Written by Kayleigh Timmer, Impeesa Rover
One of the things I have loved about Rovers and the Rover Programme is its flexibility. It’s truly possible to tailor your path to the BP Award to suit your interests, timeframe and circumstances. This has meant that I, as a person who prefers art and history and isn’t the greatest fan of typical outdoorsy things, can focus on awards and projects which appeal to me. The flexibility of the Rover programme also makes Rovering more accessible, and more cost effective. In my Crew most of us are still studying and therefore don’t have the funds to spend on petrol to far-away locations, pricey accommodation or expensive activities. Because the Rover programme is designed to accommodate this, we are able to have activities which fit our budget.
My Leadership Bar Expedition is a perfect example of how the flexibility of the Rover programme enables us to have fun and engaging activities which suit our personal interests and financial situations.
We’re very quick to decide to go off to the Drakensberg, or the Midlands, or the South Coast, or anywhere but home, in search of adventure and interesting things. This means that we neglect all the fascinating sites which are right on our doorstep. In light of this, for my Leadership Bar Expedition, I chose to tour some of Durban’s museums and galleries, which I, and others, had always spoken about visiting but never quite gotten to. I got to embrace and feed my interest in South African art and history, along with other Rovers who share these interests, and because the museums and galleries we visited had no entrance fee, this was a low-cost adventure.
It’s truly possible to tailor your path to BP to suit your circumstances.
And it really was an adventure! We stayed at the beautiful BP Scout Camp in Durban, which is situated within 10km of all the locations on our itinerary. A relaxed Friday evening was followed by a busy Saturday, when we embarked on our culture tour of Durban. Our first stop was breakfast at a local bakery and a visit to a popular secondhand bookstore. We then visited the KwaMuhle Museum in the CBD, which was a powerful, informative and poignant experience for all of us. The museum houses remnants of the apartheid era and tells stories of those who suffered as a result of and resisted the apartheid regime. Our next stop was the Durban Natural Science Museum and Durban Art Gallery. The Natural Science Museum has amazing exhibits of animals ranging from tiny frogs and butterflies to leopards, elephants and a T-Rex statue. Unfortunately most of the Durban Art Gallery was closed to the public, but the artworks on show did not disappoint. The next stop was the KwaZulu-Natal Society of Arts, or KZNSA, where we saw more fascinating South African artworks, followed by a walk in the Durban Botanic Gardens.
“The weekend was an absolute blast. I think it’s easy to to take for granted what we have around us and our history because it’s constantly there. However, it was very refreshing to be able to explore and learn so much about it with friends.” adds Zama Mazibuko, Impeesa Rover Crew Chairperson and KZN Youth Influencer.
Matthew Berry, fellow Impeesa Rover, agrees. “It was an eye-opening experience to explore the various places that are essentially hidden gems within the CBD. It’s changed my perspective of the experiences you can have in the heart of Durban. It made me realize the importance of going outside your little bubble to explore.”
I believe that it’s important not to forget and neglect the opportunities we have within our city. It was an affordable, educational adventure that may be different from typical Scouting activities, but because the Rover programme is so accessible and flexible, its an adventure I was able to organise and we’re all very glad to have been on.