Today we celebrate love and healthy relationships #valentinesday. We know that there are many Scouting couples and families whose love story started when they met through Scouting. One such incredible couple is Gauteng Rover Regional Team Coordinator Dawn Ledbitter and her partner 6th Benoni Scout Group Troop Scouter Callan Peters. So how did Scouting spark their love-story?
“Looking back at these photos my heart is filled with so much gratitude. We met in 2016 when he was a participant on an Oars Charge course, and I was a tutor. He impressed me with his Sea Scout knowledge (he’s a landie 😊). Two years later, in 2018, we had an amazing time at the SA Rover Moot as friends. In 2021 everything changed. We started dating and he was my flag bearer for my BP Award Parade.” The BP Award is the highest personal advancement award a young adult can achieve in SCOUTS SA’s young adult development programme ‘Rovers’.
“Callan got me into rock climbing, and I got him into sailing. We’ve done a Cederberg together and most recently the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea. I got him into Adult Leader Training, and he got me into Youth Training. We are always pushing each other to be better and to try new and exciting things. He’s also the person I want to share all my adventures with, which, when you are Scout, is a LOT of adventures!
He’s my mentor in many ways. When I am struggling with something, he’s my sounding board and we brain storm all kinds of things together. At the recent Adult Leader Training in Durban where he was a participant, and I was a tutor we sat up until all hours of the morning chatting about the philosophies of training and it just strengthened our bond so much.
Scouting is our passion, and when you watch your person do what they do best, it fans the flames in the heart! Scouting is a really special thing to share. Practically it takes up your whole life, all your spare time, every waking moment and every thought. It helps to have someone in your corner who gets it!”