SCOUT NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 25310, 13 June 1935, Page 4

SCOUT N OTES

By

"PATHFINDER"

The Rovers third meeting is on Monday, the 17th, at 7.15 p.m. Gladstone group are holding a concert on Saturday, June 29, in aid of their funds. This will be rather different from previous entertainments as each troop in the city is contributing items. The Gladstone Troop has obtained the use of All Saints Hall on Friday evenings again so will meet there in future, while the pack will use St. Paul’s Hall, Grey street, on Thursdays and Mondays, and the Sea Scouts on Fridays. Nightcaps Pack.

The Nightcaps Wolf Club Pack was started by Mrs J. Phelan on May 12, 1932, and was carried on quite successfully by Her until she left to take up residence in Lawrence in August, 1933. On September 17, 1933, Miss Doris Sinclair and Miss Dora Burgess carried on the duties of cubmaster and assistant cubmaster respectively to the pack. We have now 12 cubs on the roll, 5 of whom will be going up into the newlyformed Scout troop in about a month’s time. There are at present eight two Star Cubs; one, one Star; and two Tenderpads. Our Totem, which the committee are donating, will have on its initial appearance thirty-two streamers which represent all the proficiency badges the pack have gained since its commencement.

Our pack attended the Anzac service which was held in the Coronation Hall and later headed the parade round to the memorial gates where our head Sixer, George Thompson, placed a wreath in memory of our Anzac soldiers.

jubilee Day proved to be very exciting for the pack as we had a monster bonfire. Our energetic committee built the fire which consisted of fifty tyres, 2 tins of kerosene, logs and cases on the slones of Jubilee Hill. After the fire had been lit by the Sixer and owing to the inclemency of the weather the r—"fire was held in the hall. In the absence of our lady cubmaster, Captain Smith, an old scout, ably took charge of the campfire. Community singing was the order of the evening led by the cubs and scouts who also gave various items such as jungle dances, yells and Maori songs. On Friday, May 31, the parents were invited to the pack meeting which was held in the Oddfellows Hall. The meeting started in the usual manner and included singing games, investiture of Tenderpads, first and second Star Cubs, signalling, knotting and bandaging relays and the presentation of badges. The jungle dances were also well done and also with the variations which Akela learnt at the Cub Wood Badge Camp held in Christchurch at Easter. Hie Scout Troop intend holding a social in the near future to celebrate the re-commencement of the troop under the guidance of Stouter Dixon, assisted by the L.C.M.’s. HISTORY OF SOUTHERN CROSS GROUP. (Late St. Peter’s.) The Southern Cross Group or as was previously known, St. Peter’s Group, was formed on May 4, 1927. The first scoutmaster was Mr E. P. Townson and cvbmaster, Mr G. Webster. This group, which was the second to be started in Invercargill, met in St. Peter’s Sunday School hall, where month after month under the leadership of those pioneer scouters the boys increased their knowledge and became scouts in every sense of the word. The parents’ committee were a power to the scouters, inasmuch as the way they worked to raise, funds with which to purchase texts, splints, bandages, signalling flags, books etc. all necessities to an energetic group. Every year a camp of a week’s duration was held, a feature of scouting which every boy looked forward to and enjoyed. When the Chief Scout, Lord Baden-Powell, paid his first official visit to Dunedin, the St. Peter’s Group being fully represented, took an active part in the displays staged there. In June, 1930, Scouter Townson was compelled to give up scouting because of pressing duties in other quarters. Scouter W. Lock, late of Napier, was introduced to the committee and in the same month took over the group. By this time other troops had sprung up in other parts of the town, but with the introduction of new methods of training scouts, the group held its own in numbers and efficiency. The St. Peter’s Rover Crew was formed with Scouter Lock as Rover leader. Later Scouter Lock was elevated to Group Scoutmaster while B. G. Wallace and H. Patton had their warrants endorsed as S.M. and C.M. respectively. Everything went smoothly until the ehd of 1934 when through various reasons the group was asked to leave its present headquarters and change its name. Every member was sorry to leave the old H.Q. Luckily this change came at the end of the year thereby giving the scouters time to obtain another meeting place. At this juncture it is well to mention that the scoutmaster and a scout had the good fortune to attend the Australian Jamboree, thereby gaining much knowledge in preparing and forming the new group. Southern Cross Group Formed.

After applying to several hall committees for a meeting place for the group we were given the use of the South Invercargill Town Hall free of charge to which council we owe our sincere thanks. Scouter E. O’Halloran, of St. Mary’s Troop, receives our thanks also for his work in this connection. In March, 1935, the Southern Cross Group was formed under Scouter Wallace and Cubmaster Allott. This group held its first parents’ meeting last Wednesday evening, from which an energetic committee was elected. The group is progressing well, maintaining a membership of 34 scouts and 25 cubs, many of whom attended the recent Dunedin rally to meet the Chief Scout on the occasion of his second official visit there. At the rally two boys of this group were presented to Lord BadenPowell as the most southerly scout and cub in the world. The group has the distinction of being the most southerly in the world also.