Australian Rover Moots are the major national Scouts Australia outdoor event run by Rovers Scouts.
Activities include off-site excursions, overnight hikes, and acts of service.
A moot is a gathering of Rover Scouts (generally called Rovers); The Old English word "moot" means assembly or gathering. It was named by Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scouting Movement in a letter to Percy Bantock Neville who was charged with coordinating a gathering of rovers at Royal Albert Hall, London in 1926. [1] The 1928 moot in Birmingham with now-Acting Chief Rover Commissioner Neville had 1500 rovers in attendance. [2]
The first World Rover Moot was held in 1931 at Kandersteg, Switzerland. The late-1939 Third World Rover Moot in Monzie, Scotland was attended by a number of Australian rovers, [3] [4] including one who had the honour of piping up the flag on the castle keep. [5]
World rover moots have also held in Melbourne, in 1961 (7th World) [6] and 1990–91 (8th World).
Within Australia, various states initiated their own moots, and in time, districts within a state.
The Frankston jamboree saw a moot opened by Lord Baden-Powell at 3.30 pm on Saturday 12 January 1935, and continued until about 3.30 pm the following afternoon. [22] [23] Supplying one's own rations, reports were tabled, the meaning of rover service examined, a Rovers' own speaker, the 'future of a rover', and conference presentations from a number of Australian states and countries such as Ceylon, India, and British Malaya. [22]
A joint Victorian and South Australian "Rover Easter Moot" was held in early-1948 in the Grampians, as preparation for the Melbourne 1948–1949 Pan-Pacific Boy Scout Jamboree. [24] The moot included hikes and informal discussions.
Australian Capital Territory held a moot in mid-June 1982 at Canberry Fair, expecting up to 350 rovers (many from NSW and Victoria), to celebrate the fiftieth year of rovering in the territory. [25] An 11–13 June 1988 ACT moot expected 120 rovers, with activities including iron-man, iron-woman, campfires, and fancy-dress bush dance. [26]
National moots were established in 1951. They have since been held every three years, typically lasting from nine to eleven days each, and are run by each state on a rotating basis.
No. | Name | Location | Dates | Participants | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jubilee Moot | Oatley Park, Sydney, New South Wales | 26 December 1951 to 1 January 1952 | 700 [27] | This was the last official function for the State of NSW's jubilee year programme. [27] Activities included open-air movie films, archery, gold-panning, cliff rescue demonstrations, decorated vehicle competition, and bush cricket matches. [28] Contingents attended from New Zealand and New Guinea. |
2 | 2nd Australian Rover Moot | Warburton, Victoria | December 1957 to January 1958 | ||
3 | 3rd Australian Rover Moot | Barney Gorge, Queensland | 28 December 1959 to 2 January 1960 [29] | 180 [29] : 6 | Recent rains created challenges as the site could only be accessed by 4WD. [29] : 5 Activities including hiking the 1,358 metres (4,455 ft) Mount Barney, swimming, wide games, spear throwing and boomerang throwing, and a campfire. [29] : 10 At the conclusion of the moot, there was a supper-dance at the Brisbane City Hall, with rangers from the Girl Guides. [29] : 8, 13 |
4 | 4th Australian Rover Moot | Numinbah Valley, Queensland | 28 December 1969 to January 1970 [30] | 269 [30] : 14 | Each moot group consisted of 15 rovers and one rover scouter. There were also 16 camp showers, a telephone to Moot HQ, a twelve-bed hospital, electrical power, a large waterhole floodlit at night capable of holding 300 people, and opportunities to visit the Gold Coast beaches. [30] : 14 There was also a moot scarf and every participant got two moot badges. [30] : 14 |
5 | 5th Australian Rover Moot | University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia | December 1971 to January 1972 | The moot was opened by the Governor-General. [31] | |
6 | 6th Australian Rover Moot | Sydney, New South Wales | December 1974 to January 1975 | ||
7 | It's a Moot Point, 7th Australian Rover Moot | YABAMAC Scout Camp, Upper Plenty, Victoria | 28 December 1977 to 7 January 1978 [32] | Also the 1st Asia-Pacific Rover Moot. [32] YABAMAC was the Yarra-Bateman Area Memorial Activity Centre; [32] The site was destroyed in the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires. [33] | |
8 | 8th Australian Rover Moot | Baden-Powell Park, Samford, Queensland | December 1980 to January 1981 | Also the 2nd Asia-Pacific Rover Moot. | |
