The Ginter Van piloted by the Ginter himself and with Paschal as the able navigator left for Birmingham the day before the main contingent.  They were the advance camp party charged with transporting most of our gear and of course our two huge mysterious red boxes. Eighteen scouts led by Deirdre, Kevin and Peter were left to brave the old twin propeller Aer Arann flight from Waterford to Birmingham while Colm was rumoured to be flying in from Switzerland after being up the Eiger (The North Face of course).  The ultimate destination was Blackwell Court Scout Centre just outside Birmingham. It's now called Blackwell Adventure or some such nonsense but we will always know it as Blackwell Court.  Why had we picked it? - Well it had been the scene of three classic annual camps during the 90s for the group and it has no midges. So how would 2007 play out?

Above: Rounders played by a strange set of rules at our campsite at Blackwell Court.

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Well it was a good thing that we were flying out of Waterford airport rather than Dublin as Cian of course forgot his passport.  Of even greater concern was the fact that his long hair thing seemed to be spreading to other members of the troop with Richard and Adam having also forgotten the location of the Jolly Barber. More disappointingly Emlyn's hair isn't as wild a colour as it used to be with only a few pink streaks left. Paschal and Ginter managed to find their way to Birmingham International Airport to pick up the rucksacks and then a shuttle to the NEC, a train to New Street and another to Barnt Green left only the walk (for some) to the campsite.  We weren't in our usual field but there was plenty of space for the three patrols and our very mini marquee. That evening a swim was called for and organised and we took our chances with the first of the cooks on dinner. Not a bad job.  Rounders followed and it turned out to be a highly competitive and excellent game.  Colm hadn't arrived yet to annoy everybody with quizzes (specifically the Megaquiz) and there was some worry about all the pocket money now resting in his bank account, he being fond of spending vast amounts of money in gear shops.

Above: Patrol Leader Leigh Cheevers - need we say more...

Monday morning and the sun was not shining - it was supposed to be sunny in Blackwell - I mean come on this wasn't Kerry.  In fact it was raining kind of heavy so we stayed in bed for a while.  After a slow breakfast we started the Blackwell Orienteering Course with 20 points to find.  Control number four was particularly hard to locate but Cian and Simon managed it and came out on top. Then it was time to build something for us to sit on and eat off of and a tremendously big table and seating was constructed by Dean's patrol.  Cian's patrol meanwhile worked with Kevin on the gate while Leigh’s lads started a flagpole.  For a flag we were sadly reduced to a red and white tea towel - the much mocked flag from last year having been left in Waterford and eventually the flagpole was incorporated into our impressive gate. Having used up most of Blackwell's supply of “twine”, we were off for a few activities - namely the climbing and abseiling and the archery. 

Above: Colm at the crux of the climbing tower.
Below: Ginter and Adam consider their options on the climbing tower.

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We were split into two groups for the activities with an hour or so at each.  Everyone got on to the climbing wall anyway and most made it to the top making use of one huge hold in particular that was filled with water.  It was in the archery though that things got very competitive with the group score of Kevin, Paschal and Deirdre being the one to beat.  Their 46 wasn't bettered though. Bill, Ruairi and Adam meanwhile seemed to be trying hard to shoot the squirrels rather than the targets.  Simon proved to have a good eye for the target but there were a few that will remain nameless that didn't see too many bull’s-eyes.  Remember feet uphill lads and stay away from those crooked arrows.

Above: Adam sights the squirrels at the Blackwell Court archery range.

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For dinner there was a mountain of chicken, diced expertly by David and cooked masterfully with the addition of lots of veg and a tasty sweet and sour sauce by Marian, Dean and Emlyn under the watchful eye of Deirdre. It was devoured.  The Megaquiz in honour of Bro. Virgilius who sadly passed away during the year was next.  Bro. Virgilius had tested several generations of scouts with his late night quizzes on De La Salle and even Regional camps and they were always hotly contested.  One of his classic questions was always how many wheels are in the field which unfortunately Colm couldn’t ask (as there were none). After impressive performances in the odd one out round, it was time for bed as there was talk of a hike in the morning.

Above: Master chefs Anthony and Jordan hard at work on the sweet and sour.

