BOY SCOUTS.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 September 1924, Page 1

BOY SCOUTS.

AN.NFAI. Mi i.ilNf

'1110:1111111:11 meeting o[ tla* 2nd. I loop of lio.vs Smuts was 1.01. l in tho V ost|:,n,i County Off. Inst- night :uul ttiw vor.v well attended l.y parents mill | riiinls of pinout. Mr 11. M. (.'.iiilssn was in flip ilmir. ml pivsent- ,.| a hi a lily satisfactory report nir-t I, alamo shoot for tho yoar's olforts. A credit balance oi £2l odd, shows tho T;„„|, 1.0 linn in-hilly soinnl. Sonic vorv 1-1.1111 limeiitary remarks wore made |,y ' the- C’miil'm:>n r.ii.T others on tho n'pvor failing enthusiasm if Scouimasu.r So.vai'il. "h.v.so 10. oil appearing below sho-.v.s lam wh ale-hearte.lly this oontlonian trims his talents to his Troop uml tlmir mlvam oinoot. Hoal lv val. s of thanks were .omnl--0,1 to tho So rotary Mm Spiv,l, Chair--111:111. am! Scout master. Mr Sutlip. iau l was a; ; ointp.l TTcusiii*. r ami Mesdames \ onlo anil Mals.oi, A 1 • --is M Intyre a ini rHackgro. e were ~1, ill to tho S.nppuUyp CTniiUii:too. ai. ’i Mr Kelly was ap; oiotod assistant Si out master. Tiio whole gathering was marl.oil wit'i a 01:01 1 ileal of enthusiasm which augurs well for tho sin.e.-s of No 2 Truiii*. who art* * dchrnting thou hiitli(lay on Thursday night at Sl. Andrews 11 : ,.||, whii h ] -1, ■inis 1 .*• to ho "sum 1 f,.a-i". don't miss it hoy.-., they |„...0 all No J Troop will dong and join tin* merry throng.

SC'OKTMAST KR'S UKPORT. FOR YKAI! KNIM'.I) 21th SKRT.. !!»21. This, the fourth C|iiaito:!y report. nuirUs the 1 lose of tl o lirst year of the tile of the troop. This anniversary is to be fittingly celebrated on the 2 Ath. iiist.. when Committee, Scouts, Cuhs ami relatives will moot at St. .Andrew’s Hall. There are at present 21 names on the troo/, resistor, Tearing 3 p laces to complete tin: troop to the strength planned. Of these G are 2nd. class, 10 tenderfoots, while 0 have yet to pass their tests and he enrolled as Scouts. One proficiency Tad 20 lias also boe.n gained. Five enrolled scouts have left the troop during the year. As three of these are 110 longer in AVost-I-vnd we can count two, at least ; as

definite failures in the troop training ;,nd this wastage, (seven other hoys handed in their names, hub fnilod to obtain the written consent of their parents or in some other direction neglected to persevere to enrolment) is likelv not only to continue but to increase unless Assistant Scoutmasters are available to make a really live programme of scouting possible. >e same difficulty is one reason for several bovs with months of .service, stnl being '"Tailed as Tenderfoots although another trouble here is the boy who is pre-cut at the weekly evening meeting hut fails to put in any appreciable time at open-air scouting and camp. Nout training is out-door training and a life-time of Club Room meetings would never produce a genuine stout. It would be a help to efficiency if the remaining vacant places could he I bed up at once ,enabling us to start the new vear at lull strength. 19J meetings have been held dm nig the year and in addition to these, On ni'dif.s ami a corresponding number of ,lavs have been spent in camp. AMten it is !<*nionil)oroil that A\ oil Cu > • | a i„x S and tamps ate not included m the total, it will be seen that Hciilinx has proved a pretty strenuous “spare time activity” for a lone Fcmitniaster and that his appeals for assistants have some justification! Attendance has varied somewhat, the percentage present at- the weekly troop meeting for the four quarters as follows:--Ist quarter 9n‘;b; -mb quarter 89, ( .; Uril. quarter 70%; -Ith. quarter 70%. Naturally with a larger troop attendance fall’s away slightly, and when it is remembered that absences include illness, spending holidays out of town, and other unavoidable reasons the figuix‘s ii re* 1 airly sutislaftory. Most of the camping lias been within a lew miles of Hokitika, but in addition’ to the Christmas Hike—when Lake Brunner and lnchbonnie were the furthest points attained in a ten days wander up and down the Teremakau Valiev-camps have also been held at Kuniara Beach, .Mount Greenland and Lake Kaniori. Six buys have not yet attended a camp and it is disappointing that the wonderful experiences of bush and mountain country in the verv siuiessful ex] editions carried out have been sha-ed bv so tew. It is Imped that a more satisfactory percentage will l>e able to join in the M’ailio trip after Christmas next. During those camps three sue; cssful little bits of mountain climbing nave been achieved and single day tiamjs included visits tn Lake Tnrletoii and Mount Misery, with many trips into the li'i-h near at hand. Inter-troop and inter-patrol lonthall has been satisfactory. The i hid' Scout’s Birthday. St. George’s Day, Empire Day, the King's Birthday anil Dominion Day were all duly observed- and other activities hy the hoys include a successful entertainment in December and a Jamboree in May, which, besides helping financially did something lowarils bringing the Scout Alovement before tlie public. An interesting dem.onst ra t i'mi ol book-binding by All lii,-hards raises the- question whether mure might not I utiiplislied in Dial direction and visits to local power slations. iaclories. works etc., would he help towards next year's winter programme. The Shouts arc taught that their Good Turn shall be done without ostentation or display* and it would ttppciir that a really ac< uijite estimate of a |uit is h'-ii'g due." in this direction , . -.i|Je. \ It M'llldd be belli interest mg and lielpllll to know how fill ibis side of scout iidlucnce ill atlecting Hokitika I shall lie glad if parents and others will let me hear, in conlidenie. ~f anything worth while that conies to their indie... The tump helped to some extent in disposing of tickets IV;- the Beautifying Association, supplied some orderlies lor the FxliibiI inn. sent a batch of lanccwood scarf keys w|iii'll tbey had made to till English ti-nop. buried 2.‘!7 old tins and bottles at Lake Kani. ii and are now planning t„ supply Christchurch Scouts with 2K) slaves and to do a special piece of community service for ( hnstmas. tn this ; onneetiiiu it must lie borne in mind that 8'l",, ol tlie buys have n large number of regular duties in tlie liuine and that, while anxious to be of use to the low'll, a Seoul’s first duty is to bis own parents. ’Phi. troop library has been in regular use and volumes, bave been donated l.v friends ami .'a'veial of tlie boys. Ibe electric light, so kindly installed by M' - Veal" has | Hived a tremendous boon and the S-out"’ B"nm itself is being ,' ,-ought gradually into ( 'inliti"U. quite a lot of work having been done lately bv some of the Seim!.-,.