9 | 9th Australian Rover Moot | Gowrie Park, Tasmania | December 1983 to January 1984 | Also the 4th Asia-Pacific Rover Moot. | |
10 | Bound for South Australia, 10th Australian Rover Moot | Woodhouse scout campsite, Piccadilly, South Australia | 29 December 1986 to 9 January 1987 [34] | 900 [35] | Activities included parachuting, gliding, hiking, scuba diving, and abseiling. [35] This was also a "World Invitational" moot, with contingents included from Canada, Indonesia, Japan, New Guinea, New Zealand, and Nordic countries; who also staged cultural displays. [35] |
11 | Get caught in the ACT, 11th Australian Rover Moot | Camp Cotter, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | December 1989 to January 1990 | Also the 6th Asia-Pacific Rover Moot. | |
12 | Go West and Discover, 12th Australian Rover Moot | Woodman Point, Perth, Western Australia | December 1992 to January 1993 | Also the 7th Asia-Pacific Rover Moot. | |
13 | the aNSWer, 13th Australian Rover Moot | Cataract Scout Park, Appin, Sydney, New South Wales | December 1995 to January 1996 | Also the 8th Asia-Pacific Rover Moot. | |
14 | YeaMoot, 14th Australian Rover Moot | Mafeking Rover Park, Yea, Victoria | December 1998 to January 1999 | Also the 10th Asia-Pacific Rover Moot. | |
15 | 15th Australian Rover Moot | Landsborough, Queensland | December 2001 to January 2002 | Also the 12th Asia-Pacific Rover Moot. | |
16 | Tassiemoot, 16th Australian Rover Moot | Lake Barrington, Wilmot, Tasmania | December 2004 to January 2005 | ||
17 | Aussiemoot, 17th Australian Rover Moot | Cataract Scout Park, Appin, Sydney, New South Wales | 30 December 2007 to 12 January 2008 | The event included a five-day expedition, as well as on-site and off-site activities. [36] | |
18 | Ozmoot, 18th Australian Rover Moot | Woodhouse scout campsite, Piccadilly, South Australia | December 2010 to January 2011 (13 days) | 303 [37] | Activities included house boating, water skiing, and hiking Kangaroo Island. [37] The moot also hosted the 5th Australian Rover Forum at the Woodhouse Activity Centre on 11 January 2011. [38] Originally 600 rovers expressed interest in attending, which created financial pressures (noting Victoria's SurfMoot a few weeks later attracted 800 rovers). [37] |
19 | WAM (Western Australian Moot), 19th Australian Rover Moot | Woodman Point Recreation Camp, Fremantle, Western Australia | 30 December 2013 to 10 January 2014 [39] | 600 [40] [41] | Expeditions included scuba diving at Pelican Point and Rottnest Island, rock climbing, caving, sky diving, and the 'Rotto Rampage'. [42] Service activities included cleaning up the East Perth cemeteries. [43] Participants included contingents from Canada, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, and Sweden. [40] |
20 | The Moot, 20th Australian Rover Moot | Mafeking Rover Park, Yea, Victoria | December to January 2017 | ||
21 | CBR Moot, 21st Australian Rover Moot | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | 30 December 2019 to 10 January 2020 [44] | CBR is the abbreviation of Canberra, and also stood for 'Creating Better Rovers'. Also the 13th Asia-Pacific Rover Moot. Activities included mountain biking, a Riverina experience, diving, and an Amazing Race style expedition. [44] A second part of the moot was cancelled due to uncertain fire conditions with the January bushfires (and the moot tagline quipped as "Continually Being Relocated"). [45] The base fee was A$900 to attend. [44] | |
22 | AIM (Apple Isle Moot), 22nd Australian Rover Moot | Forth, Tasmania | 31 December 2022 to 8 January 2023 [46] | 520 rovers, 80 staff [47] | Activities included local food tours, 4WD tours, giant board games, disc golf course, cultural activities, Cradle Mountain hiking, and scuba diving. [47] |
23 | Way Out West (WOW) Moot, 23rd Australian Rover Moot [48] | Woodman Point Recreation Camp, Fremantle, Western Australia | 31 December 2026 to 10 January 2027 | The expedition component will see participants going afar as Esperance and Broome. [48] The base fee is A$1000 to attend. | |
The Eastman Trophy, presented by the Eastman Rover Crew, Palmerston North, New Zealand, in January 1978, is presented to the winner of a state-versus-state competition run during a moot. It is made of wood. [40]
The 2010–2011 Ozmoot activities included 10Ten cricket, water melon rugby, chariot races, and four-way tug-of-war. [37]
The 2013–2014 WAM events included chess, tug-o-war, and a relay race. [42]
For the 2019–2020 CBR Moot, activities started with a scavenger hunt on opening night. [49]
(1980–2014 PDF)