Sleep Over at St. Paul's Islands

Having friends of the caliber of Joe Deguara and his brother in law and sister Ray and Pauline Mifsud is an asset to any scout group. Both having sea craft is an even greater asset. The two boat owners have been for years offered to take the Qrendi Scout Group on a “sleep over” at the St Paul’s islands, an island so close to the main land yet so far due to its difficult accessibility save for sea craft.

Collecting the Scouts and Ventures at Mistra Bay on Saturday 4th August 2003, the group members together with all their section leaders were ferried across to the predestined location at Selmun beach in Joes’s Fregatina and Ray’s speedboat. Both of our friends provided a shuttle service ferrying scouts, sleeping bags, cooking utensils together with odds and ends that would have shamed any “Clandestine”

Settling at Selmun the group members established them selves with minimal fuss and were soon off discovering their surroundings and habitants. Collectively the group crossed the straits by sea invading St Paul’s Islands in the process, visiting unknown territory and experiencing the difficulties of walking barefoot over such terrain, after their swim.

Returning back to the beach the group organised a barbeque where Joe, Mary and Louis’s cooking skills were put to the test. It seems that the trio passed their test with flying colours as no after effects were experienced that night. GSL David Schembri made sure that night that everyone ate his food (and sometimes helped out) and ensured that everyone slept that night despite all their excitement.

Scouting activities such as swimming and fishing competitions together with exploratory tours within the surrounding caves took up an integral part of the weekend’s activities. All activities were continuously monitoring and documented by Qrendi Scout Leader Roderick Bugeja, currently studying abroad who was on holiday in Malta at the time. Playing with his favorite toy, a state of the art digital camera, Roderick captured memories that would be cherished for a long time.

The Group returned home early Sunday morning, most happy but extremely tired at their ordeal, having experienced the benefits of teamwork and organization. Understanding fully the problems of exposure to the elements and to the ultra violet sunrays, their group acquired first hand experience away from the school benches on such hazards. Their manners and well behavior earned them the praise of all those that had sacrificed their resources, energy and free time for the benefits of others.

The “sleep over” went quickly as if in a blink of the eye but the dedication of the VSL Mary Pace, SL Louis Sammut, CSL Pamela Schembri and SL Roderick Bugeja are owed much for the event’s success. But the Qrendi Scout Group could not find enough words of gratitude for Joe, Ray and Pauline for allowing them to share a trill of a lifetime.