Written by Jaydon Tay
On 18 February 2023, the Troop gathered for our annual Investiture, excited and hopeful for opportunities to challenge and prove themselves as Scouts. 升旗 was led by the SPL of 2022, Joshua Lee, the final one before the Secondary 4s would step down from their leading roles within the Troop or be promoted into Venture Scouts. Shortly thereafter, the Investiture ceremony began.
The Investiture ceremony is an important occasion to recognise and reward the strong efforts and commitments made by Scouts in the past year towards the Troop as well as scouting. It also heralds the beginning of a new chapter as the seniors pass their responsibilities on to the juniors of the Troop, entrusting them with its well-being and future.
Celebrating 2022
Closing out the previous year, we first held the prize presentation. Congratulations to Cayden Ng of Tiger Patrol, Josiah Chia of Tiger Patrol, and Bryan Quan of Cobra Patrol for winning the awards for Best Secondary One, Two, and Three Scout respectively. As for the Best Patrol of 2022, it is Rhino Patrol!
An acknowledgement of the awardees’ outstanding performance throughout the year, the awards also serve to motivate the Scouts to improve themselves and their Patrol to become the best version of themselves.
Investiture Ceremony
Next, led by their PLs, the Secondary 2 Scouts marched up to receive their Troop scarves, given by our Group Scout Leader (GSL) Mr Andrew Chua. They placed one hand on the Troop’s flagpole while raising their other hand in a Scout salute to recite the Scout Promise. As a show of unity and brotherhood, the rest of the Troop followed suit and raised their hands in salute, reciting the Scout Promise not only in English, but also in Chinese.
By putting on the Troop scarf, the newly invested Scouts were recognised as Catholic High Scouts. It symbolised the trust put in them to put the Troop before themselves as well as the expectation of achieving the high standards of a Catholic High Scout.
For the new Patrol Leaders’ Council (PLC), this investiture embodied the faith placed in them that they will lead the Troop to success for the coming year. Their promotion, not only an honour and a responsibility, also recognise their potential to achieve excellence for themselves and in turn, the Troop.
The promotion of 9 new Venture Scouts now brings the total strength of the Venture unit to a formidable 24. Working behind the scenes to help plan and execute activities for the Scouts, the Ventures not only ensure a steady progression for the Scouts, but will also continue to develop themselves as they gain new experiences in helping to run the Troop and through their own training.
After the ceremony, the Patrols took photos to commemorate this wonderful occasion and the continuation of their scouting journey as a Patrol. To end off the day, the new SPL of 2023, Josiah Chia, led 降旗 for the Troop, his first of many in the coming year.
The Road Ahead
The Investiture ceremony is an important event that holds a special meaning for everyone in the Troop. A time to let everyone reflect on the past year, Investiture is when we will assess ourselves and our scouting journey, finding out where we should improve to push our limits in the coming year further.
Looking forward, the arrival of the new year comes with new challenges and obstacles, ones that will be met head-on to ensure that the Troop comes out on top.
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