The Australian Scout Jamboree is a jamboree which is held every three years by Scouts Australia. The Jamboree is traditionally held in early January and typically runs for ten nights.
The first, in 1934, was held in Frankston, Victoria, and was attended by the World Chief Scout, Robert Baden-Powell. The Frankston district still uses the original Jamboree logo as its district emblem. Jamborees have been held regularly since 1934, except for 1942 and 1945, due to World War 2, and in 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rotation
Traditionally Australian Jamborees are hosted on a rotational basis, with the order of hosting being as follows: South Australia Victoria Queensland New South Wales
Each Scouting Branch (State) is the effective host of the Australian Jamboree and takes responsibility for its management.
By world standards, Australian Jamborees are medium-sized, with the largest Jamborees being held in Europe and North America and generally hosting between 35,000 and 40,000 participants.
List
Jamborees were not held during World War II or during the COVID-19 pandemic (AJ2022 was cancelled on 23 January 2021)
Organisational structure
Committee
The Jamboree Organising Committee (JOC) has the primary task of organising and running the Jamboree. The host state takes the responsibility for forming a JOC from local Scouters.
Contingents
The largest organisational unit of the Jamboree is a Contingent. There is one contingent for each of the Australian States and Territories - Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, - as well as New Zealand, Guides Australia, and International Contingents.
A troop consists of about 36 Scouts, six patrols of youth members and six to seven leaders. Each troop shares a common camping area where they will cook, sleep and socialise for the duration of the Jamboree. Troops are generally made up of members of the same contingent and Mixed Overseas contingent.
Youth members in troops are further subdivided into patrols of five or six Scouts. The most experienced Scout is generally given the task of being 'Patrol Leader' or 'PL', and another experienced Scout is assigned as 'Assistant Patrol Leader' or 'APL'. Scouts work in patrols for all activities and tasks during the Jamboree. At the jamboree Patrol Leaders are given special prizes and a special lunch to acknowledge the important task they carry out.
Scouts must be between the age of 10 and 14 and must have proven their Scouting skills by earning their Pioneer Badge. Participants will be expected to cook for themselves, keep their sleeping area and campsite clean and tidy, participate in their assigned activities, and cope with the experience of being away from home for the period of the Jamboree (usually about 11 days).
Other participants
Older members, namely Venturers and Rovers, also attend the Jamboree to assist with activities and other tasks. Younger members, including Joeys and Cubs, and families and friends of Scouting are able to visit the site as day visitors, especially on Future Scout Day (Market Day), where games and stalls are set up by the Scouts attending the Jamboree.
Activities
Jamboree activities are a mixture of on-site and off-site activities that seek to challenge the participants, reinforce Scouting values, provide valuable and new experiences, and most of all, be great fun.
Activities for the 2007 Australian Scout Jamboree included:
Circus Skills
Bush tracking and navigation
Flying - the AJ2007 site had its own airstrip
Canoes, rafts and swimming at Lake Nagambie
Exploring Historic Echuca
Visiting Bendigo
Plenty of mud activities
Activities for the 2019 Australian Scout Jamboree included: The Smash Zone - an activity in which nine Scout's were given two minutes to smash three cars Ice Skating A camp inside a camp at Woodhouse, the site of the 2004 Australian Jamboree. Activities such as pioneering, high ropes and low ropes, archery tag, orienteering, an arcade room and an obstacle course were included BMX Biking Mud pits Abseiling and rock climbing Mountain biking A day exploring in Adelaide Land sailing Shooting Flying - like the 2007 Jamboree, AJ2019 had an airstrip on site Skateboarding Raft building, canoeing, swimming, rowing and sailing at Wellington Marina Drone flying Crate stacking