BOY SCOUTS

Hokitika Guardian, 20 December 1924, Page 4

BOY SCOUTS

(Contributed). Dec. 26th. sees the opening, near Xew Brighton, of the first Xew Zealand Training Camp for Scoutmasters under the Wood Badge Scheme, made world-famous in connection with Gillwell Park, England. Three patrols of Scoutmasters, representing districts as widely separated as Thames and South Dunedin, will spend ten days under canvas in n strenuous endeavour to make themselves more eliicient as leaders for the Imylmod of the Dominion. The daily programme extends from 6 a.in. to 10 p.nt. and includes live or six hours of concentrated lectures, demonstrations and practices, a good deal of steady writing up of note hooks, “spare time” activities, such as cooking a damper—, sharpening an axe, learning to imitate a bird call, or “logging-up” timber, and till the usual routine of camp life, including cooking and cleaning. The camp is run as regards discipline. on the understanding that for ten days each Stouter heroines a Boy Scout in camp, and is expected to show himself till those qualities he is trying to develop ill the boys’ of his own troop. .Most of those entering tire young business men. who are giving up the the whole of their annual holiday in a most unselfish manner and in some cases putting themselves to heavy expense for traveling front distant points, and the fact that more entries have been received than could he accepted. and that an impatient enthusiasm for the cant!) has been in evidence for :t long while, would lead one to hope that the experiment here will meet with the same success that it has found already in Great Britain. Ireland. Canada, South Africa, Palestine, India, and other parts of the Emp've. not to mention France and foreign countries. The lirst Gillwoll Camp was held just over live years ago. and the experience of that period is to some extent an oil-set to the long delay in its introduction to Xew Zealand. Two Hokitika Scottters will he present tit ihe camp .and it will he interesting to watch how far its elleels tin* transmitted to the hoys oi local troops. It is hoped to follow this first effort up with a series of cantos in both Islands, and it will no longer he fair to anyone to plead lack ol knowledge as tin excuse ’ for shirking service as a Senator, so that it is hoped that one result of the enterprise will he to relieve the shortage of men which is at present so big a hindrance to the spread of scouting.