24/03/2012
Venturers Hike And Camp On Mt. Pilot
On Saturday the 17th of March 2012 the 1st Wodonga Venturer Group hiked their way into camp and up Mt. Pilot in the Chiltern Forrest.
Where they cooked their own culinary delights.
Set up camp
And explored their surrounds atop Mt. Pilot.
Raised the flag
And enjoyed their time together in the fresh air, with magnificent views.
History - 1930's And Earlier
The sign on our former main building says that the 1st Wodonga Scouting Group was first established in 1910 only three years after Lord Baden Powell first created the scouting movement.
It would appear that the creation of the 1st Wodonga Scouts was not unique as there was many scouting troops formed prior to 1938 but according to this report each lapsed. The other interesting thing was the first meeting place being in Woodland Grove underneath the Wodonga water tower.
Another interesting link to Lord Baden Powell was created when he chose to visit the area in April 1931 to go trout fishing on the Kiewa River.
According to unconfirmed reports from Scouts Victoria this was as the 1st Belvoir Scouts (as Wodonga was also once known as Belvoir before a later name change back to Wodonga).
It would appear that the creation of the 1st Wodonga Scouts was not unique as there was many scouting troops formed prior to 1938 but according to this report each lapsed. The other interesting thing was the first meeting place being in Woodland Grove underneath the Wodonga water tower.
Another interesting link to Lord Baden Powell was created when he chose to visit the area in April 1931 to go trout fishing on the Kiewa River.
History - 1940's
During the early 1940's the 1st Wodonga Scouts struggled for leaders to run the activities, as so many people were caught up in the Second World War (either overseas or domestically).
Mr David Mann gathered together all the small scouting groups in the Wodonga area and turned them from a disorganised and disconnected bunch of groups into one scouting unit. He led the scouts in their formation years and went on to become 1st Wodonga Scouts first King's Scout**. He had a long association with the 1st Wodonga Scouts and all the district scouting troops over the following decades. David Mann was also instrumental in the late 1940's in getting the scout hall at it's Reid Street location built, suggesting that if scouts was to be taken seriously into the future then there was an imperative need for a meeting hall that the scouts could call their own to conduct their activities.
In the interim, the scouts were finally able to find a meting place that wasn't under the Wodonga Water Tower in Woodland Grove. They moved to the Church of England hall in 1948 and stayed there until 1954.
Negotiations were undertaken to find a suitable location for the scouts to base themselves permanently and one was found on some land owned by the Lands Department. In November 1949 in a letter from the Lands Department in Wodonga to The Secretary of the Lands Department in Melbourne (referenced as 3948 Wodonga) it talks about the Reid Street site. In paragraph 1 it states:
..They (Wodonga Shire Council) would be agreeable to a Permissive Occupancy being granted to the Boy Scout or Girl Guide authorities, provided it would be permanently reserved for their use, making security of tenure for them.
In paragraph 5 it goes on to state:
The Boy Scout and Girl Guide authorities approached the Shire Councillors making a request that the Shire would relinquish control of the area in their favour, as the site presented an ideal position for their purpose, just far enough away from residential properties to enable the young folk to hold meetings, functions, drills, etc. without annoying residents in the vicinity, yet easily accessible from the main street.
The Shire Councillors desire to encourage the young members of the community to join these organisations and so give them the opportunity of acquiring useful knowledge and citizenship, as against wandering aimlessly around the streets at a loose end. The request for the transfer has everything to commend it.
And so Permissive Occupancy of the Reid Street site was granted and work began on creating a hall for the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides to use.
The fund raising to build a hall also began. It consisted of chopping wood and selling it as fire wood and conducting rabbit drives. These were where rabbits were rounded up in vast numbers, trapped and killed for their skins and meat. This would take many years to raise the funds necessary to build the hall which was completed in 1956.
David Mann (as the leader of the Scout Troop) also wrote in his 1946 Record Book - 10 Tests of Scouts. These were to the measures against which he measured himself and his charges under his leadership. They were:
1. A scouts honour is to be trusted
2. A scout is loyal
3. A scouts duty is to be useful.
4. A scout is a friend to all and a brother to every other scout, no matter to what social class the other belongs.
5. A scout is courteous.
6. A scout is a friend to animals
7. A scout obeys orders
8. A scout smiles and whistles under all difficulties.
9. A scout is thrifty.
10. A scout is clean of thought, word and deed.
Another key figure in the long term formation of the first Wodonga Scouts was Mr. Roy Kemple. He joined the troop as a tenderfoot** in 1942 under the leadership at that time of David Mann. As the following extract shows he was soon to become the leader of the fledgling scouting troop:
In the later part of the 1940's an annual district camp was organised at Mt. Beauty as can be seen below.
