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The Rules

The Rules form the basis of all Waratah Competitions and are required to be followed by all participants and staff.



1. Participant Attendance & Registration


1.1. Registration is for all participants in the following categories:

  • Venturers between the ages of 14 and 18.
  • Venturers over the age of 18 who have approval to remain in the section by thier Unit Council and who meet the organisations Child Protection Policies..
  • Scouts between the ages of 13.5 and 14.
  • Girl Guides who are between the ages of 13.5 and 18 and have approval from their respective organising body.


1.2. All participants must be in one of these ages brackets as of the commencement of Waratah.

1.3. To Register, Participants must follow the instructions and complete the online registration process at http://www.events.greaterwestscouts.com.au, including the e-permission process and provide payment as per the details provided on the supplied invoice.

1.4. Participants without a team should still send in an Application and Waratah will place them in a team.

1.5. All Applications must be recieved by the closing date. Applications recieved after this date will be accepted at the discretion of the Event Manager.

1.6. The Event Manager reserves the right to allow or deny any person to attend Waratah. This right will be executed in consultation with the Region Commissioner (Venturer Scouts).

2. Staff Attendance & Leader Expectations

2.1. Registration is open to members of staff who are registered members of Scouts Australia or Guides Australia. Layside helpers attached to a Venturer Scout Unit are also welcome to apply as Staff Members providing they meet the organisations Child Protection Policies.

2.2. All staff must be over the age of 18 as of the commencement of Waratah.

2.3. Upon registration, Staff will be assigned a role within the camp based on their preferences selected and remaining positions within each role.

2.4. To register, Staff must follow the instructions and complete the online registration process at http://www.events.greaterwestscouts.com.au, including the e-permission process and provide payment as per the details provided on the supplied invoice.

2.5. All Applications must be recieved by the closing date. Applications recieved after this date will be accepted at the discretion of the Event Manager.

2.6. It is the expectation of Waratah that each Venturer Scout Unit or equivalent body attending the event will be accompanied by at least one qualified leader who will act as staff during the event.

2.7. It is highly encouraged that any Venturer Scout Unit that has mixed gender membership attending the event has leaders from both Genders present. If this is not possible, arrangements should be made for another leader that the Venturers are familiar with to step in when needed. These arrangements should be communicated to Waratah Support before the event.

2.8. It is expected that when the event commences, leaders will have no involvement in the setup and activities of their team beyond that required of basic duty of care, this is in line with the competitive nature of Waratah.

2.9. The Event Manager reserves the right to allow or deny any person to attend Waratah. This right will be executed in consultation with the Region Commissioner (Venturer Scouts).

3. Teams

3.1. Teams will be made up of between 4 and 7 participants. Each Team must contain a minimum of 2 Venturer Scouts.

3.2. Each Team member may be assigned a role, which they must assume for the duration of the weekend.

3.3. The Team Leader must be a registered Venturer Scout.

3.4. It is expected that Teams will remain together and actively participate in the event as a team.

4. Bonus Points / Bonuses

4.1. Waratah reserves the right to offer Bonus Points or Bonuses to teams prior to Competition Commencing.

4.2. These opportunities should be made available to all teams.

4.3. Bonus Point Opportunities and deadlines will be advertised on the Waratah Website or Social Media.

5. Campsites and Equipment

5.1. Each Team is required to bring their own Gear as listed in the Acceptance Letter.

5.2. Where the challenge for that year involves a standing campsite, each team will be provided with thier own Campsite, and while Waratah will make all sites as consistant as possible, they will be pre-allocated on a Random Basis.

5.3. A mandatory and suggested personal gear list will be issued with the event acceptance letter.

5.5. Any other equipment that the Team wishes to bring is up to the team, however participants should consider the theme of the camp and pack such equipment as they would see fit into the scenario for this year.

5.6. Any equipment that the Event Manager considers to be Dangerous or being used in a Dangerous manner may be confiscated and the Team assessed under the behaviour section of these rules.

