After its closure five years ago, the Maclean Scout Hall has once again sprung back to life with an influx of budding cub scouts. The doors of the hall are now bursting at the seams with around 30 children enthusiastically signing up to join the Maclean Scout Group. The club which has been going for around seven weeks has 12 Joeys (6-8 years-old) and 18 Cub Scouts (8-11 year-olds) who have already enjoyed camping, bushwalks, archery and cooking. A special ‘investing’ ceremony was held last Wednesday night at the hall which was attended by the Regional Commissioner for Scouting, Ian Hale, who travelled from Ballina for the special event. Each child was presented with their scarf, woggle and shirt badges, during the ceremony. Maclean Scout Group Joey leader Cheryl-Ann Davis said that she has been encouraged by the support from the parents. “It [Scouts] is a place where kids can be themselves and they learn by ‘doing’,” Ms Davis said. “There seems to be resurgence of wanting to get back to those core values of the past. “It’s great to see the kids being kids again and the parents are happy to get them outside doing things, instead of being stuck inside on their computers and electronic games. “When each child was asked if they were ready to become a cub scout, it was amazing to hear their confident reply – “YES”! Regional Commissioner Ian Hale said that he was amazed with number of children signing up in Maclean. “This is awesome, although I don’t really think that awesome describes this,” Mr Hale said. “To have two sections [Joeys and Cubs] open in the one group, with substantial numbers, is outstanding. “I’m a little bit gobsmacked. “It’s great to see that the community are still behind scouting.” For more information: Maclean Scout Group Leader – Betty Irons. Joey Scout enquiries – Cheryl-Ann Davis 0418 297 667. Cub Scout enquiries – Hayley Coulter 0458 690 382.