Eight Scouts and three Scouters from the 52nd Sea Scouts Troop, in the Great Durban District, got stuck into cleaning their community recently in honour of Mandela. In a bid to lead by example and to give local wildlife a cleaner home, the Scouts spent a weekend cleaning up the Fresh Eagle campsite and the adjoining shoreline.

“Prior to our clean up activity we visited the camp site and realised that it really needed somebody to come in and clear all the litter in the grass , along the shore and on the water”, explains Troop Scouter Louise Potgieter. “We got lots of compliments and even a local street vendor joined us  while we filled bag after bag with trash. On the Saturday we focussed on the camp site itself and on Sunday we played games which included an obstacle course on the water involving picking up floating litter. Wish we planned it as a week camp, as there was just too much litter to pick up. However, we hope that we made a difference and that road users in the area realised that they should not litter. When we left it felt like we were getting a thank you from the local wildlife as fishes seemed to be jumping for joy and birds settled close to us chirping actively!”

Since the clean up the Scout Troop has gotten involved in another project with encompasses the building of a retainer at the camp site where high tide is eroding the grass bank. The project is run in collaboration with local engineers, the Canoe Club, the Port  and others.