Cover Photo: Kristian Strøm
Text: Zoe Bott
Edit: Sophie Spickenbom
Our Roverway reporter Zoe Bott sat down for an exclusive interview with the two highest ranking volunteers in Girlguiding UK, Chief Guide Tracey Foster and Deputy Chief Guide Sally Kettle to discuss their Roverway experience.
What has your experience of Norway been so far and what do you think about the country?
Chief guide: The experience of Norway has been beautiful. We’ve been to Stavanger today and we’ve met some lovely people, everybody’s very friendly. We even met a leader from Norwich in the UK and we were served a cup of tea by a young man, who had been a Scout. So we’ve made lots of friends, but it has been very beautiful.
Deputy Chief Guide: It’s beautiful and it’s warmer than north west Wales, so, quite frankly, that is a two thumbs up from me.
And what has your experience been of Roverway so far?
Chief guide: Roverway has been both a fantastic experience, and an overwhelming experience. Yesterday we sat with some Guides and Scouts at the Rainbow Cafe with some badge swaps and met so many amazing participants from other countries. And to see the fun, friendship and enjoyment on everybody’s face is wonderful.
Favourite moment?
Deputy Chief Guide: Can I say swapping my necker?
Well my next question is, I know you have your own badges and neckers scarves, which country have you got your eye on?
Deputy Chief Guide: Well I have already managed to bag myself a Mexican necker, which I’m very excited about. The Portuguese are playing it a little bit harder, but it’s ok because I have a person ready to jump in and pounce! But I do have a Welsh necker that I’d like to swap and Tracey is staying to the last day, so she’s going to be deployed out into the field to go and retrieve a Portuguese necker! And if it doesn’t happen I’ll just come home with my Welsh necker which is nice enough.
How important is it that WAGGGS and WOSM work together to deliver international events like Roverway for both Guides and Scouts?
Chief Guide: I think it’s really important that we keep that relationship as a true partnership because we are all about fun and friendship, and the opportunity to do amazing events like this which brings us together. I mean, just look at how many countries are here, by working together. So it’s really great that WAGGGS and WOSM can join together in partnership to do something special like Roverway.
I hear you both have badges that say that you’ve met the Chief Guide and Deputy Chief guide?
Deputy Chief Guide: Well actually, they say; ‘Chief Guide/Deputy Chief Guide met me’!
And how many of these badges do you have left?
Chief Guide: Well mine are very, very scarce. Yes, so very rare! So if you get one, they are very rare now, so I’m having to be selective. Whereas I have got some of the UK Roverway badges, and I have quite a few of those left still.
Deputy Chief Guide: Whereas I didn’t put my glasses on which I picked up the bag of badges before coming here, and though there were 250 but I’ve actually bought 500!
Have you had a great response, not just from the UK guides, but also from other countries?
Chief Guide: Everybody has been so welcoming, and swapping our swap badges and some of our other badges. People have been really interested and really, overwhelmed that we’re here and we’re camping and joining in. I mean people have been amazed at that really and that we’re just getting stuck in to every Roverway has to offer.
And now I hear that you are staying in the ‘fancy’ hotel by the Scout shop. Have you got a little review to leave them?
Chief Guide: Our hotel, well tent, we would give a 4.5 star review. It’s quite near the showers so we do hear people having showers. It’s close to the facilities though, so a good 4.5 but the coffee here is amazing. The Norwegian Guild who have been serving us coffee have been such wonderful people and they have the best coffee onsite.
Deputy Chief Guild: Oh and we had their waffles, delicious waffles from the Norwegian Guild and they have been lovely. The tent was spacious, but a little chilly.
Chief Guide: Yes, but we went to the lovely Scout shop and bought blankets – which was money well spent. So then we were very warm. So a 4.5 star review overall.
And do you have a final message to say thank you to the Norwegians, to the people who work behind the scenes, Planning Team, CMT, and IST everybody who works hard to make Roverway happen but don’t always get recognition?
Deputy Chief Guide: Exactly what you just said – a massive thank you!
Chief Guide: I think that there are so many people that we can’t name because there are so many of them, but so much goes on behind the scene to enable participants to have this fantastic event, that we don’t see, from the people the clean the toilets to those who makes sure there’s enough food and those who make sure that the electricity works and all that. I just want to say a huge, huge, huge thank you to everyone. Because without the Planning Team and the IST, those who have given up part of their life to come here, it wouldn’t happen. And these young people have made memories for life!