SCOUT NOTES.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20920, 29 July 1933, Page 4

SCOUT NOTES.

INVESTITURE OF MARIST SCOUTS CELEBRATED. [EXCLUSIVE TO THE TRESS.] [ISSUED BY METROPOLITAN HEADQUARTERS.] A troop of 30 boys paraded in the Catholic Club rooms, Barbadoes street, on Tuesday evening, to celebrate the occasion of investing the first Marist scouts in Christchurch. District Scoutmaster F. Feaver was in charge of the- parade. A large number of parents and friends were also present, and although the troop iias been in existence only for about two months, the boys were able to provide a very interesting evening's entertainment. This reflected great credit on Mr Feaver, who has been acting as scoutmaster in the troop. Brothers Damien and John are also to be complimented, as their untiring work with the troop has been of valuable assistance to the scoutmaster. The following scout and cub officers were also present, and took part in the proceedings throughout the evening:—District Scoutmaster K. Dyer, District Cubmaster J. Partridge, Scoutmaster D. McGregor, Cubmaster G. Aiington, and Assistant Cubmaster K. Aiington. The programme of the evening was opened with the breaking of the flag, and on the entry of Bishop Brodie and the Acting Metropolitan Commissioner (Major J. W. Crampton), the Dominion Rally, in the form of a haka, was given as a welcome. A brief inspection of the troop was then made, this being followed by an address of welcome extended by Brother Damien to the Bishop, the commissioner, and the visitors. In his address, Brother Damien gave a general outline of the purpose of scouting and what it meant to the welfare of the boys. Brother Damien said that there were more than 12,500,000 scouts thro'ighou' tne world, and of these two-thirds were Catholics. He said, therefore, ' '. it the Marists in Christ-chui-'-n wfiv o! \y following a very fine pi-eccdc t thai had already been establNhec On tin' hivi'.aliou of Brother Damien, Major CiT-nptMii ;;:ive a talk to the boy.-, a in.' in tii' ii' patents and friends present. ]'.•■■ paid a very high compliment to the scoutmaster and to the Brothers, wiio had so ably assisted him in his work. As Acting Metropolitan Commissioner he had to congratulate the boys on their "turn out," and hoped that the troop would prosper and maintain a high standard of efficiency in the scouting field. He appreciated the presence of so many parents and friends, which afforded them an excellent opportunity of seeing what the boys could really do as scouts. Major Crampton referred also to the desirability of building up the Marist group, with the addition of cubs and rovers. All men between the :;gcs of 18 and 80, he said, were eligible to join the rovers, and he hoped that those young men whom he had trained in the Marist Cadet Company, before 15)14, would now com'; forward and join up. District Scoutmaster Feaver then took charge of the programme, which included gomes, competitions, and musical items. Camp-fire choruses were also sung, and in order to obtain the real effect all lights were put out, except a red lamp around which the boys gathered. Leading parts in the choruses were taken by Norman Williams and Cecil Cotter, and special items were contributed by Lawrence Glubb (song) and John Dunn (recitation), Brother John played the accompaniments. At the close of the concert, the investiture of Colin Pearson and John Adlin, of the Hawk patrol, was held, the ceremony being conducted by District Scoutmaster Feaver. The newly invested boys were then congratulated by Major Crampton, who welcomed them into the great brotherhood of scouts. There are still six more boys who have passed their "tenderfoot" test, and are ready for investiture. It is also interesting to krtow that all of these boys belong to the Hawk patrol and were trained by Patrol-Leader J. Crubb, of Trinity Troop. Later in the proceedings, Mr Owen Scully was introduced as the new scoutmaster elect, who would be traired for the position under District Scoutmaster Feaver. An address was then given by Bishop Brodie, who after welcoming the visitors paid a very high tribute to those who had done so much towards furthering his ideal of having Catholic scouts in Christchurch. His Lordship very highly of thr. work he had seen during the evening, and commended the movement generally for the great help it was able to give to the youth of the world. He asked that support be given by parents and others to the newlyformed Marist Troop. The Bishop also made a very kindly reference to the St. Mary's Group, where it was intended to form a rover crew, and he was glad to know that the crew would later be formed into a division of the St. John Ambulance Brigade. He believed that no l; r cr work couid be undertaken by the boys. St. Martin's Troop, Spreydon. The fifth anniversary of the St. Martin's Troop was celebrated on Thursday evening. Scoutmaster D. Sloan was in charge of the troop and was ably assisted by Assistant-Scoutmaster W. Newell. The cub pack was also present and was under Cubmaster Miss E. Sloan and Assistant Cubmaster J. Wardell. A very pleasant evening was spent, and the proceedings took the form of an ordinary troop night. Parents and friends were present in numbers and Commissioner F. G. Tidswell also attended. Exhibitions were given of knotting and splicing and a display in. ambulance work by the hawke patrol. "Fairy Glade," a very pleasing item, was given by members of the pack and Cub T. Ralfe gave a recitation. An exhibition of papercutting was also given by S. Street. The competition for the ambulance challenge cup resulted in a tie, the kangaroo and beaver patrols being equal. The former patrol was led by Guy Menzies and the latter by Frank Blay. The cup was later presented by Mrs C. Thomas, ambulance instructor. The patrol competition cup was won by the hawke patrol, led by S. Street, this cup being presented by Commissioner Tidswell, who also presented the following badges;— Ambulance: S. Street, F. Blay, D. McKillop, and D. Simon. Cyclist: F. Blay and D. Simon. Leather worker: F. Blay. Artist: F. Blay. Athlete: S. Street. Service stars were also presented to four scouts. The commissioner congratulated the troop on its work for the year and impressed upon the parents the importance of furthering the movement, and asked for support to the scoutmaster by occasional addresses from members of the committee. Supper was provided by the scouts. Personal. Cubmaster G. Aiington and Assist-ant-Cubmaster H. Aiington, of Invercargill, who arrived by motor-cycle on Saturday last, left for fnvercargill again on Friday. . » * * Mr W. Logan, a rover-mate and scoutmaster from London, who has been on a business trip, left for Wellington on Wednesday night. He leaves for England by the s.s. Rangitiki on August 4. Badge Examination Results. The following badge examination results are announced:—Horseman: Scouts D. Bussell, J. Read, N. Stevens (North Beach), H. Gale, W. Carney, and H. Gundy (Bushside). Cyclist: Scout V. Langridge (Bushside;. Bee farmer: Scout R. Squire (Bushside).