BOY SCOUTS

Hokitika Guardian, 6 October 1925, Page 4

BOY SCOUTS

SCOUTMASTER'S REPORT FOR YEAR ENDED SEPT. ‘-Mth, IOR-Y. ;( omributed.) Dealing first with the Wolf Cub Pack. I am able to report an excellent amount of progress in almost every ilireetion during this, the second year ~f iu life. The strength has remained fairly constant, and is at the moment identical with that given in my last yearly report. Hilt in addition we now have- 0 ex-Cubs who have gone up into the Scout Troop and are showing that their Cub training has not been wasted. We have room for four C'ubs and expect to have another two or three vacant places belore Christmas so that recruits are still required.

Nothing lias come of my last year’s appeal for a C'ubmaster so I have been forced to neglect the .Scouts to some extent in order to hold the requisite number of Pack Meetings, which, in spite of the epidemic, total a down more than last year. 1 would again urge on the Committee the importance of the discovery of helpers in this brunch ot the work.

Only two short camps have been held this year, one at South Spit and the other at Awatuna. .Both of these were happy and successful in every particular and I was especilal.v grateful to see m, many of the parents and friends of the Cubs as visitors at Awntnun. At tins latter camp very nearly all the boys made a start towards learning to swim and I hope that this year all out members will have thus saieguarded themselves against a form of accident all too likely to occur under local conditions.

Attendance has been slightly lowei this year at the weekly meetings but save in one or two individual eases this is not the result of any loss of keenness mi the part of the boys. I Pave been able to hold an increased number of all-dav expeditions which arc exceedingly popular and veil attended. I am glad to be able to announce that the Cubs are now starting to gain second stars and Proficiency Pad-res. The delay hitherto has been largely a matter of finding examiners and t!io kindness of those members of tin- commit tee who have devoted turn' to examining the hoys is having excellent results. The inter-Six contests and other activities have tieen carried on with unabated keenness. The Cubs have taken a full share m all celebrations, etc., have helped to earn funds for the party of scolds which is attending the Jamboree and have sold tickets as a Good Turn to the R.fs.A. lii competitions of ‘'flood Turns in the Home” several parents have reported long lists of useful actions performed. Tin- singing practices which some of the nnrents have so kindly allowed its io hold in their homes have been well attended by the Cubs, who hope to come before the public in a musical enpacitv in tin- very near iuture. T have nothing hut praise for the luippy :i 1 helpful enthusiasm which has been evident in the Pack during the vear.

Of live Cubs will) left the Pack without becoming Scouts three did so on account ol leaving the district and one of the other two had almost equally i.ood oiiu-e for ceasing to be a member. The avoidable los, of only one boy in two years is a satisfactory record, but one. unfortunately, by no means equalled in the Scout Troop. In tie Scouts numbers are now down to a dozen and two or three ol these cannot attend meetings with any regularity. though their names are kept on the register as this is through no lanll cf their own. Ii is very disappointing at the end of two vear- work, meetings and camps totalling over four hundred possible altondalives per scout and the large amount ol energy put lorn aid b\ Committee and other worker- to have to show hut nine or ten hoys (.ot whom -ix arc ex (.'ubs in regular attendance). A- th-moiist ra img the low ebb reached I must quote lhe fact that apart from Wolf Cubs coming up, no recruits have o lie red tiem elves for the troop for eleven months past. Numbers in themselves are not over important hut at the moment more hoys in the town who have left the troop than there are Scouts in it mean that there is a majoritv of opinion who in the iuleiesf of their own sr[f-re-,pect are inclined to l.e lit Ile -.( mil ideals and the lot ol those who are faithful to the troop is to be on the unpopular and apparently losing side. As a matter ot lacl sever;,l nl those who have left would very

