A Claremont learner has earned one of South Africa’s highest Scouting honours. She was diagnosed with a chronic pain condition at 12. She says it was the people around her who got her through.

From cub to Springbok

Laura Owens is a member of 1st Claremont Scout Group. She recently received her Springbok Scout Award after 11 years with the group. Her Scouting career began two weeks before her seventh birthday. She was eager to follow in the footsteps of her brother, Jono.

“From the start, 1st Claremont was a really supportive atmosphere and excellent environment for me to grow,” she said.

A painful setback

But her path was far from straightforward. At 12, Owens was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. The condition made running and hiking near impossible. “It was hard for me to see a path through which I could ‘succeed’,” she said. “Looking back, I’m very glad that I pushed through my initial misconceptions.”

Her commitment deepened after attending her first badge course in 2022. “It was definitely the Scouting people that kept me around,” she said.

Leading the Kestrels

Owens rose to patrol leader of the Kestrels patrol. She succeeded her friend and fellow Scout, James. “It was daunting to fill his shoes, but my patrol was very supportive,” she said. “If you give up with seven people relying on you, the consequences are much bigger.”

Putting in the work

To earn her Springbok Award, Owens completed four major projects. Her community service project took her to the Trinity Children’s Centre in Mitchells Plain. Her group laid a concrete path through a Spekboom labyrinth. They also painted chalkboard murals on outside walls and added hopscotch and four-square markings.

“Children have no control over their circumstances,” she said. “That is why every child deserves the best facilities possible to learn.”

Her heritage-themed hike included museum visits across the Cape. Her camp was held at Roberts Camp in Glencairn. It was styled around the television show Survivor. Scouts hunted for hidden immunity idols across three competing Patrols.

Pioneering with purpose

Her final project saw the group build a portcullis-drawbridge. It was a deliberate choice. “I really wanted to do a pioneering project because there aren’t enough girls pioneering,” she said. “But we’re just as capable as the boys.”

What comes next

Owens laughed when asked how it felt to finally be done. “Honestly, relieved to be done with the admin,” she said. She is completing her Matric at Westerford High School. She hopes to study mechanical engineering at the University of Cape Town next year.

“You get out as much as you put in,” she said. “It’s your life, and nobody’s going to live it for you.”

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