As with most things this spring, the 3rd Stoneleigh Scouts' Annual General Meeting and subsequent barbecue had to fit in with the World Cup. Short of putting a large screen in the park behind our illustrious committee members, we felt it prudent to postpone the meeting to a Sunday (11 June) free of crucial matches.

The "business" part of the meeting was conducted by Stuart Veitch, our church minister. The general conclusions were that the group had had a good year with strong packs at all levels and plenty of activities, camps, etc.

The AGM committee, shown seated above, comprised (from left to right) Nigel Bird (District Commissioner), Clifford Smith (Scouts' Leader), Steve Lee (Cubs' Leader), Cathy Prior (Beavers' Assistant), Stuart Veitch (Minister), Colin Watts (Group Chairman), Gopal Srinivasan (Treasurer) and Catherine Draper (secretary).

The ensuing barbecue was prepared by Steve Draper and Guiseppe Coffaro and appreciated by all.

As is customary at these events, once everyone's food had settled there was a general call to war (tug-o-war). The grand contest was between the men on one side and the ladies and children on the other. Last year the men were defeated and the feeling was that this embarassment should not be repeated. Of course the determination on the other side was equally strong, even descending to attempts at cheating. Nonetheless, even when the children had untied their end of the rope from the nearby tree, and after three attempts, the men still failed to win the day (much to the delight of the ladies and children). Never mind, it's all good fun eh (hint: don't forget to bring your football boots complete with extra long studs next year fellas).