gindly return if their parents were willing Inti lids does not make them espouse the unpopular side in public. Ilul apart Irom this matter ol lilt* I'lfect on the hoys who remain the loss ol members of the troop is a very serious sign of failure which no seout-ii'est.-r (an afford to overlook. Scnulitie, ought to appeal to every hoy and those who have once experimented with it might never willingly give it up. Experience elsewhere makes me hope that there are other factors besides my own iin-anacily to amount for the present failure. 1 would mention the following as indicating possible remedies: fa) The lack of the help of AssistantSmutmasters. A vear ago 1 noted in my then report: "This wastage is likely not onlv to continue but to increase

unless assistant scoutmasters are avai able to make a really live program.!! of muting possible,” and my prophet lias proved only too m-eurate. (b) A a critical time last year when a nun Her ol newly joined recruits neede special attention I was obliged to cm | cent rate oil .-.nine training scheme i which I had undertaken for Dominio Headquarters. liy the time troop at i fairs again had my full attention th scout spirit on which everything clI depends hail been swamped by tile new I comers. Here again the hide of assist I ants and the youth ol the patrol lead j ers was the title cause of failure, (o' In spite of the kind help of the "lloki tikd liiumliau ” and the work of oui committee there is still a very densi cloud of ignorance among adults as ii what .''routing might mean to then -ous. In a number ot cases tin* home authorities have deliberately tried to dampen the enthusiasm of the boys towards this system of education in character and manliness. ,d> 1 find in many cases the boys in leaving irresponsibly or for some imagined grievance width has never even reached mv ears, are merely copying the example set by adults and that those latter have in some cases even suggested such action to their boys. To show that i am not here inclined to exaggerate may 1 quote a number of cases in connection with the party which was to go to Dunedin next January? One boy applied to go in February saved n pound towards his expellees by June, became interested in wireless and withdrew his money to buy part of a wireless outfit in July. Apparently feeling he had behaved shabbily to bis comrades ho resigned from the troop at the same time.

Another boy spent six months in training and as a result of his keenness was given a nlace in the display team. etc. Tie took part in a miinher of schemes of earning money towards his expenses and in this and other ways saved several pounds. His mother waited until what she thought was the eve of the date of the despatch of the entry fee to Dunedin and then suddenly informed the Scoutmaster

that Iter hoy had been less helpful at home since joining the Scouts and she had decided to withdraw him from the troop. She had never previously given the troop the slightest hint that she was not entirely satisfied, letting him attend ciiinn a week before his withdrawal. Having miscalculated the date of the money being sent to Dunedin she is now apparently grieved and surprised to find that L'l of the hoy’s money is forfeited, in spite of the fact that it was earned by jobs given to the boy on the understanding that it would he used for the Jamboree. Another hoy wa- one of the first to apply to he included in the party at his .own request when he was on the point of being crossed off the troop books for non-attendance. Since then although informed exactly ns to what was expected of him he litis neither attended the practices or taken any of the other necessary steps towards preparing for the trip but has not tiltempted to inform the scoutmaster that he wishes to withdraw. This docs not exhaust the list of those who have withdrawn unreasonably although the whole matter had been gone into in detail with them months before and they as well as their parents had in every ease given

their written consent to their inclusion in the party. Hoys ot a thoughtless age might he given some excuse in such conduct but that they have the open approval of their parents in so doing seems very unreasonable to those who have had to put up with continual reconstruction of the teams and to see again and again i'ne endeavour of months of training brought to nothing. r) 1 have reason to believe that another cause of the year’s losses is deliberate attempts to wreck the troop on th<* part of a few ill-disposed persons not all of whom are children. Unfortunately I have no proul that I can make public in support of this opinion but in case this reaches the bearing of those referred to I would like io assure them that they will not find me backward in dealing with them it they

ever come out into the open. The amount of detail with which I have treated this loss of scout membership may lie taken as an indication of mv rcM'oj'iiit ion ot its urgent, import-

;iii(v ; 111 <l niv own ili'toriiiiiiution to seek a remedy. I trust that in this f may count on the support and cooperation of the Committee as a whole. To turn to brighter aspects I am glad to be able to report that there are boys in the troop who have u-cd this time of comparative failure to demonstrate- their loyalty in a very handsome manner anil also that those cubs who have come up into the troop are helping to introduce into it that spirit ol luippy enthusiasm which has been characteristic ol the Pack from the first.