The Lickey Hills were sort of the destination for the hike.  They boast the highest point in County Worcestershire or something like that.  Fortunately Cian, partially guided by Colm were on charge of the first leg of the navigation so there was very little chance of us ever getting to such a miserable spot.  We started well with a traverse across the golf course (hadn't we done the same thing last time?) and this led us on to a road but which road?  The map was obviously drawn all wrong.  We passed Pike's Pool lane and a sign for Burcot and a sign for Blackwell and a farm we had passed before and yes indeed we were going around in circles. Paschal suggested that we had gone wrong about 5 metres outside the campsite and while Colm countered that there is no such thing as the wrong way, he admitted that it is always nice to be going somewhere as distinct from going around in circles.  We ploughed on into a field that was supposed to have a path (but didn't) and after negotiating a smelly pool of water, several barbed wire fences and somebody's back garden we were back on the road.

Above: On the hike back from Bromsgrove.

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The town of Bromsgrove became the new destination with its promise of a shop and food. Most of us ate at the most complicated fast food outlet on earth - Subway.  What is it with all this choosing bread and bread lengths and then fillings and the toppings and do you want it toasted and do you want a cookie or a bag of crisps and do you want to eat in or take out and do you want a drink from the fridge or one from a cup with free refills and if those videos of the leaders slobbering over their lunch end up on YouTube there will be trouble... On the way back we had to cross another golf course and we used a few public rights of way that hadn't seen much traffic in this century.  There were attacking sheep and piles of stinking sheepskins to deal with but we made it back in time for the next round of activities.  Half of us were headed for the zip wire while the rest were off on the grass sleds.

Above: Richard gets his hair done by the Blackwell Court staff.

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Above: Ruairi looking way too calm on the zipline.

Being close to the ground means that you can build up a fair bit of speed on those grass sleds.  Niall Nugent was judged to be the most talented pilot with his ability to get completely out of control and then snatch it back again just in time. Meanwhile on the second longest zipwire in the United Kingdom the lads were getting strapped up, walking up the steps and flinging themselves down the field towards a tree.  Keep the knees high was the secret to a fast flight. Dinner was spag bol and cooks for the night - Colm Mullally, Ruaidhri and Cian did another fine job. The good feed was going to be needed as tomorrow looked like we would need to be able to move plus the vending machines were now empty.

Above: Emlyn gets ahead of Richard at the grass sledging.

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There were people eating fruit for breakfast that had only ever seen apples on the telly before.  Toast from our new gas toaster gadget had also become very popular but it was definitely fruit sugar that would be needed for the assault course.  It wasn't a bad course - over a rope bridge, through a tunnel, over a tough high bar, across tree stumps and hanging ropes, through a few different tyre obstacles and finally a run to the finish. The patrols went first with Cian's crew coming out on top and then came the individual rounds.  Early competitors came in at 4 and 5 minutes with Brian taking an early lead before Simon set the marker at 2.20.  This was matched only by Cian and a draw was called.  Finally the leaders decided to take on the patrol time and finished in a quite poor last place.

Above: Alex in perfect balance on the assault course.

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Next up was a patrol challenge to get the patrol through a spider's web without touching any of the strands.  I can't recall who won this but Jordan made by far the best and most dramatic dive through a section of the web. Next up was Ginter's giant Sticks game which went fairly well once we had figured out how to drop the sticks.  After that we attempted a few human pyramids with the patrol ones going well but the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 crew only held it together for a few seconds. 

Above: Giant "Sticks" has us puzzled at Blackwell Court.

We needed lunch before Kevin, Deirdre and Peter's attacked us with more initiative tests in the afternoon and then we were back in our groups for more on the zipwires and the grass sleds.  This time there were crashes and tears and several upside down runs down the zipline.  Hats off to Ginter who was pretty much upside down and to Peter who gave the loudest ever scream heard in Blackwell Court.  Descents with the best hairstyles went to Richard and Adam. The risk assessment for the grass sleds states that only persons under 15 years of age may use them so what was this about one of the leaders cracking a rib?

Above: Leigh's patrol manage an impressive pyramid.

