Role models lauded as S'pore Scout Association celebrates 115 years

Thirteen years on, Dr Sunil Ravinder Gill still regards a camping trip gone wrong as one of the key highlights of his scouting experience.

- Emerald Lo

During a three-day, two-night stay on Pulau Ubin, Dr Ravinder Gill's scout unit members found themselves caught in a thunderstorm that raged on for a day and night.

"Some of the emptier tents went flying and we had to chase them down... Mud was flowing into tents and bags were being soaked," the 30-year-old medical doctor said.

As the senior scout in charge of the outing, Dr Ravinder Gill, then a student at Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), witnessed his fellow scouts' efforts in lugging all their camping equipment from mainland Singapore.

He made the tough call to cancel the camp early for the safety of his fellow scouts.

Still, experiences like these spurred Dr Ravinder Gill to continue scouting even after he left formal schooling. He now serves as the Singapore Scout Association's (SSA) national commissioner and assistant international commissioner, focusing on enhancing the scouting experience.

Another scout, Mr Songguang Han, a senior education officer at the Ministry of Education, was influenced by family members and joined the youth movement in primary school. He has not looked back since.