The epidemic stooped the regular meetings between Summer Ctitno ami Faster and since then all energy has been devoted to preparations for the Jamboree at Dune.lilt. Futrics for

eight boys, including two from the first troop, have been sent ill but the actual position as already indicated, is not. too definite. On tin- whole a larger proportion ol outdoor work has been accomplished this year than in IR2J-I. Discipline and smart ness are both on the upgrade to quite an extent and there are signs that the true duties ol Patrol Leadership are being understood and accepted in a tidier way by tin- boys. Apart I rom week-ends in tin- vicinity of the town, camps have been held at Aw a i unn and Lake Mahinapua while the two Scull tors and one of the Scolds Imd an interesting hike camp to the iunet inn o! the Wliitcoiid e and Hokitika Rivers. At the same time the wonderful opportunities which local scouts have of visiting the henuii slots of the world under ideal conditions have so lar not been used. I am especially disappointed that the intention to visit the Waiho last summer was not realised. Since the last Troop Birthday the chid cunts worthy of note have been tin- vi-at ot i la- Chief Commissioner am! ihe i elij,ration ol Trafalgar Day Pi October, and the cclchralion of St. George's Day, Ati/.ac Day. Mothers’ Day. Empire Day and King's Birthday this year. A few eerie expeditions ha re been riici-e- :• In I a ltd a good lot of work lias lu-eii ai eomplisln-d toward.earning funds for the Jamboree, the latter including tin- collection and sale of lircivnoil and al.-o daffodils. Through the kindness of parents singing practice Inis heroine a regular activity and the result at tie- tamp lire has beer excellent. Tin- Troop In . forwarded a supply o' laiierivnod stares Io the troops ai Christchurch and has collected and now

lias ready for despatch a similar supply fur Tiniaru. A number of toys were bought and distributed at Christmas to children who were likely to be overlooked by Santa Claus. In addition to the Pack Totem Pole, presented a year ago the Troop has been giien a line Fnion .Jack of silk which has been suitably moulded as Troop Colours and lias apnea red in public more than once. The scouts with the Assistant Scout mast or and the help of .Mr 15Innk built a Trek Carl in the Christ nee. holidays. This lias done good service both at camp and nearer borne. Various fittings for t he I loon room have been made by tic.' hoys and bandages, signalling Hags, leitls and other troop allairs have received kind attention from the needles ol mothers ami sisters. A number of books have been added to the Troop Library and a gramophone and records has also been loaned to the troop.

A.S.M. Turn Kelly Inis been unable 1 to attend meetings since the slimmer •' but has promised jo give us as much time as possible before lie loaves the 1 town early next year. His help at the Awn tuna Camp was especially valuable. The visits of members of the coni--1 oiitlce mid (heir help in ways too numerous iu m,.-in mu Imre .have been deeply appreciated mu only by Hie Snuitmaster but bv ilm boys themselves. The fact that 1 1. i - report will not this year have 10 deal with limmce is one of many bom-tits resulting from the ap--1 pointment of a Treasurer in response to mv plea of a year ago and t Iu- : work of the scoiilers has also been relieved by almo.-t every member of the Committee in their several directions, reaching from the provision of refreshments to ■' refiiug ” at football. May 1 conclude with the assurance to friends and foes alike that those wlio suppose that the boys or 1 are disheartened at recent setbacks have still something to learn. We are going forward in the spirit of the eleven-year-,,1,1 lad xvli.-i mised a week or so back that he would be A.S.M. of the Troon in 193 d.