SCOUTING IN FIJI

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30342, 18 January 1964, Page 2

SCOUTING IN FIJI

‘Main Youth Movement’

Scouting was the main youth movement in Fiji, and so popular bad it become that there was every year a considerable number waiting to join, said Mr D. Singh, Assistant Chief Commissioner of the Boy Scouts' Association in Fiji, in an interview in Chrsstohurch. This year scouting in Fiji would celebrate its jubilee, and to mark the occasion a “jamborette” would be held, said Mr Singh. This would be attended by 2000 scouts, and invitations 'had been extended to scouts in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. “There are today more than 6000 boys in the scout movement in Fiji,” said Mr Singh. Among them were Europeans, Fijians, Indians, Chinese, and Pacific Islanders. “We are one big happy family, and we are trying to cultivate this living together in other activities such as politics and social life.” Normally English was used for instruction, but in urban areas vernacular such as Hindustani or Fijian was used.

As in New Zealand, the progress of the movement was often hampered by a lack of leaders, Mr Singh said. Schoolmasters in the main acted as leaders, and because of possible transfers most schoolmasters trained a local man to act in case he had to move. The churches and the Government aided the movement, he said. “The Government made a grant of £2OOO annually for five years to enable us to have a full-time organising commissioner,” he said. Mr Singh said that next year Fiji was looking forward to a visit by the Commonwealth Chief Scout (Sir Charles Maclean). Mr Singh, who when not busy with scouting matters is in the Fijiian Civil Service, is on five months’ holiday. He has visited Australia and is now touring the Dominion. He has been in the scouting movement for 35 years.

Missionary.—Miss L. Sadler left Christchurch on Thursday for the Solomon Islands, where she is to take up an appointment as a Methodlist missionary teacher at Mendi. Miss Sadler, who was teaching at the Opawa Primary School last year, was chairman of the Central Methodist Mission Coffee Club.