JEDDAH, 17 March — Boy and cub scouts from all over Saudi Arabia and Bahrain had an experience to remember at the Boys Scouts of America Spring Camporee 2002 that ended in Riyadh on Friday.

About 180 scouts and cub scouts participated in the camp, held at the Thumamah Park for three days.

Troop 257 of Riyadh were the hosts and Camporee Chairman Linda F. Schmersahl was the organizer for the sixth year in succession.

“She is returning to the US this summer and will be sorely missed,” said Capt. Victor Organ, assistant scoutmaster of the Jeddah troop who conducted the tour of scouts to Riyadh.

Troops participating were 256 from Abqaiq, 454 from Jeddah, 252 and 253 from Dhahran, 259 from Udhailiyah, 464 from Ras Tanura and 463 from Yanbu.

Camporees are camping events where troops from around the Gulf gather to compete in events, learn scouting techniques and earn merit badges. This fellowship has gone on since the beginning of scouting in 1915.

This year’s theme was Indian lore exploring traditions and the scouts worked on requirements for the Indian lore merit badge.

This year, troop 826 from Bahrain and 257 Cub Scouts pack from Riyadh joined the Camporee.

The scouts and cub scouts are part of the World Scout movement started by Robert Braden Powell in 1907. It was carried to the US in 1909 by Ernest Thomas Seton after a scout in the UK helped him find his way in the fog and refused a reward saying: “The scouts don’t receive pay for doing good deeds.”

Boys Scouts are open to boys from 11-18 year-old, and Cub Scouts from 5-10 year-old.

Speaking to Arab News, Capt. Organ said: “This is the first year since the early 1990s that Jeddah participated in the Camporee and we wanted to expose the boys to a camp environment so that they would learn what other scouts were doing.”

There were six stations that the scouts rotated to learn Indian necklace making, teepee making, story and teepee painting, loincloth decorating, Indian games, and archery and traps.

The campfire was hosted by the Order of the Arrow, which is a special branch of the Boys Scouts that promotes camping and scout spirit through Indian lore.

Philip Al Hajj, a Canadian who rose to the rank of Eagle, was the lodge chief and recently became an adult leader.

Each troop took home some ashes from the campfire to add to the ashes of future campfires.

This tradition has carried on from 1933 and ashes have been transported to campfires in more than 24 countries.

There is a World Jamboree in Thailand this summer. There will be troops participating from 200 countries including Saudi Arabia, Organ said.