Commissioner’s Reply

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30954, 10 January 1966, Page 6

Commissioner’s Reply

Mr S. O. Field, chief executive commissioner of the Boy Scouts’ Association of New Zealand, was invited to reply to the questions posed by Mr Reid.- - “Mr Reid’s assumption that the use of a Vietnam situation as the background for the ‘brief’ for these Venturer scout exercises indicates a change in the Boy Scouts Association approach to its training is quite incorrect,” said Mr Field.

“Taken in isolation, this quotation may be open to misinterpretation, but when examined in the light of the association’s policy of realism in its citizenship training it will be shown in its correct perspective.

“The Venturer section of the movement provides for boys aged from 15 to 18 and it is in this section that citizenship training reaches its culmination. The founder’s policy calls for ‘putting upon the young man progressively increasing measures of responsibility for himself and others so that he acquires confidence, self reliance, character and dependability and powers both of co-operation and leadership.’

“Because of the close approach to adulthood of the Venturer this aspect of training is made as challenging and realistic as possible. Consequently, situations in which the present day New Zealand citizen may find himself are chosen as a background for Venturer leader-

ship activity. Such situations include exploration in the Antarctic, civil defence exercises in the community, search and rescue exercises in the mountains, disaster and emergency recovery activities, fire fighting, conservation, United Nations police duties or defence treaty military obligations. “During the three years of his training the Venturer will experience leadership training under a wide variety of theoretical situations, and this training will be all the more effective because these situations could in fact face him in the years ahead. “In reply to Mr Reid’s question of whether Baden Powell’s concept of a peaceful friendly international organisation has been altered, I would refer him to the present national Jamboree being held at Trentham Memorial Park and quote the action of New Zealand scouts in contributing more than £4OOO to assist the travel of contingents of brother scouts from the Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Japan, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Malaysia, to join them in this wonderful gathering of international friendship. “I can assure Mr Reid and parents that boys entrusted to the boy scout pattern of training will receive a balanced preparation for citizenship under the guidance of responsible scouters who are themselves in most cases parents of boys in the movement, and who are encouraged to take a close interest in the actual programmes being used.”