Ethan Bellingham has been awarded the Springbok Scout badge

 Wednesday 20 May 2026

Ethan Bellingham has been awarded the Springbok Scout badge. It is the highest honour in the Boys Scouts movement and less than 1% of scouts achieve it in any given year.

The astonishing thing is that he is the fifth Jeppe boy to get it in recent years. Last year Matthew Middlewick received it, and before that Nichael Westhoff (2020), Michael Goncalves (2021) and Jason Bailie (2022) were Springbok Scouts. There were others, down the years.

The award is given, in their final year as a Boys Scout, to scouts who have mastered the basics of the movement: safety awareness, living outdoors, community service, scout skills and personal development.

“I got a lot of help from my group – 1st Bedfordview – and guidance and encouragement from Andrew Campell, who was our group leader and who is now the District Commissioner for North Rand,” Ethan said. “It was a lot of work and difficult to fit in with my school activities, but I think time management has been my strongest asset.”

As his special project, Ethan built a double-story raft – and it was seaworthy! For his community service contribution he refurbished the swings, slides and other playground equipment in a park in Bedfordview.

Ethan is one of the leaders in the Jeppe pipe band. He won the Sandy Mallen Memorial Trophy as the best overall junior piper earlier this year and came third in South Africa at last years’ SA Championship.

“I think the reason why Jeppe produces so many of us might be because we are all kept so busy at the school. Busy people tend to be more determined and goal-orientated, certainly I am,” he said. There is also a spirit of contributing at the school, he believes. “We are encouraged to be of service and to help others,” he said. “That’s what scouting is all about.”

And there is space for everyone. “I have found that someone like me who is not sporting, but has other interests fits in and is appreciated and recognised.”

We appreciate you Ethan, we recognise your achievements, and are proud of you.