SCOUT NOTES

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 191, 11 May 1938, Page 7

SCOUT NOTES

Headquarters Notices ANNUAL REGATTA

( IIY

Gold Star.)

The Wellington North district rally, which was to have been held on April 3(J, is postponed till Saturday, May 21, when it will b.e held, weather permitting, in the Botanical Gardens, on the ground at the north end of Alariri Road. Stan Laycock, of Brooklyn Troop, and Ron Smith, of Island Bay Baptist Troop, have been awarded the lirst-class badge. These are the tirsL two scouts to gain the first-class badge under the new organisation. There are several others who are likely to pass shortly. Athlete badges have been awarded to Derek Turner of Ist Karori Troop and Alan Earl of St. Mark’s Troop.

A combined rover camp is to be held on the proposed Jamboree site at the weekend, May 28-29.

Sea Scout Regatta. The annual Sea Scout regatta took place on Easter Saturday. The weather was nut so propitious us usual, heavy rain falling during the duy. The regatta resulted in. the Aorangi Cup being won by Ist Castlecliff, and the AVashbouru Cup by Iron Duke, as was also the Nelson Cup. The Cornwall Shield was won by Castlecliff and the Leslie Shore Cup by- Iron Duke. The ambulance and signalling competition held on Easter Alouday was wvn by Iron Duke. Collingwood, Port Nicholson, and Irresistible also participated. The trophies were presented to the successful crews at a social held in the Boys’ Institute, by the Aletropolitan Commissioner, Air. Middleton.

A church parade was held «n Easter Sunday at the Alission to Seamen, upward of 70 being present. They made quite a brave show, as, headed by, their colours and the drums of the Irresistible Troop they marched through the streets from Courtenay Place to the church. Captain McLeod, AI.C., Dist. S.S.AI. was chairman o£ the committee, Mr. A. E. 'Peterson acted as starter and timekeeper, Air. A. Drummond Duthie was judge, Air. Harris, marshal, and Air. F. Chas. Holmes acted as judge of the Leslie Shore (style in rowing) Cup.

“How Can We Become ScAits?’’ Dan Beard, the famous American scout, in the course of an address'given at the twenty-fifth annual meeting of the Boy Scouts of America said: “I attended a boys’ club, or. rather I opened up and inaugurated the thing the other day, down in a tenement house district in New York City. And upon the roof, of a house there,.with dingy black windows, with clothes hanging out on the line, there was a camp-fire anil a teut, and a canvas drawn, and some of the dirtiest youngsters you ever saw in your life were camping out and enjoying it. It might make you laugh, but it had the contrary effect on me; it almost made me cry. As long as there are any under-privileged boys in this country we are unsafe. It is up to you, the men of this land, to see that there is no such thing as an underprivileged boy. Every boy- has a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness the same as every man, a nd he cannot have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness if he is down in the slums or hasn’t the proper school facilities, or if he hasn't the opportunity to become a scout.

"While I was visiting the Museum of Natural History, a group of dirty youngsters came up to me and said: ‘Uncle Dan, how can we become Scouts'?’ That is the question which is up to you, individually, and to us as a body to answer: ‘How can they become Scouts'?’ There is nothing in the world bigger than this. There is nothing in the world that has happened since the beginning of Christianity that has as great a possibility as the Scout movement, and consequently there is no body of men in the world that has greater responsibilities than you men who are engaged in Scouting. It 4s the salvation of our country and the salvation of the world. Every organisation in every country, just as every man, must have a soul, and the soul is the object of the organisation.”