Fish Hoek teen earns top Scout and Ranger honours

At just 18 years old, Fish Hoek’s Madelin Johnston has achieved a rare feat — earning the highest awards from both Scouts South Africa and Girl Guides South Africa.

A member of both the 1st Fish Hoek Sea Scouts and the 1st Fish Hoek Rangers, Madelin was recently awarded the prestigious Springbok Scout and Protea Ranger awards — the top accolades in each organisation.

To earn them, she completed a range of demanding challenges.

These included leading a two-night hike through the Cape Point Nature Reserve with four younger Scouts, organising a two-night adventure camp for both groups, and overseeing the large-scale construction of a 13-metre bridge across the Zandvlei slipway, using only rope and wooden poles.

She also hosted a cooking competition with an orienteering twist for her Ranger crew and led a community outreach project to renovate the garden at a local Safe House for women and children.

Of all her projects, the hike through Cape Point was the most demanding.

“There is a lot of planning and training that goes into being able to lead a group of five Scouts through the bush for three days — navigating using maps, carrying all your equipment, planning and cooking meals, and making a safe shelter,” she said.

“But actually being there in the mountains and being solely responsible for the safety of your hiking party — that’s the biggest challenge as a leader.”

Currently in her first year at UCT studying physics and applied mathematics, Madelin said she felt ready to take on both awards.

“I was motivated to take on the challenge of both the Springbok and the Protea award because I felt as though the time I had spent in both Scouts and Rangers had given me the skills, but also the confidence and the ambition I needed to even attempt both,” she said.

“I’m always up for a challenge.”

Madelin began her journey in Guiding when she was just four and a half years old, progressing through the ranks from Teddies to Rangers over the past 14 years.

“In South Africa, Guides start with Teddies at four to seven years old, then Brownies, Guides, and finally Rangers,” she explained. “So I’ve been guiding for about fourteen years!”

She only joined Scouts at the beginning of last year but was immediately drawn to it.

“I loved all of the adventures I had been able to do through Guides — being outdoors, camping, sailing, hiking, community service and art — and Scouts was a perfect way to do twice as much of what I loved.”

She said Scouts and Guides have had a lasting impact on her, even as she embarks on her university journey.

She said Scouts and Guides have had a lasting impact on her, even as she embarks on her university journey.

“They’ve taught me to be resilient, and to really look wider than my immediate surroundings and into the community around me. Even the smallest Cub or Teddy can be an active part of their community and help foster positive change.”

Her leadership skills were shaped through years of involvement in both groups.

“All I know about leadership I learnt through Guides and Scouts,” she said.

“But by far the greatest lesson I’ve learnt is in seeing the best in people — to acknowledge their strengths and weaknesses when part of a team, and to help find a role for them that they can truly shine in. A leader trying to ignore that every team member has weaknesses is leading no one.”

Being a member of both Scouts and Rangers at the same time offered unique insights.

“Because of the differences in age range, the leadership skills you work on are different,” she said

“In Rangers, your team consists of girls a similar age to you, so with a similar level of experience and skill. In Scouts, the age range is much wider, so everyone has different skills and abilities, and leadership is more about teaching and preparing younger Scouts to take over.”

She encourages more young people to join.

“Scouts and Guides are so different from any other activities you get offered in and out of school. The adventures you have there you can’t get anywhere else. There are so many different paths you can take in the movements, and all of them lead to a serious amount of fun and stories to tell, "Madelin said.