Time-honoured communication methods like Morse code, short-wave radio and Semaphore flags were on the agenda for about 120 Scouts and their volunteer leaders in Terrey Hills from 18 to 20 October.
JOTA-JOTI – Jamboree of the Air and Jamboree of the Internet – is a global event in which Scouts around the world connect with each other via amateur radio and the Internet, often participating in other STEM-related activities such as electronics and radio foxhunting.
JOTA-JOTI aims to support young people of all ages to learn about communications technology, the values of global citizenship, and their role in creating a better world.
The local event, Garigal and Northern Beaches JOTA-JOTI camp, has a 45-year local history, and it was its fifth year to be hosted at Terrey Hills Public School as well as the Manly-Warringah Radio Society rooms, also in Terrey Hills.
Local Scouts chatted with counterparts in the USA, Japan, Spain and the rest of Australia.
The locals joined thousands of other Scouts and Girl Guides in the biggest weekend for Scouting in NSW this year with the state playing host to eight camps and single-day activities.
Organiser Tom Miles said the camp was a huge success, with participants learning Morse code, Semaphore signalling and amateur radio protocols.
Other highlights were building a doorbell from circuit boards and playing the game battleships over short-wave radio.
