MEN IN THE MAKING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 71, 11 May 1943, Page 5

MEN IN THE MAKING

MEMORABLE SCOUT RALLY

GOVERNOR GENERAL'S INTEREST

HIS EXCELLENCY TAKES THE

SALUTE

The Whakatane Scout Rally last Saturday which brought so many residents from town and -country to the Showgrounds,, will live long as one of the most memorable occasions in Scouting history in the Bay of Plenty. Favoured with the presence of 'Their Excellencies, the Governor General and Lady Newall and their family party the rally went "with a swing from start to finish. The boys were definitely on their toes and gave a fine 1 interpretation of steadiness and l •discipline during the inspection by Their Excellencies and the subsequent march past. The rally competitions were carried out with precision' and efficiency which must have been something of an eye-opener to many •of the parents present. During 'this period Sir Cyril and Lady Newall spent their time passing from group to group and chatiAg informally with Scouters ;and competitors. Once again their cheerful informality won all hearts and their departure later in the afternoon was a g en uine disappointment to the

Parade Through' Town

Two hundred and lifty Scouts 'from .Tauranga, Tc Puke, Rotorua, "VVaihi and Whakatane paraded through the business section of the town at noon. The boys, most of •whom had been travelling since early morning were full of enthusiasm -and keen to make a display.

Commissioners F. N. Christian (Bay of Plenty) and S. Southern (Waikato) arrived prior to main body of the visiting Scouts which were under the control of Scoutmaster P. W. Grinder of Tauranga. The town parade was definitely the linest Scout display -seen in "Whakatane. Headed by the Whakatane Boys Band and with, cacli unit bearing a placard indicating its identity the procession stepped off •smartly from the Strand extending the full length of the main street. The Whakatane Scottish Pipe Band brought up the rear with a rousing skirl. The whole parade Avas an inspiration and a definite tribute to> tlic Scouters and others in charge of the various troops, antl Cub packs. Feeding the Multitude Arrived at the Domain, the task of the. ladies committee in feeding 250 famishing boys was scarcely an • enviable one and yet it was carried out without a hitch or delay-of an# kind. 'Tucker' (as the Scouts put dt) was in abundance. There-was plenty for all and more if it were required. Once again five have to congratulate the local ladies in this respect.. By 1.20 the boys were, all drawn up in parade formation awaiting the uirival of Their Excellencies, Sir 'Cyril and Lady Newall ant! parly. Promptly at 1.30 the Vice-Regal ■car entered the. grounds made a half •circuit of the field and drew lip lit the official dais. Their Excellencies were met by the Mayor and Mayoress, Mr and Mrs B. S. Barry, and Mrs W. Sullivan and members of the Scout Committee. The inspection then took place followed by the march past of all units at nicely placed intervals. The general impression of this well executed movement was a further tribute to the boys and their training. A Word of Encouragement Briefly addressing the boys His Ex-ceilencj* commended them upon their bearing and discipline, expressing his delight at being present and the hope that they would -continue to go on living up to the -code and conducting themselves as true Scouts. Formality ceased when Sir-Cyril .and Lady Newall with their two slaughters the Misses Christina and •Georgiana and young .son (wearing the uniform of the Wanganui Scout troop) together with their Aide, -Major Holland-Martin, proceeded, to -walk from group to group as the Hally competitions commenced.

Interest of the Crowd

Whakatane lias never before shown the same public interest in scouting as was evinced last Saturday. Of the hundreds present few had any conception of the wide, scope of training offered by the movement and. the variety of the useful competitions must have

come as a complete surprise

The. most spectacular event was of course the Wall Sealing competition, in which teams of eight boys cleared a sheer 9ft Aval!. The. antics of some of the lads gave the crowd many a laugh but. on the whole- the performance of all four teams was excellent. The manner in which the Competitors tumbled over the top and reformed as a patrol on the other side caused widespread speculation as to how they landed on the other .side and even Lady Newall was heard to murmur, that she hoped some straw had been provided. Such a provision is not permitted under the rules.

Their Excellencies departed shortly after 3 p.m. to the cheers and applause of the crowd.

Ever Tasted Flap-Jack?

The flap-jack competitions created mild. consternation, at least* amongst the female section of the, spectators—particularly the mothers. The boys however proved themselves adepts at mixing,, tossing and most important of all, tasting. Whakatane here again carried off the honours. Tribute to Cubs The work of the Cub packs was one of the features of the daj' and we shall long remember the quaintne.ss of the 'jungle dances,' and the 'Grand Howl' by the various Wolf packs of green jersied youngsters. These boys arc to be warmly complimented. on their display and the clever interpretation of. Kipling's i jungle make-believe. Trophies* Presented "This is a great occasion," said Commissioner Christian, addressing the assembled Scouts, Cubs and spectators at the conclusion of the Rally programme "Not only do we hear the news of the resounding victory in Africa but we have also expert- ! enced a very memorable day right here in Whakatane. We have been particularly fortunate in havihg Their Excellencies present for in Sir Cyril Newall we. have one who has said lie will "not be satisfied until he sees ail boys of Scouting age In the movement. To this wonderful interest, we owe the great honour he. has; done us to-day." Commissioner Christian then presented the warrant of Assistant Commissioner to S.M. P. W. Grinder of Tauranga and called upon the Hon. B. C. Robbins, M.L.C., to present the Tiki trophy (medical section) to the winners, the Whakatane Scottish. Firstly congratulating the committee behind the raliy on its remarkable success Mr Robbins said lie had been to a great many rallies but he had to admit that the Whakatane one was the best he had ever attended. He then handed the trophy to S.M. C. F. Thomas.

Commissioner Christian then presented the. Boyd Cup (aggregate points.) to S.M. G. V. Thomas of the Whakatane troop, ami the Boyer Shield to Miss L. Dean, local assistant. Cub mistress.

Results of the competitions Avert hs follows:—-

Scout Events

Tiki Trophy (Medical Tests). Whakatane Scottish (12pts) 1; Whakatane Citizens (9) 2;, Tauranga (6) 3; Te Puke (3) 4.

Boyd Coup (aggregate points): Whakatane Citizens (48) 1; Tc Puke (37) 2; Tauranga (30) 3; Whakatane Scottish (18) 4.

Signalling: Te Puke (8) 1; Tauranga (G) 2; Whakatane Citizens (4) 3.

Marching and Inspection: Whakatane Scottish and Whakatane Citizens (8) ]; Tc Puke (6) 2;; Tau-i ranga (4) 3.

Wall Sealing: Whakatane Citizens (4) 1: Whakatane Scottish (3) 2; Te Puke ('2) 3; Tauranga (1) 4.

Trestle Building: Tauranga (12) 1; Whakatane Citizens (9) 2.

Morse: Te Puke (12) 1; Whakatane Citizens (9) 2.

Semophone: Whakatane Citizens (8) 1; Taunanga ((>) 2; Whakatane Scottish (4) 3; Te Puke (2) 4.

Knotting Relay Race: Te Puke (!) 1; Whakatane- Scottish (3) 2; Whakatane. Citizens (2) 3; Tauranga (1) 4..

Flap-Jack Making: Whakatane Citizens (4) 1; Tc. Puke (3) 2; Whakatajie Scottish (2) 3.