Boys’ Brigade Parties Back From Expeditions

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31568, 4 January 1968, Page 8

Boys’ Brigade Parties Back From Expeditions

On their first expedition into the high country many of the overseas boys attending the Boys’ Brigade national expedition camp in the Arthur’s Pass National Park touched snow for the first time.

“We never expected to see snow on our first expedition,” the leader of the Australian contingent (Mr E. Kay, of Sydney) said when he returned to base camp at St Andrews Stream.

More than 100 boys and officers from most parts of New Zealand, as well as from Australia, Singapore and Samoa, are attending the 10day camp. “We found the views fascinating,” the vice-president of the Singapore Battalion (Mr Lim Keng Boon) said on his return. “We had never previously encountered such rugged and magnificent country.” All the boys and most of the officers left the camp in parties of six on Saturday on their expeditions and returned to the base camp on Monday evening and Tuesday. Several of the groups travelled west up the east branch of the Hawdon River across the Savannah Range to the Andrews River and the Allebuia Flat. The weather had been extremely good for most of the parties, the commanding officer of the camp (Mr J. L. Bush, of Christchurch) said.

Some of the parties encountered heavy showers, but they were brief. Two-way radio had proved very useful, Mr Bush said. Contact had been made with the Arthur's Pass National Park Board headquarters every day. All members of the camp will leave on another series of expeditions this morning. The groups of six—four boys and two officers—were changed last evening to enable the boys to mix. They will go on different expeditions from those earlier in the week. Some are not expected to return to the base camp until Sunday evening. During the last two days the members of the camp visited Arthur’s Pass township, their first contact with civilisation since going into camp last Thursday. They were taken on scenic walks around the township and shown the park headquarters by the park rangers. There had been one major change in the menu planned, Mr Bush said. “We were given venison by a neighbouring camper, and most of the boys have developed a liking for it,” he said. One of the major tasks of the officers of the base camp is issuing food for the boys in the camp and also for those going on expeditions. A total of 3600 meals will be issued during the camp.