food poisoning on pulau ubin

together with a rover scout, i took my small troop of scouts for a scout proficiency test at pulau ubin. cannot remember where i left them. i think after landing at the jetty, we took a left and headed for jalan sam heng and jalan durian. we found a piece of clearing near some small estate. the secondary 3 and 4 scouts pitched their tents. after settling them, i made my way back to the mainland. the test was one of survival and self-reliance. they would cook their own dinner and spent the night on the island. the rover would be their trainer and he would look after them.

early the next morning, i got a call from school. a few of the scouts had ended up at the changi hospital, a case of food poisoning. the coast guards had been requested to help ferry them over from ubin because there were no bum boats at that hour. not all the scouts were hit but the camp had to be abandoned and all of them were brought back to the mainland.

some parents were furious when they found out that the teacher in charge was not with them. i explained to my principal the nature of the test which required the scouts to be left on their own. my principal - who later became the director of curriculum - was most supportive. she checked to find out if i had taken all precautionary measures. assured me that she would handle the parents and cleared the matter with the ministry. she also consulted the scout association on this mishap.

in the end, everything turned out fine. i visited the boys in hospital and they were discharged within the day. the lesson that i learnt from this was: when you are in a bad situation, the support and encouragement from your superior is very significant.