Welcome to Issue #2 of Hume: Leading the Way
A busy few weeks across the Region — from a restructure of how Hume Region is run to award-winning Districts, a milestone medal, and the countdown to our 80th Anniversary celebrations.
There's plenty to celebrate, plenty to plan for, and — as always — plenty of ways for your Group to get involved. Don't miss the Commissioner's Bulletin either, linked above, for Ray Read's full wrap-up as Acting Region Commissioner.
Hume Region Is Restructuring — Expressions of Interest Sought
With a lot of changes happening in Scouting in NSW, we have decided it is time for Hume Region to undertake a restructure to ensure we set up for the future and have a structure that helps us moving forward to meet these challenges. The Hume Region Executive, property committee and camp committees will cease in their current formats at the end of October and be replaced by a new structure in November. All positions will be vacated, and we are seeking expressions of interest for these roles.
In the new structure, the role of Region Executive won't change, however each person on the executive will be responsible for a specific portfolio. Rather than having multiple people on the same committees, each person on the executive will have their own specific team to look after their portfolio and report back to the Region Executive.
If you have an interest in any of these portfolios, either in the executive or a role within these portfolios, we would love to hear from you. To ensure we have the right people, we are seeking expressions of interest not only from our uniformed leaders, but also parent helpers and community supporters. If everyone can do a little bit, no one has to do a lot.
If you have an interest in any of the following areas, we would love to hear from you:
- Accounting — we are also seeking a Region Treasurer
- Facilities management
- Facilities maintenance
- Supplier negotiation
- Strategic management
- IT
- Marketing & Promotion
- Grants and fundraising
- Activities and events
- Adult training and development
- Work health and safety
- HR
Please pass this on to parents and anyone outside our organisation who may be interested.
Register your interest with the Hume Region Office:
hume.region@nsw.scouts.com.auDistrict Reports
Southern Highlands District
Southern Highlands Scouts continue to actively seek adventure and skill development through the guidance and training of our competent and trained leaders. Whether the skills learnt are vertical skills, cycling skills, hiking or camping, the District's Scouts enjoy scouting to the fullest.
Moss Vale Scouts are continuing to grow and prosper, and the program of events offered by this small but active group is outstanding. The Joeys and Cubs have spent the past few months working through their OAS Skills and SIA challenges.
Mittagong Scouts continue to push the boundaries of adventure and have been learning and honing their skills around cycling, vertical skills and much more, and Bargo Scouts continue to be active in their local community and are looking forward to the upcoming Humeoree Adventure.
We have a new trainee Group Leader at Mittagong (Faith Dent) and a new trainee Group Leader at Bargo (Stephanie Roughley), and I continue to oversee and guide these new leaders in their new roles. I also congratulate Peter Crispin and Geoff Hawke on reaching 10 years of service as a leader recently. Each group has designed and issued new scarf badges, which have been well received.
Keep up the great work, Southern Highlands District!
Powell's Creek District
Congratulations to the following Leaders in Powell's Creek District on being awarded:
- Special Service Award — Daniel Thiele
- Meritorious Service Award — Stephen Berlecky, Sarah Berlecky, Lorraine Brooks
Congratulations also to Alisha Wickman from 1st Sefton on achieving her Joey Scout Challenge Award. Well done — a giant HOP HOP!
Thank you to every Leader and Committee member for all their hard work — your Group would not be able to survive without all the hours you put in. Thank you, too, to the Families for allowing you to put so much time away from them.
All Leaders and Communities are invited to attend a combined meeting at 1st Yaralla Hall on 24 November at 7:30 pm.
Nepean District Represents at Belgenny Farm
Stories where Joey Scouts, Cub Scouts, Scouts, Venturer Scouts and Rover Scouts have taken responsibility for their own activities.
Thank you to the awesome leaders and youth of Nepean District looking after the Belgenny Farm Scout promotional stand on Saturday 8 August. Leaders and youth came from Camden South, Cobbitty, Narellan and The Oaks to represent Hume Region for the day.
It was a great day, with plenty of young people coming through and a lot of interest in Scouting. A number of visitors used the QR code on the day as well, which highlights the benefit of getting out and about with the public. Bravo, Nepean District!
Community promotional stands only work because youth members show up and represent their Groups with pride. Every conversation a young person has on a stand like this is a small act of leadership — speaking up for something they believe in.
Recognising the People Behind Hume Scouting
Region Commissioner's Award for Achievement — 1st Green Valley
Congratulations to Joanne George and Jo-Ellen Martin from 1st Green Valley on being presented with the Region Commissioner's Award for Achievement at 1st Green Valley Scout Group's Joey, Cub and Scout 65th Birthday celebrations on Sunday 9 August 2026 at Glenfield Scout Activity Centre.
Over the past few years, both Joanne and Jo-Ellen have worked hard to reinvigorate 1st Green Valley from a Group that was close to closure into a thriving, positive and community-connected Group. Well done to everyone at 1st Green Valley, and especially to Joanne and Jo-Ellen on your well-deserved recognition!
The Yoda Medal Turns 30
2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the Yoda Medal, 1996–2026.
Back in 1996, newly commissioned Scout Leader Sean "Yoda" Langshaw (now District Commissioner, Southern Highlands District) wanted a way to formally recognise the outstanding contribution made by young people in his troop. That desire began the process that created the Yoda Medal.
Awarded to a youth member who demonstrates the core Scouting values of friendship, leadership, compassion and personal development, the Yoda Medal strives to recognise Scouts who are also quiet achievers.
