The Senior Scout Cederberg Adventure is a biennial event for Scout

Scouting

Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....

s in South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, and from overseas, and is organised by the South African Scout Association

South African Scout Association

The South African Scout Association is the World Organization of the Scout Movement recognized Scouting association in South Africa. Scouting began in the United Kingdom in 1907 through the efforts of Robert Baden-Powell and rapidly spread to South Africa, with the first Scout troops appearing in...

. The adventure takes the form of a hike of about 10 days, usually in the Cederberg

Cederberg

The Cederberg mountains and nature reserve are located near Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town, South Africa at about . The mountain range is named after the endangered Clanwilliam Cedar , which is a tree endemic to the area. The mountains are noted for dramatic rock...

 mountains. During this time, participating scouts get to visit a number of activity centres where they can participate in activities ranging from marksmanship and rock climbing to sailing and gold panning.

History

In 1968, Colin Inglis, the Western Cape Divisional Commissioner at the time, called a meeting to discuss the loss of 15 and 16 year old Scouts, which usually happened before they achieved their 1st Class Badge. He felt that once a Scout had reached the age of 16, troop activities were no longer an adventure for them and as a result they left the movement. He suggested that an adventure activity be held for 16 year old scouts who had obtained their 1st Class Badge, which could be the 'cherry on top' of their scout careers.

The meeting agreed and a small committee was set up to run an event late in 1969. This committee was composed of Colin Inglis, "Fatty" Rutter, Richard Knight, "Impie" Bryant and the Divisional Secretary. The rest of the year was spent organising the location in the Cederberg

Cederberg

The Cederberg mountains and nature reserve are located near Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town, South Africa at about . The mountain range is named after the endangered Clanwilliam Cedar , which is a tree endemic to the area. The mountains are noted for dramatic rock...

, testing communications, hiring school busses, finding activity leaders and various other functions. This first adventure was open only to scouts from the Western Cape

Western Cape

The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...

, but it was so successful that it was requested for subsequent events to be opened to scouts from all over South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

.

The team decided to rename it 'The National Senior Scout Adventure' and open it to all scouts over 15 and 6 months of age who held the 1st Class Badge. It was decided that if the national event was a success it would be opened up to international scouts. Due to pressure, the minimum age was lowered to 14 for scouts who held their 1st Class Badge and were recommended by their scouter. However, in 2004 the minimum age of 15 was reinstated.

The first national event was held over new years of 1970/1971 and was an even greater success that the experimental event and it was decided that it would be repeated every 2 years. However, this was not always possible and the next one was only held in 1974.

After the 1974 adventure the Cederberg

Cederberg

The Cederberg mountains and nature reserve are located near Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town, South Africa at about . The mountain range is named after the endangered Clanwilliam Cedar , which is a tree endemic to the area. The mountains are noted for dramatic rock...

 was declared a wilderness area and activity centres were no longer allowed to be in the same location for more than 24 hours due to the new forestry rules. For this reason the 1976 adventure was moved to the Winterhoek

Winterhoek

The Winterhoekberge are located in the Western Cape province of South Africa and are part of the Cape Fold Belt. They rise to a maximum height of 2077m just north of the town of Tulbagh as Grootwinterhoekpiek...

. On this adventure a storm made rivers uncrossable and the adventure came to a stand-still for several days until the water subsided. To date, this was the only adventure where a helicopter has been used to rescue scouts, who were trapped in a kloof by rising water. Although unexpected, this added a new dimension to the adventure.

The following three were held in the Witzenberg Valley over the new years of 1978, 1981 and 1983. These adventures went well with the 1983 adventure being the biggest with 600 scouts.

In 1985, permission was obtained from private landowners in the Cederberg

Cederberg

The Cederberg mountains and nature reserve are located near Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town, South Africa at about . The mountain range is named after the endangered Clanwilliam Cedar , which is a tree endemic to the area. The mountains are noted for dramatic rock...

 to put activity centres on their land and the Department of Forestry gave permission for scouts to hike and camp in the wilderness area. In December 1986, the National Senior Scout Adventure moved back to the Cederberg

Cederberg

The Cederberg mountains and nature reserve are located near Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town, South Africa at about . The mountain range is named after the endangered Clanwilliam Cedar , which is a tree endemic to the area. The mountains are noted for dramatic rock...

 and has remained there ever since.

Colin Inglis continued to organise adventures in 1988, 1990, 1992 and 1994, until handing over to Richard Goldschmidt for the 1996 and 1998 adventures. Buzz Macey took over as chief organiser for 2000 and 2002 when the event was opened up to Guides and Girl Scouts. John Mutti took over as Adventure Organiser for the 2004 and 2006/7 Centenary of Scouting

Scouting 2007 Centenary

The Scouting 2007 Centenary comprised celebrations around the world in which Scouts celebrated 100 years of the world Scout movement. The original celebrations were focused on the United Kingdom, such as the camp on Brownsea Island, the birthplace of Scouting, and the 21st World Scout Jamboree in...

Adventure. Buzz Macey ran the 2008 adventure and will be taking on this role again in 2010. The next adventure runs from 11 December 2010 to 23 December 2010.

The adventure is often called 'the Cederberg' by South African Scouts.