The boy second from the left in the back row is Mr Ron Hanel as a boy. Ron was most helpful in providing me with information on these early years and this an acknowledgement of his assistance.
During these camps at Mt. Beauty Tom Mitchell was renown for going to each scout group attending to get fed for his meals. This was so that he was able to meet all of the young scouts under his command and assess their skills.
Ron Hanel also talked to me about some of the other activities that scouts of that era undertook. This included "bunking off" from school on a Friday to catch the train down to Chiltern so he and a few of his scout mates could hike back to Wodonga via the hills camping out along the way. Such was the culture and emphasis on camping and bush craft at that time.
Footnote:
** Baden-Powell created the original system of Scout advancement, starting with Tenderfoot (basically a new or inexperienced Scout), followed by Second Class, and culminating with First Class. B-P's Scouting for Boys explains general requirements for these awards, which are often called 'ranks' or 'awards' (and sometimes 'badges') in English-speaking countries. In 1909, Britain's King Edward VII authorised a new top rank, King's Scout (called Queen's Scout since approval by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953). This is available to Scouts in countries that are members of the UK Commonwealth.
Mr David Mann gathered together all the small scouting groups in the Wodonga area and turned them from a disorganised and disconnected bunch of groups into one scouting unit. He led the scouts in their formation years and went on to become 1st Wodonga Scouts first King's Scout**. He had a long association with the 1st Wodonga Scouts and all the district scouting troops over the following decades. David Mann was also instrumental in the late 1940's in getting the scout hall at it's Reid Street location built, suggesting that if scouts was to be taken seriously into the future then there was an imperative need for a meeting hall that the scouts could call their own to conduct their activities.
..They (Wodonga Shire Council) would be agreeable to a Permissive Occupancy being granted to the Boy Scout or Girl Guide authorities, provided it would be permanently reserved for their use, making security of tenure for them.
In paragraph 5 it goes on to state:
The Boy Scout and Girl Guide authorities approached the Shire Councillors making a request that the Shire would relinquish control of the area in their favour, as the site presented an ideal position for their purpose, just far enough away from residential properties to enable the young folk to hold meetings, functions, drills, etc. without annoying residents in the vicinity, yet easily accessible from the main street.
The Shire Councillors desire to encourage the young members of the community to join these organisations and so give them the opportunity of acquiring useful knowledge and citizenship, as against wandering aimlessly around the streets at a loose end. The request for the transfer has everything to commend it.
And so Permissive Occupancy of the Reid Street site was granted and work began on creating a hall for the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides to use.
David Mann (as the leader of the Scout Troop) also wrote in his 1946 Record Book - 10 Tests of Scouts. These were to the measures against which he measured himself and his charges under his leadership. They were:
1. A scouts honour is to be trusted
2. A scout is loyal
3. A scouts duty is to be useful.
4. A scout is a friend to all and a brother to every other scout, no matter to what social class the other belongs.
5. A scout is courteous.
6. A scout is a friend to animals
7. A scout obeys orders
8. A scout smiles and whistles under all difficulties.
9. A scout is thrifty.
10. A scout is clean of thought, word and deed.
Another key figure in the long term formation of the first Wodonga Scouts was Mr. Roy Kemple. He joined the troop as a tenderfoot** in 1942 under the leadership at that time of David Mann. As the following extract shows he was soon to become the leader of the fledgling scouting troop:
The other interesting points from the extract are that he too rose to the rank of King's Scout. He was the second to do so in the First Wodonga Scouting Troop after David Mann. He was also the first "warranted" scoutmaster to lead the 1st Wodonga Scouts.
A third influential person involved in the foundation years of the 1st Wodonga Scouts and scouting in the district as a whole was Mr. Thomas Walter (Beaver) Mitchell (seen above).
He became the leading figure in scouting in the North East Victoria.
He started in scouts as a lone scout on his Towong Hill station home in Towong Victoria.
In World War 2 he was commissioned and as a Captain in the 2/22 Battalion and Headquarters 8th Division, he was captured in the fall of Singapore in 1942 and imprisoned as a POW at the infamous Changi POW camp. He was then forced to work on the infamous Thai -Burma railway. He survived the war but had some legacies of his imprisonment with his hands being damaged.
