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Sprinkbok Scouting Award - Tamlyn Meyer

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 Tamlyn Meyer was recently awarded the Springbok badge in scouting. This badge is the highest achievement a scout can obtain in the scouting movement. Scouting, traditionally a boy's domain, allowed girls to enter their movement in 2000. This was when Tamlyn officially joined the Constantia/Naruna scouting group, having completed and attained the top award (Chiefs Challenge) in Guiding. 

Tamlyn’s personal goal - to obtain the Springbok badge - involved many weekends of attending various courses (many of which she was the only girl) and hours of dedication, ensuring that she passed the various stages of her development. After each course she was tested at the same level as the boys and was given no latitude because she was a girl. She progressed through various levels consisting of map reading, camping, pioneering, 1st Aid, Survival Hiking as well as personal and inter personal development. These courses made up Tamlyn’s 1st Class Level and the next level was the explorer. She chose the sea explorer route and completed the following courses - 1st Aid, Helmsman (sailing), Boatman (Rowing), Life Saver, Canoeist and Cook. Over and above these she earned 18 other interest badges.

To complete the final requirements of the Springbok award took many hours of planning. Tamlyn had to set out a detailed proposal, which had to be approved by the area scouting committee before commencement. The main components were as follows:

  • Lead a group of scouts in a community project for 40 hours.
  • Do a presentation to an audience of scouts, parents and area committee members on the 
    importance of mutual respect between people of different race, gender or culture.
  • Construction project - a model of a suspension bridge, scale 1 in 20, was first constructed, then Tamlyn lead a team of scouts in the building of it.
  • Lead a group of scouts on a hike for 3 days and 2 nights on the mountain. The hike had to cover a route never hiked before by using maps and survival methods. A log of her hike, plus detailed maps and tasks had to be compiled and forwarded to the area scout committee for their scrutiny.
  • The final task was to appear before a panel of senior scout members who questioned her on her knowledge of scouting and where she sees the future in scouting for young people.

Attaining the Springbok badge is truly an achievement for a young person, but especially so because this is traditionally a man's domain - as is the organisation.

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This page was last updated on 19 November 2003 05:22