The | ntor-l'al rol ci.ulrsl has provoked interest during the year. results (~ date Icing liiur monthly virturies l'i:the M'orep: i ks. ::lie fur the Ku Kits, uiul tire fur the Hawks. Courts nl' 1 liinm* ;tre hehl every tcrli,i"ht the I’atml l.eiiihe-- arc taking up their important duties with ever increasing earliestness. I lie Sunday Scouts Own hits keen he’d rog’.!|;,,|v us uu entirely voluntary meeting a,ml ut the present time is being conducted nl must entirely hy tli<‘ luivs. _\.ltlmttiih the ‘‘.slacker’’ in the. trim]) probably exists, a very encouraging level ut nil round enthusiasm is notv Indue i eaehed and :i deeided increase in the nut Spirit” can ho no tins I latelv.

The Wiilt Cull Rack, ah hough always keen and eiithusinstie and making eniitilined progress, is haiidieappeil very severely hy the want of a separate cnl>master. Roys of Cuh and Scout nee dill'er mi greatly in their outlook on life and the Cuh system of training is so distinct from flint intended for .Scouts that where Troop and I’aek are under one persons charge either the Cuhs nr the Scouts are hound to suffer. I look upon the discovery of a Cuhmaster as the most urgent and iinpurta m matter which I have to place before the Committee. Two Cuhs have “none up ” from the I’aek to the Troop during the year and three or four more are due to do so during the tonline iwelve month. There are :it presell! ( uhs in the I’aek and of this -have their Kirsl Star, —are still Tcndcrpads and have not yet lieeii (moiled. Here again it would he convenient to till up the vacant places at once.

1 have only been able to mange i <> Cuh meetings during Hie year. Ihe Cuhs have also had tiie opportunity of fourteen nights in camp. Scout and Cuhs have had a mim.kcr of football matches la* teen the ilitferent sixes and against the Ist Pack and also somehut fewer than I woulil wish—outdoor expeditions. The principal camp of the year was at hake Mnhiiiapua last summer where Mr Coulson s loan of hit) cottage made a thorough success of a very rainy camp period. Attendances have varied as follows for the four quarters of the year: Ist, 8-j per cent., 2nd S 7 per cent., 3rd GO per cent., 4tli SI per cent. These figures would have been higher save for two or three long illnesses and one boy being absent for the term for half a year.

11 nmlici-nfts have so far been rather neglected in the Back. I.tidies or gentlemen able to help with instruction in knitting, weaving, fret-work, etc., would be very welcome. Tlie Inter-Six competitions have been keenly fought month by mouth. Three victories were to the brown six, two to the black’s, and one to the brindles. Scouts A. Spence and L Leslie have lately been helping as instructors to Cubs. 1 understand that A.S..M. T. Kelly will now lie available for Scout meetings. If it were understood what a dilferenee visits between a really successful use of the scout system and the “base holiday” together of a troop by a single Scotiter who is overworked to the exclusion of that spirit of adventurous experiences which is the very soul of Scouting I cannot help feeling that this matter of Assistant Scout Master will he solved. So long its mv Seoul programmes have to he planned about midnight after a strenuous day it is impossible to give (he boys one ball of ivliat their clitlui' :-i- "n ileum". :""l huh "I imagination on tm pa it tan only lend to elk-appointment and eatelessncss on theirs. The financial summary attached has not het'ti audited. M’heit il is, I feel the auditor will add his view to mine fur the appointment of a separate troop treasurer, fly system, or lack of system, of accounts is, I fear, quite unorthodox, but running a troop is not a tuie mail job and the diilerenee already resulting in (lie troop Irian the intliieiieo of our present energetic Executive Committee leads me to hope lor relief in this direction also. May I close by expres-ing sincere gratitude to boys, parents, committee and friends of the troop for their great kindness, pa lienee and loyalty to nne w lin.came Jo their town a si rangin' with outlandish ideas and uncivilized attire. I shall need to aim very high if I hope to repay their contidence. Especially I now refer to th" I’atrol loaders of the Troop, lhr-s-e lads have a somewhat thankless task hut one which they will later realise tn he a thousand times worth while, and their per;;un:d loyalty t<> mysel) bus been a emit in nod inspiration. It is upon it.-, patrol leaders that the success or failure of a trim.) hangs.