DOMINION SCOUTERS HONOURED

Timaru Herald, Volume CLI, Issue 22202, 20 February 1942, Page 4

DOMINION SCOUTERS HONOURED

Three Receive The Highest Award FINE HOME GIVEN FOR TRAINING (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Feb. 19. The Boy Scouts Association’s highest award, the Silver Wolf, has been awarded for outstanding services to Mr Hector Christie, Dominion Chief Commissioner, Mr J. R. H. Cooksey, Dominion Commissioner for Training, and Miss Nancy Wilson, Dominion Headquarters Commissioner for Wolf Cubs and Commissioner in charge of training Wolf Cub officers. Announcing this to-night, the Dominion Chief Scout, the GovernorGeneral, Sir Cyril Newall, said New Zealand could indeed be proud of their well deserved honours and they were worthy of the ancient commendation, “No man goeth about a more godly purpose than he who is mindful of the right upbringing not only of his own but of other men’s children.” Mr Christie, who belongs to Wanganui, has been actively engaged in scouting for approximately 20 years and held the position of Chief Commissioner for at least five years. He received a Medal, of Merit in 1932 and has long been an outstanding figure in Scout circles. Mr Cooksey, who belongs to Hawke’s Bay, joined up with the Scout movement when he came to New Zealand in 1922. He has led large contingents of New Zealand Scouts to various overseas jamborees, including a New Zealand party of 600 boys to the jamboree at Sydney in 1938. For the last four years he has been Dominion Commissioner for Training and it has largely been due to his efforts that a marked increase in efficiency has been shown by Scouts in New Zealand. Miss Wilson, who resides at Bulls, has been actively engaged in the Scout movement for more than 25 years and has held many positions. In 1938 she represented New Zealand at the first International Cub conference which was held in Britain. Since 1926 she has played an outstanding part in the training of officers and has rendered yeoman service to the movement. Sir Cyril Newall also announced, in the course of a broadcast to-night in connection with Scout Week, that Major Tatum and Mrs Tatum, of Manukau, had made their beautiful home and about 30 acres with buildings and equipment available to the New Zealand Boy Scouts’ Association as a training centre for scoutmasters which would be run on the same lines as Gilwell in England. “I hope Major Tatum and Mrs Tatum'will realise how deeply grateful we all are for their generosity and how sincere I am in saying that no gift could do more to help New Zealand to take her full share in the rebuilding of the world and the foundation of real peace.”