Scouting anyone?

[Spitfire]

I was just wondering how many of the fine members of this lounge had ever been scouts?

The reason for my question, is partly Carters new/old avatar and partly that I myself was a very active boyscout from I was 9 till I was 21 years old. And right now I am involved in organizing a reunion of former, old scouts in order to celeberate my scoutgroups 75 aniversary. (One of the oldest groups in Denmark!)

There is something nice oldfashioned about scouting, isn't there?
But scouting - in Denmark at least - has had too many changes in order to attract the kids, so it's now miles away from the scouting I knew - and loved.
Somehow I think they should get back to basics in order to beat the PCgames etc.
Instead of playing PC games at the meetings.

[eightbore]

Troop 51...Eagle Scout...1986

We had a great group of adults who taught us a lot and worked like mad to help us organize some great camps. The older I get, the more I miss those big events.

eightbore

[Smithy]

I was a cub for about three years, before playing cricket really started to take up my time.

[Flivver]

I was a Cub Scout for about three years and had great fun doing it. My best friend's mom was our Den Mother and she was great at it. We made some wonderful field trips to museums and the local Air Force base, and were encouraged to do special projects to earn gold and silver arrowheads (my mother got tired of sewing them on my shirt). I was a Wolf, Bear, and finally a Lion. I still have my little blue uniform.

Then I became a Boy Scout and enjoyed that, too...at least initially. We had a great Scoutmaster but eventually he wound up having to work overtime on the nights we met. Our meetings then were run by teen-aged Eagle Scouts who took great pleasure in sneering at us and making us do exercises for an hour or two each meeting. There was nothing else in their "playbook". After a few months of that, my friends and I quit the Scouts and went on to other interests. That was too bad, as I think being a Boy Scout could have been even more fun than being a Cub Scout.

[Miss Sis]

Ben Stephens (on holiday this week) was a Scout and is still a Scout Leader.

Here he is being a British War-time Scout Leader with all his 'scouts' at COAM (Chiltern open Air Musuem) in July. It peed down with rain and was quite unpleasant weather but the Scouts had the time of their lives! At least three went away and joined the Scouts for real.

[Edward]

I was in the Robins, the most junior end of the BB (Boy's Brigade) for a year or two when very young (4 / 5). We moved house, and all my new friends were joining the Beavers (junior end of the Scouts in the UK) at 6, so that's wehre I ended up. Comparing it to the BB, I think I probably got a lot more out of the Scouts (Dad was a leader in both for years, and he reckons the same), though others' mileage may vary on that one. I went right through beavers, cubs, scouts and into venture scouts, then from about 18 through to about 20 or so, I was an Assisant Scout Leader. Great experience.

[LizzieMaine]

Brownie, 1970-72, Junior Girl Scout, 1972-75, Cadette Girl Scout 1975-76. I'd have stuck all the way thru to Senior, but the troop dissolved for lack of interest -- the 70s were a fallow time for such things, I guess. But I enjoyed it very much, even though the only camping trip I ever went on was a sleepover on the floor of the local armory one summer. And I still love the cookies!

[Classics]

I made it to Star, before the adult politics of the troop tore it apart. Too bad, I had a good time and learned a great deal.

[Dixon Cannon]

Troop 290, Lantana, Florida

I still have my neckerchief and my Camp Tanakeeta slide. I also carved a 'beer barrel' neckerchief slide that I saw in "Boys Life" magazine. I still have that little rascal.



I'll photograph that stuff and pass it along.

-dixon cannon

[Dominic]

Been a scout from age 9 to 16. Quite fun, lots of adventures including the International Jamboree in Calgary, Alberta in 1982. Also got my Annapurna badge in 1981, a badge given by the Governor General of Canada (Queen's representative) at Rideau Hall, Ottawa.