6. Activities and Pointscore Components

6.1. Numerous activities will be on offer throughout the event as part of the Waratah Competition. These Activities are required to be completed by all participants, regardless of how active they are in the competition. Failure to complete these activities may result in disqualification from the event.

6.2. Bonus Activities may be advertised from time to time and are not required to be completed, but will offer some reward for successful completion.

6.3. Teams must follow the directions provided when being advised how to book, find and complete activities.

6.4. Different components of the event will be identified as Point Score Components. These components are decided in advance by the Waratah Team and may include activities, campsites, theme components or any other aspect of the camp that the Waratah Team sees fit.

6.5. Point Score Components will be marked by various members of staff in line with guidelines provided by the Waratah Team.

6.6. Disputes and appeals may be addressed to the event manager who will make a final ruling. No further correspondence will be entered into after this point.

6.7. Waratah will release a Placing list no later than 7 days after the event. The Placing List will contain the name of each team competing in Waratah and their final position in the competition. This list will be available via the Waratah Website.

6.8. Teams may request feedback from markers and from the Camp Leader after the event. Scorers are encouraged and expected to provide feedback to Teams at the time of marking, however the teams score on a particular item must not be revealed.

6.9. Teams participating in the event are offered to complete a non-compulsory pre-waratah activity prior to the weekend. The Pre-Waratah Activity is available on the Waratah Website.

6.10 Cheating and bribery, within the context of the theme is permitted providing it is done in a reasonable and safe manner.

7. Behavior, Smoking, Drugs and Alcohol

7.1. All participants and staff at the event are expected to behave in a manner that is consistent with the expectation of Scouting Members in the Community. Participants and staff are also expected to follow the Scout Promise and Law, Scouting Policy and the Rules and Conditions of the Camp.

7.2. In the event of an individual or team acting in a manner that is not consistent with the above statement, the Event Manager in consultation with other members of the Waratah Team and with Staff will make a decision as to any penalties or additional tasks the individual or team will need to accept or complete. In extreme circumstances, the Event Manager will also make a decision as to an teams continued involvement within the camp.

7.3. Drugs and Alcohol have no place at Waratah. Any person found in the possession of, or under the influence of Drugs and Alcohol will be addressed under the Scouts Australia, NSW Branch Policies.

7.4. As per Scouts Australia, NSW Branch Policy, Smoking is not permitted by anyone under the age of 18. Members over the Age of 18 must smoke in designated areas, out of the view of Youth Members.

7.5 It is the view of GWS Venturers that foods and drink containing extracts such as Taurine, Guarana etc are akin to Drugs and Alcohol and are banned from the event.

8. Competition

8.1. All teams registering to participate in the event are automatically registered to compete in the event.

8.2. A description of each Competition division can be found on the Waratah Website.

8.3. These Rules and Conditions form the rules of the Competition.

8.4. The team with the highest Point Score in each division may receive various prizes and benefits as arranged by Waratah. These awards will be advertised and promoted in the lead up to, and at the event.

9. Web Based Services

9.1. Waratah will provide on its website, various services aimed to make registration, communication and getting to or from Waratah easier. This includes social networking site pages such as Facebook.

9.2. These services are provided as is and Waratah takes no responsibility for waylaid information, lifts that fall through or any information that was not provided by an identified member of the Waratah Team.

9.3. The Event Manager, Region Commissioner (Venturer Scouts) and the Region Webmaster, and his Team have access to the raw data generated by the website and reserve the right to treat this information as outlined in the Scouts Australia Privacy Policy.

9.4. Your privacy is important to us and no personal information will be shared with any other party unless required by law or identified by these Rules and Conditions.

9.5. By using the Waratah System, you agree that Waratah may provide your email address and mobile phone number to Staff  for the purposes of organising the event only.

9.6. By using the Waratah Website, You agree to receive periodical emails from the Waratah Team as well as notifications of activity on your account that have been caused by the actions of other people (eg Friend Requests).

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