Since 1996, more than 50 Yoda Medals have been awarded to Scouts. The award now consists of a medal worn around the neck, a special cloth badge, a special pin badge and a framed certificate — quite an evolution from the original 1996 medallion and certificate. Over the past 30 years, the recipient has been decided through consultation with previous awardees, keeping "Youth Lead, Adult Supported" at the heart of the process.
Congratulations to every Yoda Medal recipient over the past 30 years — and to whoever is next. In this 30th year, a 2026 Yoda Medal announcement is coming soon.
Around the Region
Bookings, Camp Support and Shop Success
The Hume Region Scouts bookings website, bookings.humescouts.com, is proving to be a fantastic support for our Region, making it quicker and easier for members and groups to book our three regional camps.
The site is helping streamline the booking process, giving users a simple way to access camp information and arrange their visits. It is also becoming an important tool for camp staff, helping maintenance requests and other important information get through in a timely manner.
As the system continues to be fully implemented, it will also assist with WHS compliance by helping maintain effective records of important information, including First Aid Certificates. This supports our responsibilities as a PCBU (Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking) by helping ensure trained and competent people are available for first aid, along with suitable facilities.
We are proud of the progress made over the past 12 months to make our camps safer, better managed and easier to access. From a WHS perspective, this work is ongoing, and we remain committed to continuing these improvements across all our camp locations.
The Shop on the website has also been going very well, with strong interest in Region merchandise for the 80th celebrations, as well as historic badges that are far better out in the world being enjoyed by people who want them. Many more items are still to come, so make sure you keep an eye on the Shop.
Limited 80th Dinner tickets are also selling fast, so get in before they are sold out. Don't miss out on being part of this special celebration.
State Rally 2026 — Full Results
Following on from Issue #1's feature on 1st St Andrews' outstanding result, here are the full standings for the 8 Scout Patrols Hume Region sent to State Rally this year: 1st Bargo, 1st Camden South, 1st Cabarita Mortlake, 1st Ingleburn, 1st Narellan, 1st St Andrews and 1st Wattle Grove.
The Region's top patrols were:
- First — Capsized Ducks, 1st St Andrews (11th overall)
- Second — Team Time Heist, 1st Camden South (20th overall)
- Third — Back in my Day, 1st Cabarita Mortlake (76th overall)
A big thank you to the Scouts, Venturers and Leaders from Hume Region who provided 4 of the 36 activity bases over the weekend — by all accounts, it was hard to tell who was having more fun, the Scouts doing the bases or the Venturers and Leaders running them.
Raising Money to Render Service
Hume Region Scout Fellowship members were hard at work outside Bunnings, Campbelltown, raising funds to upgrade their own equipment so they can continue helping others. The Fellowship runs courses for Scouting youth in radios, frequencies and ham radio, along with First Aid, media training and book-writing courses — all of which need gear, equipment and maintenance kept up to date. Another great day for the Fellowship.
Be Part of History — Glenfield Pavers
Be part of history and get yourself or your group a paver at Glenfield Scout Activity Centre. There are four sizes to choose from depending on how much detail you want to include (or how big your family is!) — each paver holds 3 lines of text at up to 14 characters per line, so a double paver is 6 lines, a triple is 9, and so on.
A paper order form is also available from the Region Office.
A Visit to The Oaks Wollondilly Heritage Museum
1st The Oaks/Oakdale Scouts were delighted to visit The Oaks Wollondilly Heritage Museum for a special tour exploring the history of the local community. Volunteers Trish and Kevin showed the Scouts around the interactive museum, sharing stories, artefacts and fascinating pieces of local history. It was fantastic to see the Scouts so engaged — asking questions and discovering more about the place they call home. Thank you to the museum for having us, and we hope to visit again soon!
Hume Region Turns 80 — Dinner & Party
Hume Region is celebrating its 80th Anniversary with a special Dinner on Friday 23 October 2026 at Ingleburn RSL Club (70 Chester Road, Ingleburn), from 7:00 pm, smart casual dress. Tickets are $55 each and limited, so book early to avoid missing out. Please let us know of any dietary requirements when booking.
As part of the celebrations, Hume Region will also host an 80th Birthday Party on Sunday 25 October 2026 at Glenfield Scout Activity Centre — open to members of all ages, past and present.
For further information, contact the Hume Region Office on (02) 4628 4994 or hume.region@nsw.scouts.com.au.
We look forward to celebrating this milestone with you.
Opportunities From Our Community
Two items shared with us from outside Hume Region that a Group nearby might want to get involved in — not run by Scouts, but worth passing on.
Camden Colour Frenzy Fun Run — Sunday 27 September
Camden District Girl Guides will be volunteering at the Camden Colour Frenzy Fun Run on Sunday 27 September and are looking for a local community group to run the BBQ on the day — a great fundraising opportunity for a local club, school or sporting group. They'd also love to hear from individuals happy to volunteer alongside them, whether for an hour or the whole event. Groups interested in running the BBQ, or individuals wanting to volunteer, can get in touch with Camden District Girl Guides directly.
Bushfire Survival Plan Info Day — Sunday 20 September
Local Firefighters are hosting a community open day on 20 September to help residents get "Summer Ready" — with fire appliances and equipment on display, a visit from Smokey the Koala Bear, and resources to help you put together a Bushfire Survival Plan.
Hume: Leading the Way belongs to everyone across the Region
Groups, Units, youth members, adult volunteers, Region teams and Fellowship members are encouraged to contribute. You don't need to write a polished article.
Simply send us:
- What happened
- Where and when it happened
- Who was involved
- What the youth members achieved or learnt
- 2–4 good photographs
- Around 150–400 words — or just the information, and we can turn it into an article
Most importantly, tell us the story behind the activity.
hume.region@nsw.scouts.com.au