The annual Summer Camps are the events recorded in most detail. Traditional ways and means have been passed down over the generations. Except in rare circumstances, meals were, and still are, prepared on open fires – even ovens were built of local stones, and sometimes food was cooked backwoods style without the use of utensils. Stored in the Quartermaster’s Tent, there was generally a traditional scout dish like Thump that appeared at least once on every Camp Menu (very large tin of Corned Beef, lots of Potatoes and Vegetables – all mashed together). On one occasion a patrol ate the ingredients of a 3-course dinner including desert mashed together as one big Thump meal. Thump (or Tump as it was originally known) is possibly the earliest example of the contribution of Dalkey Sea Scouts to national scouting, as it was an introduced by the Troop’s founding Leader, Rev. Desmond Murray on the very first Summer Camp!
Getting anything worthwhile started requires huge dedication and resourcefulness. It was this, together with the ambition of Michael Stopford, who took over from Des Murray as Scoutmaster, that secured the boats and other equipment needed to establish a fully functioning Sea Scout Troop that could continue to build on the early successes.
With this working formula, the Troop has travelled all over Ireland and further afield in the UK and Europe. The 1959 Summer Camp was in Morfa Nefyn (North Wales), and a typewriter accompanied the Leaders to prepare lists and notices. Typewriters remained a feature of troop camps for over 4 decades and the Creative Camp Newsletter ‘The Dalkey Dribble’ makes many Log Book entries – particularly in the eighties – with cryptic, Flann ‘Dalkey Archive’ O’Brien type descriptions of participants and incidents – all done with influences of the time in the best posssssible taste! Over the years the most visited camping areas have been Youghal Bay on Lough Derg, and around the sheltered waters of Lough Oughter on the River Erne.
Newspaper Cuttings from publications like the Dublin Post, The Irish Times and local papers, cover a wide range of ‘good turn’ and regular scouting activities throughout the Log Books. Some of these show participation at International Jamborees. The more interesting entries are on items like Wide Games where youthful leaders were fearless in their pursuit of political incorrectness and controversy.
A Wide Game is a type of treasure hunt that can take place over a large area on a whole day. It involves gathering answers to clues, but also can involve approaching total strangers (not-so-confusingly disguised by their wearing of jeans and runners) and asking them questions like ‘Has your Eagle landed?’ in order to progress to the next base. The Logbook from the 2nd January 1962 shows that the pre-Troubles stalled IRA terrorist campaign was the storyline for Scout Patrols who were ‘members of the RUC’ hunting ‘IRA operatives’. The Mission Plan for the Patrols had included the unenviable task of stopping the terrorists blowing up the AA Phone box in Shankill and the Big Tree on top of Dalkey Hill.
Showing perhaps how times may have changed, the Log also includes an Irish Times article detailing the visit of the Savanah, the World’s first Nuclear-powered merchant ship, to Dublin – no mention of any protests are made – indeed the whole troop joined many thousands of Dubliners that went aboard the American ship as part of the 4th of July Celebrations in 1964.