GWS Waratah 2021 - Operation Dragnet

After a brief pause due to the pandemic, Waratah is back!

Activity Overview

The premise of Waratah this year is simple... From when we say go, your team has 36 hours to make your way to the finish line located somewhere in the forest spreadout before you. How you get there, when you get there, it is all up to you. The thing you need to remember is that you must work as a team as somewhere out in that forest are hunters prepared to take one of your teams 3 lives....

Be the first across the finish line after the ending time with the least number of lives lost and you will win Waratah 2021!

Venturers will be bussed into the forest from the Start point for this event and returned to the Start point by the time indicated.

Who can participate

This event is a GWS Venturer event that is open to all members of the Venturer Scout Section between the ages of 14 and 18. Scouts over the age of 13.5 are also welcome to attend as part of a team of Venturers (No more than 2 Scouts to any one patrol). Venturer Scouts over the age of 18 are welcome to attend as participants provided that there are 2 Venturers over the age of 18 in the patrol.

Anyone over the age of 18 for this event is welcome to attend as a Staff Member. Staff Members for this event, unless otherwise targeted will be assigned as part of a hunter pack and will have the job across the weekend of tracking Venturers in the forest.

Camping

All participants will be self-sufficient for the entire event and will be requried to carry all camping and food essentials with them under hiking conditions.

Staff for the event will be camping at a Base Camp site and will be catered for during the event. They should also be prepared to camp under hiking conditions.

Camping and Catering will be subject to stringant COVID restrictions at all times (See COVID-19 Considerations below).

All participants and staff will be provided with a saussage sizzle at the finish line of the event.

Membership Requirements

All members must remain financial and registered within ScoutLink from the time applciations close until the end of the event. 

All service and line leaders over the age of 18 must be cleared by Scouts Australia NSW to work with children and young people prior to the start of the camp. This includes any adult helpers who must have submitted an A2 form and been accepted by the group prior to the event closing date.

COVID-19 Considerations

 We are excited to be running Waratah again and hope that you will join us for this weekend. However as with all activtiies currently being planned for 2021 and into the future, we need to take into account the evolving situation with the COVID-19 Pandemic. This means that there will be changes to how we run Waratah this year, up to and including having to cancel this event at short notice. Please regulary check back to this page where we will provide any updates on how COVID will affect our ability to run Waratah.

Please do not attend Waratah 2021:

• If you are unwell, or are showing symptoms of COVID-19 we ask that you stay home, self-isolate and get tested. For more information on COVID-19 and testing, please visit https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/how-to-protect-yourself-and-others/symptoms-and-testing. Our refund policy allows that any person who stays home and provides medical evidence (Including a COVID-19 test) will recieve a refund for this event.
• If you have vistied a COVID-19 hotspot as identified by the NSW Government within the 14 days prior to this event. Information on COVID-19 Hotspots, both within NSW and Interstate can be found at https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19
• If you have been diagnosied with COVID-19 or otherwise and have been directed to Quarrentine or Self-Isolate by the NSW Government or a Medical or Healthcare Professional.