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Issue 4: Michaelmas Term 1997

Durham University Scout and Guide Group Newsletter

Issue 4: Michaelmas Term 1997

Contents

This is the visitors’ book entry for camp, copied down verbatim because it was so good!

We’re onto the ‘fill up the visitor book’ game…please see over for our address if you want to complain!

Another weekend of fun, frolics and dusaggy madness. Still in the Teesdale Building, but 16 of us this time, and what’s more, we *all* had a mattress on the floor!! After all – what are beds for but putting rucksacks on?!?

The gentle saunter to The Black Swan on Friday night was eventful; there was a shocking discovery that a high proportion of parents (masculine, of course!) had ginger beards. Luckily not a trait passed on to their children!!

Saturday started late (who put shutters on the windows making it all dark?!) but ended up with 2 different groups going walking – the more fit and the more studious! Luckily we all arrived back safe and sound (in body if not in mind!) despite the more studious taking a diversion via the burger and ice-cream van…most conveniently!! On our return, we all ate luminous orange stew, which had warped the space-time of the whole afternoon, much to the consternation of Charl, the Stew-Dictator (who was later overturned by the Stew Coup!) Silly games and pancakes followed (we lost count of the number this time!) and we eventually collapsed into a heap to watch Ian, Peter and John prove their masculinity with a particularly vicious game of wormies – rules *not* included here, unless we give any cubs the wrong ideas!

Sunday’s programme included comedy frisbee (well – it is the way *we* play it!), catch, and rounders (of a sort!) (we hope the stains come out of the chopping board!!) 🙂 We also had a new group of pyromaniacs (seeing as Mike R has graduated!) who kept up the dusagg tradition of trying to burn everything in sight.

As usual, lots of additions for the quote book:

“So, what *do* I do to sheep anyway?” (Paul B – answers on a postcard please!)

– “I’m hard”
– “no you’re not” (Paul, and Andrew’s response after looking at Paul’s lap)

“There’s a really cool echo if you laugh into your… whatever” (Charl – who claims to be respectable!)

“Ruth’s sister looked really good after Andrew had touched her up” (Paul – about photos and computers, apparently!)

And finally…

– “My bottom’s taut”
– “Taught too do what?!?” (Paul, and Ruth’s response”)

So now you know!! All good clean family fun (well, we did have a non-university younger brother *and* a married couple!) Hope to return soon (once the scandal has died down!)

love dusagg:
Mad (Nominal head)
Mark (Sane and normal, and not a student any more)
Charl (not as timid as my handwriting might imply…apparently)
Laura (Blindfolded, tied up, dragged over a field under the pretence of a clean innocent society. HELP….)
Becky (With a ‘Y’ I’m the freshers’ rep – I’ve got 3 years of this)
Alison (So this is what happens when Scouts grow up…very bizarre)
Paul (social bloke with a big gob)
Andy (a Scouser)
Julia (Mrs Bacon Sandwich woman)
Becca (I’m a Brownie leader – it’s not my fault)
Peter B. Clark
Andrew (a -respectable- married man)
Ruth (a respectable married woman – also no longer a D’ham student)
Ian (wacky venture scout)
Helen (QM – my Plancks are *still* too short)
John (The non-member brother of Paul)
Mole (who’s had an image change)

Rock Climbing
By Paul Belmont

Yet again a brave band of DUSAGGers braved the bus to Newton Aycliffe to climb their rather superb fibreglass walls. All sorts of climbs were attempted, with some (not mentioning Ian and Mike – whoops!) getting themselves into rather strange positions. The instructors kindly gave us a specail deal, giving the training we needed to join the club (and climb much cheaper in the future) at a discount. A number of us did join, so no doubt we will be back there soon.

Christmas meal
By Paul Belmont

Something strange hapens on the last Sunday of Michalmas term, a group of smartly dressed adults turn up and insist they are DUSAGG. This year was no exception, with lots of ties, skirts and erm Julia’s socks.

The Duke of Wellington provided a fine 3 course meal, with lots of traditional choices to be made. This year we even had Christmas crackers, which provided lots of nice toys and hats. Mike, his housemate Paul and Corner tried desperatly to impress us all with there manlly attributes, however bombarding the resterant with bits of paper and plastic did not please all, particularly the couple trying to have a quiet romantic dinner on the table opposite.

Mad presided over her long awaited “Spice awards”, ensuring, in good DUSAGGing tradition that most people ended up with something, or something to explain anyway, but that’s a different story….

The meal ended as it started, with a drink or two. The judging of the worst tie award didn’t happen, apparently we have just such good taste in ties, or the judges were scared of offending us or something! We left celabrating the end of annother great DUSAGGing term, anticipating the delights to come.

Fresher Stuff
By Becky Clarkson

It has been a very hectic first term for us young innocent freshers. After the excitment of the Freshers Fair, where we all spent far too much money joining stupid societies that we’ll probably never go to anyway, there comes the weeks of wondering why you are on the Treasure Trap email list and why haven’t you heard from that dodgy bloke who persuaded you to part with 20 quid to join the Dead Skunk society which promised so much after a few beers!

At least we can all sit back in the knowledge that we joined at least one sane and worthwhile society at Freshers Fair in the slightly Moleish shape of DUSAGG. With much excitment and a little apprehension we converged, from all corners of Durham, on Mary’s for the legendary Freshes Party.

The Freshers Party however proved to be a little odd and quashed all preconceived ideas that DUSAGG was a sane and normal society. The first thing us poor freshers encountered on entering Mary’s JCR that made us worry a little was a strange women, somehow associated with the group but how we quite aren’t sure, leaping about shouting “Hi, I’m Mad!” . This we later discovered was the President and, much to our relief, she wasn’t talking about her state of mind.

From here the party got sillier, which I thought to be impossible, and with much drinking and playing of silly games (we’ll all get to know each other intimately by the end of the night) like pass the polo on the stick and let’s all do silly things with our hands, until we all fell on the floor in exhausted heaps. The conclusion drawn from this party by most Freshers was probably “Oh what! I’m never going there again, they are all a bunch of loonies” but, probably due to too much intoxicating Durham air – or beer whichever you prefer – causing an epedemic of amnesia to break out, we Freshers again venture out to another DUSAGG event hoping we were wrong the first time and it really *is* a normal, respectable society – or maybe we’re just gluttons for punishment! This time it was a trip to the ice rink but it was a great disappointment as it was cancelled due to a, errm, mistake by the rink and a bowling trip was swiftly organised. That, however, is another story!

Becky Clarkson.

Cheese and Wine Evening
By Helen Spooner

A select few gathered for a sophisticated soiree of wine and cheese tasing at a Durham residence, not far from the city centre. With the wine professionally uncorked by Paul, and wit flowing freely, we indulged a selection of cheeses:

Red Leicester: A traditional English hard cheese, very versatile, with a smooth but firm texture.

Edam : Another traditional offering, from across the channel. The most colorful cheese of the evening.

Soft Goat’s: A newcomer to the group, this cheese had a distinctly goaty taste.

Later stages were supplemented by fruit cake and apples, following the ancient Yorkshire custom. This foray into the felicitations of civilised culture made for a society sucess.

For further information please contact:PR Officer
Durham University Scout And Guide Group
Durham Students’ Union
Dunelm House
New Elvet
Durham
ENGLAND

These pages are copyright © DUSAGG, MCMXCIX
Written by Peter B. Clark