Smoke haze over Singapore casts cloud over scout camp

The smoky haze which plagued Singapore last month resulted in alast-minute change of plans for two Busselton scouts and a cub attending a camp.

Illegal slash and burn fires in Sumatra caused record levels of air pollution in Singapore and forced hundreds of schools to close.

The smoke meant Jarrod and Andrew Weston and Henry Brown, who were in Singapore for a camporee from June 19, had their outdoor activities cancelled.

“It was a bit disappointing because camping is a big part of scouting, but we still had fun doing lots of indoor stuff,” First Cape Naturaliste scout Andrew said.

The boys made the most of a difficult situation by visiting indoor attractions such as Singapore Discovery Centre and spending time at scout headquarters in the heart of the city.

“Singapore was very big and I was surprised by how natural it was,” fellow first Cape Naturaliste scout Jarrod said.

“There were plants everywhere. I wasn’t expecting that.”

Despite the haze, 5000 scouts and cubs from Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, China, Australia and Singapore joined in the camporee.

Second Busselton cub Henry said the best part was meeting and making friends with other cubs and scouts from different cultures.

The boys thanked the City of Busselton for partly funding the trip.