SCOUT WEEK

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4554, 26 February 1942, Page 2

SCOUT WEEK

LOCAL ACTIVITIES ! I Scout Week was observed through- j out New Zealand last week and in every centre where the Boy Scout I movement is organised an appeal was made for more boys to become scouts and for more leaders. On Saturday a demonstration of scouting work was given by the local troop at the recreation grounds. This included pitching tent, bridge-building, erecting flag pole, finding north and making a compass and sundial and making various camp gadgets and scout games. Afternoon tea was provided for all by the ladies of the committee. There was a good attendance of interested spectators. The day was fortunately line and the work carried out was instructive to the boys as well as the public. It is pleasing to note that there is a noticeable improvement in the work.

On Sunday a Scouts' Own was held in the Park. The boys marched from Scout headquarters. The service was conducted by Scouter Cochrane and an address was given by Mr W. Hore.

In the afternoon an exhibition of diving was given off the pier by Mr Derek Wilson and Mr D'Arcy Kirkland, two prominent amateurs from Invercargill. The water was somewhat choppy and militated against perfect diving. However, the demonstration proved most interesting and was watched from the breastwork by close on three hundred people. The scouts, meanwhile, enjoyed swimming exercises or disported themselves in the rowing boats. Subsequent to this aquaplaning on the bay added further interest to the afternoon's entertainment.

The local troop desires to raise the sum of £ls by Easter to enable it to take part in a combined camp at Easter and the public are asked to give the scouts an opportunity to raise this sum for a w r orthy objective.

BROADCAST ADDRESS FIGHT FOR FREEDOM In a broadcast address on Scout Week, the Dominion Chief Scout, Sir Cyril Newall, said it was his firm conviction that the Boy Scout and Girl Guide movements, if they were given the necessary encouragement and support, would play a vital part in securing the future happiness of mankind, a part which no other organisation was so well fitted to perform. “We are engaged in a life and death struggle against, an enemy whose ambition is to take away from us that freedom without which life for us is intolcr: ble, ’’ he said. “It is not for ourselves alone we are lighting, but for our children and for all generations yet to be born. We are determined our victory shall lay the foundation stone of a new- and better world. The most that we who are grown up today can hope to do is to ensure that the stone is well and truly laid. It will be the task of those who follow us to build upon it. One of our chief concerns- must therefore be that the children of to-day are trained to carry out this task, that they arc trained to appreciate the glorious heritage which has been won for them by pain and sacrifice through countless generations, and to recognise the responsibilities which the possession of that heritage entails. If they are not trained our victory will bo a greater failure than that of 1918. It is towards this training that scouting can do so much. If Hitler had not realised the tremendous power which the upbringing of the youth of any country can be made to wield, Germany would not be the menace to civilisation which she is

to-day, ” Sir Cyril Newall added that by educating them to his own cuds, by working on their imagination, by encouraging them, by inspiring them with the promise of u future, Hitler turned a defeated, demoralised nation into the master of most Europe, How much more could we do if wo took as much trouble in the education of our chiid-

ren, for we would inspire them not as he has done with evil, but with good. We would enlist their noblest instincts for the service of civilisation and Christianity. The Boy Scout system stood ready to help in this high aim, “The lesson which scouting teaches is the very lesson we most want our children to learn,’’ said Sir Cyril, ‘ ‘ Freedom of thought and action is our aim, but freedom alone is not enough if it is not disciplined by a realisation of our responsibilities to the community as a whole. To cultivate that selfdiscipline we must teach our children that they have a duty to their neighbors. That is one of the elementary piincilpes of Christianity; it is the

ideal on which scouting has been

built —the ideal of responsibility and service.” Sir Cyril Nowall appealed to all persons to do what they could to help the movement.