Upon his return to Australia after the war he not only got re involved with the scouting movement but also become the member for Benambra in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1947 to 1976 and as Attorney-General from June 1950 to December 1952 and as Solicitor-General from June 1950 to December 1951. During his time in parliament he was know as a bit of an eccentric because of his tendency to knit in cabinet sessions. He did this as remedial exercise for his damaged hands.
In the late 1940's he became a regular at 1st Wodonga scout meetings. In 1952 he became the Head District Scout Master for the Northern Victorian district. He continued in this role until1971 when he retired from the scouts. He eventually passed away in 1984 and was buried on his beloved property at Towong Hill. Scouts from 1st Wodonga Scouts as well as other troops formed a guard of honour at his funeral. He is remembered by a sign on the Rovers Den at 1st Wodonga Scouts hall in Reid St as well as on a major boulevard in Wodonga (Thomas Mitchell Drive). One of the Cub packs in the 1980's and 1990 was also known as the "Beaver" pack in recognition of Tom Mitchell's scout name.
In the late 1940's he became a regular at 1st Wodonga scout meetings. In 1952 he became the Head District Scout Master for the Northern Victorian district. He continued in this role until1971 when he retired from the scouts. He eventually passed away in 1984 and was buried on his beloved property at Towong Hill. Scouts from 1st Wodonga Scouts as well as other troops formed a guard of honour at his funeral. He is remembered by a sign on the Rovers Den at 1st Wodonga Scouts hall in Reid St as well as on a major boulevard in Wodonga (Thomas Mitchell Drive). One of the Cub packs in the 1980's and 1990 was also known as the "Beaver" pack in recognition of Tom Mitchell's scout name.
Camping was a big part of the activities in that time and below is a copy of some camp arrangements and a routine written by David Mann in 1942:
During these camps at Mt. Beauty Tom Mitchell was renown for going to each scout group attending to get fed for his meals. This was so that he was able to meet all of the young scouts under his command and assess their skills.
Ron Hanel also talked to me about some of the other activities that scouts of that era undertook. This included "bunking off" from school on a Friday to catch the train down to Chiltern so he and a few of his scout mates could hike back to Wodonga via the hills camping out along the way. Such was the culture and emphasis on camping and bush craft at that time.
Footnote:
History - 1950's
The 1950's saw the 1st Wodonga Scouts continue to grow in size. There were now four patrols, named: Eagles, Kookaburras, Rosellas and finally the Kingfishers (which was the last to be formed). Up to 1954 the scouts continued to meet at the Church of England Hall in Church St. Wodonga, then (and the reason is unclear) they were suddenly asked to meet elsewhere. The Hall in Reid St. was still not completed at this point in time and so another venue was used. That venue was the cattle pavilion at the Wodonga Show grounds. More often than not, however, the Scouts and newly formed Cubs were forced to once again meet in the open air.
Other developments in the 1950's included in 1950 David Mann (1st Wodonga Scouts early leader and its first Kings Scout) being appointed as Acting District Scoutmaster.
Also in 1950 The Reverend A.R. May ( who's Church the Scouts had been meeting in since 1948 raised the first Cub Pack in the 1st Wodonga Scouting Group and became its first Cubmaster.
In 1952 Mr. Tom W. Mitchell became the Head District Scout Master but continued his close association with 1st Wodonga. He was a champion snow skier and was the first ever person to represent Australia in skiing internationally. As a result one of the skills he passed down to the scouts during this time was how to make their own skis out of wood.
In 1955 as the New Hall was nearing completion the Wodonga Rotary Club chose as their first project the creation of the arch and gates at the entrance of the new hall. A memorial plaque commemorates that event in 1955.
In 1956 the new Scout and Guide Hall was opened and a Permissive Occupancy was issued to the site that the hall was to sit on was issued:
By 1957 the Scout troop was again being run temporarily by senior scouts as the two Scoutmasters Roy Hemple and A. Wilson had both retired (although both shared supervision of the Scout troop until a new leader was found).
The following is examples of the type of certificates issued to members of both Scouts and Cubs when they joined during the 1940s and 1950's. As can be seen they were very ornate in their design and contained the promise of each group on the bottom of the certificate:
History - 1960's
1963/64 saw a second issuing of a permissive occupancy for the site of the new hall and a letter to the Secretary of the Department of Crown Land and Survey seeking dual permission for both Guides and Scouts to use the site:
This is a picture of the four "sixes" at that time out the front of the hall under the arch. Note the lack of a fence and trees.
From 1967:
From 1968:
From 1969:
In another copy of the article below a hand written note states that the report was incorrect and the it was actually 1st Wodonga that had won the event overall not 1st Albury.
The following are some of the certificates presented or used during the sixties:
