Dubbo scouts took World Scout Jamboree evacuation in their stride

Gavin Arnold, an employee with NSW State Emergency Service Western Zone's training team, and his daughter Jessica Arnold, a student at Dubbo Senior Campus, were in Saemangeum for the World Scout Jamboree when they received news the storm was approaching.

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The Jamboree, which ran from August 1 to 12, had 43,000 participants from 158 countries and around 10,000 international support volunteers gathered across 12 kilometres of space.

Mr Arnold, a scout leader, and Jessica were among 908 Australians and 35 from the Central West and Golden West Regions who travelled to the Jamboree, only to be evacuated to Seoul on August 8.

Mr Arnold said the evacuation was well-organised and the Australian contingent was well-supported.

"Being scouts, [everyone] was resilient and learnt to adapt quickly. They took it in their stride and followed reasonable directions that were asked of them," Mr Arnold told the Daily Liberal.

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When asked if he and the other leaders and scouts were concerned, Mr Arnold replied: "No, because the announcement was made early and we had left the site before the typhoon impacted the site in 24 hours."

" ... being a member of the SES, working and being in instances with flood, storms and tsunamis, I understood what was happening and was not concerned because I was confident in the plans being put in place," Mr Arnold said.

It turned out the relocation was well-advised.

"During the peak of the typhoon, we saw images of the site through the Korean news and images being sent back of significant water inundation of the camping sites," Mr Arnold said.

"All the tents were packed up by participants but there were still shade structures being left behind. We saw them in various stages of being impacted."

He added, had they not evacuated, and tried to withstand the typhoon, it "wouldn't have been the wisest decision".

There was a heatwave in South Korea during the Jamboree, with temperatures hitting around 35 degrees on consecutive days.

Mr Arnold said, being Australians, the western NSW contingent was well-equipped for the heatwave, however the humidity, reaching around 90 per cent, was a struggle.

"It was hot, the humidity was a lot more to adapt to for us from the bush," he said.

Mr Arnold said the trip was "quite spectacular" despite the interruption, and the Jamboree continued on in Seoul.

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Television star and adventurer Bear Grylls made a presentation at the event in his capacity as chief scout of the world.

"Jessica has made international friends she'll remember for the rest of her life, and interacted with many different countries," Mr Arnold said.

He said he and his daughter had "a really good time" with "lots of experiences".

"I know I'm certainly looking forward to the next [Jamboree] in 2027 in Poland," Mr Arnold said.

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