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The dinners were becoming more extravagant by the day with Ginter becoming increasingly bewildered by the ingredients being demanded. Whatever happened to spuds and chops? Today was a chicken curry whipped up by Leigh, Jordan and Anthony with Colm on hand to add seeds, corn, mangetout and even carrots. Fried carrots in a curry! - why not? It was a good meal although the rice was a little on the under cooked side.  Meanwhile David Fan achieved an incredible score of 217 on Extreme Bop It the game which Colm had brought along seemingly to annoy himself. Kevin also gave it a good effort to be fair but only just got his head above the eighty mark.

Above: Ruaidhri and Colm prepare the pineapple starter and create a friend for Wilson.

The Big Eight roller coasters at Alton Towers were our target for Thursday - they are namely - Nemesis, Air, Oblivion, Enterprise, Ripsaw, Blade, Submission and Rita Queen of Speed.  On the last visit we had only had to do the Big Five so this time our visit was going to be quite a challenge.  How many would make all eight and would too many be distracted and tempted away by the extreme tea cupping?  Niall, Ruaidhri, Cian and Dean got ahead of Peter, Deirdre and Colm by getting on Rita Queen of Speed early and sneaking through with just a 35 minute queue.  Later the leader trio faced a two hour wait while the ride was being fixed and while they slowly starved. 

Above: Ripsaw survivors Peter, David, David, Colm and Deirdre.

They had started the day with Ginter and Kevin in tow but abandoned both for being too chicken (Kevin) and not up to running at 10k race pace around Alton Towers (Ginter). Another challenger was David Fan whose biggest achievement after staying almost completely dry on Ripsaw was in getting Bill and Adam to go on Oblivion.  Even if Bill had his eyes closed that was fair going.  Colm meanwhile got what he deserved on Ripsaw - a thorough soaking, after insisting on sitting in the middle of the front row.  After much running from the leaders they just about snatched the Big Eight but the day went to Niall, Cian and Dean who even snuck in a few extras and one of the big eight twice.  Back on the bus most people were as wet as they would be after a good rainy day on the Comeraghs. We were wrecked and for dinner tonight, Kevin was sent to the chipper. It was a good day.

Above: Planning the route to take in the next six roller coasters.

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We had a bit of a lie in on Friday morning and gave the campsite the once over before heading for Pike's Pool and a few activities down there.  First off was a game of manhunt with Simon, Brian and Jordan all completely alluding capture first by the PLs and then even by the leaders. A course in tracking signs followed which Kevin bravely gave by the edge of the pool.  Before lunch came the challenge of a patrol relay race around the pool.  Peter gave some running tips before each runner was dropped at their relay point. Dean's patrol put in a mighty performance and took the first two rounds.  The third ended in chaos with Cian losing the rag a bit and accusing Leigh of obstruction.  As was rightly pointed out nobody said that obstruction wasn't allowed. It was sausage and rasher sandwiches for lunch with Jordan and Cian on the pan and Colm on hand to smash the olive oil bottle. Nothing like a hearty lunch before heading back for a swim at Blackwell Court.

Above: Engrossed in Kevin's workshop on tracking signs.

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That night our field was strangely invaded by a monster truck, by a creepy Krusty the Clown and by a not half bad fireworks display.  A gaggle of Beavers, Cubs and a few scouts had descended on Blackwell to celebrate 100 years of scouting.  Not to be outdone we organised our own campfire led by Kevin who was in fine voice.  Highlights included Marian leading us in "My Name is Joe" while the dancing in "The Battle of Waterloo" was fairly shocking as usual.

Above: Breakfast in Birmingham? - Sushi of course.

The next morning we had another hike but this time it was back to Barnt Green to get the train to Birmingham City Centre.  The leaders were obviously well up for the challenge of not losing any scouts in the centre of a major UK city on the busiest day of the week and while mostly based in one of Europe's largest city centre shopping centres.  We split into groups of four or five with a leader with each.  Colm was strangely assigned to the skateboarding crew even though all of his clothes actually fit him properly and he never balances caps strangely on his head.  Kevin was with the younger scouts and hoped to bring them to Waterstones and Costa Coffee. Deirdre had her hopes on getting Dean and the lads into Top Shop while Peter was hoping to get Ruairi and Ruaidhri and Anthony to run a few laps of the Bull Ring. 

Above: The lads at the Bull Ring in Birmingham City Centre.

