kenny’s fourth jamboree in the 16 years she has been with Guiding.
She has attended two in New Zealand and a previous one in Australia. Jamborees open and close with special ceremonies.
‘‘I am looking forward to catching up with friends I have made at previous jamborees,’’ Kenny said.
Her role – as part of the Jillaroo camp – is to assist with the catering, on-site activities and ensure campers are in the right place for transporting to off-site activities.
Catering will be an enormous job as there is a central catering team preparing meals for the entire camp.
Whiting’s role – at the Quoll camp – is to be more about guiding the girls on excursions.
Whiting attended a jamboree in Christchurch when she was in Scouting. For three years now she has been a Guide leader.
She was looking forward to joining the group visiting Movie World and Wet ‘n’ Wild theme parks.
As part of their time away from the campsite they will have an indoor sleepover.
Whiting, along with seven other leaders, will be responsible for 68 young people.
‘‘I am excited about going to the jamboree and all the cool stuff I will learn,’’ she said.
‘‘I am looking forward to being able to share the knowledge and skills I learn with others back in Mid Canterbury,’’ Whiting said.
While away, the pair will live in tents at the Murwillumbah Showgrounds where, in total, 810 youth, aged 10 to 17 years and over, and 454 leaders were expected to attend.
A much-anticipated part of any jamboree is the badge and national memorabilia swap.
Kenny has been busy creating paua inspired bags and Kiwiana patches, while Whiting has been making bookmarks depicting scenes from New Zealand.
The New Zealand contingent will take specially designed badges to swap that include a kiwi while the badge looks like a kiwifruit.
Attending the event will be a celebration of youth leadership, outdoor adventure, and community.
It is hosted by Girl Guides New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territories and brings together girls for an unforgettable experience of camping, skill-building, and cross-cultural exchange.
Inside the main camp there are seven sub camps.
Offsite, attendees aged 14-years and older, had a choice of off-site events including horse riding, after dark sea life experience, abseiling, escape rooms, scavenger hunts, tree top challenges, bush hiking, rail trail, surfing and snorkeling lessons, discovering the flavours of the north coast of Australia, kayaking and a visit two theme parks.
Evening activities include campfire gatherings, an A&P show themed night and a cultural night.
The next New Zealand jamboree is in the North Island in January 2027.
