Scouting

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21735, 17 August 1940, Page 14

Scouting

By

“D.C.”

NEWS AND NOTES

During the past week two stalwarts have left our district. Miss Kath. Lennon is now resident in Christchurch and it will not be long before she links up with some group in the Cathedral City. "Mowgli” as she has been known to all local cubs has always been one of our most energetic workers, not only in connection with pack efforts but also with rallies, and other pow-wows. Miss Lennon has been connected with the Highfield Pack for over six years and she has had the responsibility of training hundreds of cubs. Mr Charles Smith, one of our keenest of committee workers has accepted a position with the Air Fcrce at Harewood and his departure was sudden for he had only three days’ notice to pack up. As a deputy chairman of the Northdown Te Rangi Group he was mainly responsible for the construction of their den. at Clifton Terrace. His assistance and heavy work at the Scout Pioneer Camp at Raincliff will always be remembered. We shall be glad to see him whenever he has a few days to spare us. A successful function at St. Peter’s last, week reflected credit on those in charge. It was an eye opener to some people to realise that the strength of the troop and pack had increased to such an extent during the year. The . Scouter in charge. W. Bennett, has I now his warrant and he will be ■ popular with all the fellows. “Tohunga.” our Scouter from 1 Pleasant Point, reports continued inj terest in the group from local ’ residents. Several Scouts have gained , distinction with badge work. They possess an airman, and the ambulance tests, conducted by a local member of St. John’s showed that the method of instruction in this test had been thorough. Kenneth Watson had a pass with 90 per cent. The ambulance tests for Timaru commence this week and the Highfield group will be examined in their own den. The other groups will be tested by the examiner. Mr Doug. Rodgers, as soon as the holidays are over. During the past few weeks several cubs have been welcomed to the Highfield Pack. Gordon Macdonald. Billy Campbell. Rae Culbert. Jack Williams. Angus Dellow, D. Reid and Mark Bali lantyne are the newcomers. They will | have plenty of good hunting in the Highfield Jungle. Billy Miller. Stuart Timpany, Donald Hay. Peter Gibb, and | Mervyn Aitken are now Scouts. The ; pack were sorry to lose these cubs, but I the time must come when they have to leave the trail. Some of these new tenderfeet did their community good turn within a week on joining the troop.

WITH TAILS AND SLEEVES UP

Lord Baden-Powell, cabling to Scouts throughout the world from Kenya, declared: "You’ve done grand work behind the scenes already, but as the fighting has grown more desperate, it calls for still further effort from you. So with your tails up. go to it in every way you can to help win the war.”

NATIONAL SERVICE

Preparedness for service by Scouts in a national emergency has reached a high pitch in the Auckland Metropolitan area. Detailed plans for action, have been in “cold storage” for nearly a 12-month whereby’ a messenger and general utility service, embracing nearly a thousand lads, will come into operation at the shortest notice. Members of the Boys’ Brigade are share partners in the scheme, which involves the establishment of four area camps, in the near suburbs, and from which the communications of the city will be taken over by the organisation which I is known as the messenger section of the communications committee. Last week, when two of the E.P.S. committees decided upon a try-out of their organisation, nearly a hundred Scouts co-operated in a Saturday afternoon rehearsal. The plan was based on the assumption that following a raid the chief post office was put out of action, the automatic exchange demolished, and the cable plant unusable. Transport and communications were the two committees operating, with the Mayor of the City and Minister for Internal Affairs present as interested spectators. Operating from one of the city parks, because of the demolition of their own H.Q.. the messenger section came into action at 2 p.m., and staffed six key communication points in the city and suburbs. In the one and threequarters of an hour before communications were "restored,” nearly 400 test messages were delivered to widely-separated points. The deep impression made by our messengers upon the postal chiefs who were present is best guaged by one message received from the engineer in charge of the demolished automatic exchange, who, in advising the messenger H.Q of the acknowledgement from a distant station in record time, observed "Why worry about a telephone at all.” Scouts and 8.8. observers remarked upon the dead seriousness with which the lads undertook the work. As one remarked, it was most inspiring to see a lad park his bicycle, sprint across to the H.Q. tent, spring to the alert, and saluting smartly, report. "Scout Blank, sir, reporting with a message from Remuera Exchange. And at the alert he would stay until such time as he received instructions to relax. A similar try-out. planned on a wider scale. Is scheduled to be held next month, and upon that occasion the messengers will also establish their own camps, from which they will augment the skeleton emergency team which will meantime have assumed control at 40 communication points, as well as supplying specialists to fire, ambulance, and kindred headquarters.