Boot Camp 2016

12th Kul BB Coy’s Boot Camp 2016

Day 1

On the 8th of January, the 12th KUL BB Coy held their annual boot camp at Wesley Methodist School Kuala Lumpur(International) after school had ended. At 3.15pm, members started to gather outside the Dutton Hall to register themselves. The Year 7 recruits received their nametags and uniform parts when they registered. Everyone then proceeded to the Dutton Hall for the first event of the day, which was the Icebreaker Games. The members had a lot of fun getting to know each other as they played two games, namely ‘Squad Bomb’ and ‘Simon Says’. Before that, the Year 7 recruits were seated in their squads and had some time to get to know their squad leader and squad members better. After the icebreaking games, Lcpl Jian Xun gave the Boys a briefing on the next event, which was The Fun Run. The 10 squads had to run around the school to find the rules and regulations of the camp. At 5pm, the members returned to the Dutton Hall for their session. During the session, the Year 7 recruits were introduced to what the Boys’ Brigade was all about by Sgt Wilsern, who was a former student of WMSKL(I). He shared about the history of the Boys’ Brigade and its founder, Sir William Alexander Smith.

At 6pm, the members were allowed to shower and arrange their luggages at their dorms. Then, all of them falled in at the assembly ground at 7pm to sing ‘Table Grace’ before having dinner. The members returned to the Dutton Hall at 8pm feeling curious and excited, as they were told that they were going to play ‘Capture The Flag’. As the Non-commissioned officers(Ncos) prepared for the game at the assembly ground, Sgt Nicholas informed the members of the rules of the game. The game went on for two hours, from 8pm to 10pm. Three matches were played, two of them pitting five squads against each other at a time and the other one being the finals. While this was going on, the squads that were not playing were at the Dutton Hall for a short quiz by Sgt Wilsern. Squads that could not answer the questions were given hilarious punishments such as dancing.

When the game ended, the members returned to the Dutton Hall and were given a briefing on what was to happen on the next day. The members then were given the option whether to have supper at the canteen or wash up. Everyone slept by 11pm.

Day 2

On the 9th of January, a Saturday, the members woke up by 6.30am and washed up. They then falled in at the assembly ground at 7am for some morning exercise. After that, they had a sumptuous breakfast at the canteen until 7.30am. It was during this time that a few members that had not received their uniform parts during registration received them. At around 8.30am, the members falled in once again at the assembly ground for the first BB Parade of the year. It was all very new to the Year 7 recruits, as most of them had never heard of the Boys’ Brigade before this, much less attended a BB Parade. The squad leaders proceeded to inspect the members’ attire. This was followed by the singing of the National Anthem ‘Negaraku’ and the BB Anchor Song. The members were falled out and went to the Dutton Hall. There, they had a short Praise and Worship Session. After that, the new chaplain of the company, Rvd Oliver Wong came forward to share the Word. The main lesson of his sharing was that we should not run away from our fears but instead face them and have faith in God. At around 9.20am, it was time for Drill. The senior members went down to the assembly ground for a drill session commanded by Sgt Nicholas. The Year 7 recruits, on the other hand, remained at the Dutton Hall and were taught the basics of Drill by Sgt Jack. When the Drill session ended, the senior members returned to the Dutton Hall to help out in the Polishing Workshop. The Year 7 recruits learnt how to polish their metal uniform parts efficiently. The next event was the closing parade ceremony. The squad leaders took the attendance of their members once again. The Boys were led in prayer by Lt. Andrew and sang the BB Vesper. They then were falled out and went for lunch at the canteen. They finished eating and went up to the Dutton Hall. There, they were separated into their departments of choice for a brief introduction to what their department was all about. After that, they returned to their squads and prepared their handbooks and stationery for the second session of the camp.

During the session, Sgt Wilsern shared about the different types of badges and awards that a member can get during his time as a Boy in the Boys’ Brigade. The members certainly were excited during this session as many of them had met the requirements of certain badges. He explained the various special awards and how the awards were grouped. The next agenda was Drill session #2. The Year 7 recruits stayed at the Dutton Hall for another lesson on basic drill while the more senior members practised forming a squad at the assembly ground under the blazing sun. At 4pm, the members gathered at the Dutton Hall for another session.

In this session, Sgt Wilsern taught the members about the history of the Boys’ Brigade in Asia and the history of the 12th Kul BB Coy. He also showed the members the structure of a BB Company and explained the different ranks that can be seen in a Boys’ Brigade Company. The Year 7 recruits were also given a lesson on how to sing the three main Boys’ Brigade songs, namely the ‘BB Anchor Song’, ‘Table Grace’ and ‘BB Vesper’. After the session had ended, Lcpl Yong Ze took over and briefed the members on the next event, which was sports. After sports, the members returned to their dorms and took showers. They had dinner afterwards and came to the Dutton Hall at 7.20pm for a Praise and Worship Session. Lcpl Johnston gave a briefing on the Mystery Night game that was to happen that night, and informed the members about the do’s and don’ts of the game. Meanwhile, the Ncos prepared themselves to play their roles as characters in the Mystery Night game at the assembly ground. The game went on until around 10pm, and the members returned to the Dutton Hall feeling exhausted but satisfied as well. They were debriefed and sang the BB Vesper. Then, the members either went down to the canteen for supper or took a late-night shower before sleeping at 11pm.

Day 3

At 6am, the members woke up and washed up. They proceeded to the assembly ground for morning exercise, looking half-asleep. Thanks to the morning exercise, they went to the canteen for breakfast feeling fresh. They then went to the Dutton Hall for a Praise and Worship session. Lt. Andrew gave the Word for the day, using the BB Handbook as a reference. He quoted 2 Timothy 2:22, and shared that we should pursue a righteous lifestyle. Then, it was time for the last major game of the game, which were the Station Games. Lcpl Yong Ze was in charge of organising this event, and the members(Especially the Year 7 recruits) had a lot of fun while indirectly being tested on their BB knowledge through five interesting games. The games went on until 11am, and the members then returned to the Dutton Hall and were ordered to start packing up and tidying their dorms. When they had all finished doing so, they came to the Dutton Hall for the prize-giving ceremony. Throughout the camp, all squads had the chance to earn points while answering questions during Sgt Wilsern’s session and performing well in the three main games(Capture the Flag, Mystery Night and Station Games). In the end, Squad 7 emerged victorious and was followed by Squads 2 and 1. Before that, senior members of the 12th Kul BB Percussion Ensemble showed of their capabilities in a short performance.

The members were then asked to gather outside the chapel for a photo-taking session. After the photo session, the members were pleasantly surprised as Cpt Nicholas announced the promotion of Cpl Ming Yang to the rank of sergeant. The members then went to the canteen for lunch, and then went on their own separate ways.