In the end a skateboard shop was found, decks were acquired, four too many customised teddy bears were bought and nobody was murdered at the Birmingham rag market.  Who knows somebody in Waterford might even end up with a present out of the day.  The toughest shoppers stayed on a bit longer to go in search of gear at Snow and Rock while the rest headed back to the campsite.

Above: Fine moves from Simon in Birmingham.

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The last night on camp used to be called “mad night”.  Tents were knocked, toothpaste was used for the first time on camp, leaders could find themselves waking up in the swimming pool and so on.  Things are calmer these days although the water fight before dinner got a bit hairy with Kevin and the PLs leading a pitched battle against the APLs and Simon and a few others. Scouts were captured and escaped (easily from Leigh) and the battle raged on until everyone had got a bit of a soaking.  This was after all the only day that it didn't rain on camp. The last dinner on camp is always a strange mix of food and this year was no exception with melon, burgers, sausages, rashers, peppers, custard, cheese, bread, onions and cake all making it into the mix. After knocking the gate and table we took it easy for rest of the evening, there were a few songs, (well really there was one song, well sung that lasted more than an hour and in which everyone featured). Sunday would be about breaking camp and packing gear and rushing for the bus and the plane and having a load off stuff confiscated by airport security and about going home but for the last hour on Saturday none of that mattered at all.

Above: Yeah he is nuts: Niall.

The 3^rd De La Salle Scout Troop Annual Camp 2007 awards were as follows (they weren’t announced on camp but here they are now): The Big Eight Completers: Dean, Cian, Niall, Colm, Peter and Deirdre. The Big Seven and Nastiest Blisters of the week award: Ruaidhri. Megaquiz Winners: The Stag Patrol. Most customised teddy bears purchased: Alex White. Best hairstyles while on a zipline: Adam and Richard. Chef of the week: Jordan Flynn.  Highest Extreme Bop It Score, best rasher fryer and best use of a phone charger as a weapon: David Fan. Best city centre skateboard jump and best climbing moves: Simon Gaffney. Maddest laugh and biggest mop of hair: Colm Mullally. Patrol Leader's Merit Award: Leigh Cheevers.  Strangest Voice: Ruairi.  Most time spend on a phone or blackberry: Kevin.  Best spaghetti cook and best crash on the grass sleds: Deirdre.  Biggest gash on his leg, best Jelly Baby shopper and loudest ever scream on a camp: Peter. Most improved hiker and most improved hairstyle: Emlyn Farrell.  Most hysterical laugher: Marian O'Connell. Best Washer Upper Award (sponsored again by Zanussi): Anthony.

Above:  I wouldn't mind a roasted rabbit for supper.

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This year's most lunatic camper award went naturally to Niall Nugent. Scout Engineer's merit award went to Dean for the sturdy table.  In his final year, Cian was bestowed with the ginger outburst award and was saluted for not changing his socks once in seven days and getting away with it. Bill Carton was the easy winner of the longest time spent with his eyes shut on the world's highest vertical drop roller coaster (180 ft drop at 87.9° degrees into a dark tunnel followed by a 180° banked turn) and for the best roll down a hill while Brian Haughney had no competition for the most booming voice and best slide down a telegraph pole.  Paschal was commended for the longest ever time spent in a Vango Hydra (he got into it on Tuesday night and never seemed to come out) and for being the best archer.  Finally Colm awarded Ginter with the De La Salle Brother's becoming Brother Finbarr award while Ginter awarded Colm with the De La Salle Brother's becoming Brother Virgilius Award.

Above: Expert chef: Jordan.

All in all, plenty of bows must be taken for the 3rd De La Salle Scout Troop's Annual Camp 2007.  The Patrol Leaders were excellent, the Assistant Patrol Leaders were superb and the scouts were all first class. The Chefs and cooks did a distinguished job and the washers and cleaner uppers were exemplary.  The pioneering, climbing, abseiling, archery, grass sledding, rounders and card playing hiking, orienteering, running, swimming, quiz answering, assault course completion, campfire singing, shopping and initiative test solving all went perfectly. Nobody required a visit to a hospital, the vet or prison and the leaders kept things running like clockwork. It did rain once or twice I think but it didn't matter as the craic was good and it was camp.