Gauteng Scout Groups - North Rand District

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First Kengray Scout Group

The early years

The 1st Kengray Rhodes Park Scout troop was formed in 1994 when the 1st St Francis Scout troop (which had been formed in 1934 under the name the 1st Kerk Street Catholic troop) merged with the 2nd Kensington Scout troop (which had formed in 1923) to form a new troop, called the 1st Kengray Rhodes Park Scout troop, due to the location of the hall being in Rhodes Park.

In 1998 it merged with 1st Belgravia Kensington and the name of the group was changed to the 1st Kengray Belgravia-Kensington Scout Group. Over the years there have been many mergers of groups in the area and consequently Kengray can trace its roots back to 1908 when the 1st Belgravia Scout Troop opened.

The following narration tracks the group's early evolution through the 20th Century and is sourced from documentation in the Scout Heritage Centre, Cape Town and the Kengray website.

1st Belgravia Scout Troop (1908 – 1922)

The 1st Belgravia Scout Troop opened its doors for the first time in mid-1908. It was led by Scoutmaster A F McGillivary and the scarf was olive green with a purple border. Many of the boys were telegraph delivery boys and it is not known where they initially met.

One of their first camps was held in August 1909 when a combined camp took place at Gilloolys farm and was attended by 1st Ophirton Railway Lads, Troyeville, 1st Belgravia, 1st Pretoria and the Dove patrol from Benoni. This camp was one of the earliest records of Scouting history in the old Transvaal. When the Post Office troop in Jeppe closed down in 1912 most of their boys joined 1st Belgravia adding to their numbers. In 1912 the Scoutmaster was Rev W P McCormack and the troop met at his residence but in 1914 they were meeting at the Belgravia Park Hall. During the year camps were held in Dead Man's Valley and Magaliesberg but in December 1914, due to Scouters leaving to participate in the First World War, the troop went into recess.

The troop reopened in June 1916 with Walter Swift as Scoutmaster and the troop met at his house in Tucker Street. The October 1916 edition of the Transvaal Scouter mentions that; 1st Belgravia Scoutmaster Swift had eight months earlier re-started the troop with 12 boys and now had 114 members and were meeting in a large shop in Jeppe Extension. The following year they had a number of joint meetings with 2nd Belgravia (Cornwall) until a Scoutmaster could be found for them. 1st Belgravia's strength was now up to130. They attended various district evens including a District Camp at Maloney's' Eye near Magaliesberg and Church Parades. Meeting places changed quite often and in 1918 they met in a house on the corner of Hans and Fawcus streets. The troop helped out with soup kitchens during the 1918 Flu Epidemic in addition to regular church parades, camps and training. A A Maynard was appointed Assistant Scoutmaster.

The 1st World Jamboree was held in 1920 at Olympia in London and the participants from 1st Belgravia were Walter Swift, Norman Dickie and Leslie Cole.

1st Belgravia-Kensington Troop (1922 – 1998)

In October 1922 an application was made to change the name of the troop to 1st Belgravia-Kensington and this was duly approved. The first recorded meetings of the group committee were held in 1924 and Frank B Fairhurst attended the 2nd World Jamboree. D H Hiskett was appointed Scoutmaster and meetings were now being held at Abe Baily Park at the bottom of MacDonald Street and there was also a District Hall on the corner of Jules and Kent Streets in Jeppe. The troop attended a District Camp in the Magaliesberg in 1928.

The 3rd World Jamboree was in August 1929 and was held in Arrowe Park, Birkenhead, England and CF Silverthorne, R Williams, F Tucker, H Andrew, J Gibe and J Dey were part of the 405 South Africans that attended. Locally the troop regularly camped at Witpoortjie Gorge, attended Church Parades and participated in most competitions including District Camps in the Magaliesberg. Henley on Klip was also popular. 1930 saw the troop winning the District inter troop competition, camped at Cliff's Farm, Henly on Klip and in July the troop camped at Margate in Natal where they acted as the guard of honour for the opening of the Margate Town Hall.

The first group Scoutmaster, Les Elderkin was appointed in 1932 and in the same year, property stands 1069/70 at 38 Highlands Road was purchased for £50 for erecting a Scout Hall. The committee were now very busy fund raising with bridge drives, dances, cale sales, concerts, jumble sales, etc.

In August 1933 the 4th World Jamboree was held in Gödöllö, Hungary and was attended by Rover R Burnard and Scouts P Tomlinson and U Silverthorne. In April 1934 the Group strength was 43 Cubs, 45 Scout and 10 Rovers. The first South African Jamboree was held in January 1936 in East London and 18 Scouts and 2 Scouters attended and in October for the Johannesburg Jubilee, BK represented the movement in a float procession.

In 1936/7 Richard and Rex Dey attended the Australian jamboree with Scoutmaster C Groom (Groompie) it was reported that they were "the first to wear the Springbok emblem on their uniform to an overseas event". The Contingent was away on tour for five months from the 18th November to 5th May 1937.

From Scout Richard Dey's scrapbook it was recorded that their tour included: -

Sydney - Blue Mountains National Park with its spectacular mountain views including Katoomba and the Jenolan Caves (similar to our Cango Caves) and Campbelltown.
Brisbane - River cruise, Camping in Closeburn, Ipswich Park.
Tasmania - Hobart, Climbed to top of Mount Wellington, Deloraine and Winyard.
Melbourne - Shrine of Remembrance, Camped at 1st Toorak Troop

Witpoortjie was as popular as ever and April saw 44 Scouts in camp. The 5th World Jamboree in 1937 was attended by A Hudson, A Williams and W Tomson.

1940's and 1950's

During the Second World War (1939/45) most of the Scouters and Rovers were on 'active service' and the running of the troop came to rest on the shoulders of Eddie Plint (acting Scoutmaster 1940/41, appointed Scoutmaster 1942) and Olive Rowlinson. The troop held their last camp at Witpoortjie as it had now been fenced off, but the enthusiasm was not damped when later they loaded up their bicycles and rode 50Km to camp at Henley for a week. Scouting skills were also good as in the early 1940's with the troop often wining the First Aid, Sports, Swimming and Soccer competitions. Inter group activities with other troops was good, joining 1st Fairview for games, campfires and even attending their October 1940 and December 1945 Summer Camp in Port Elizabeth and Plettenberg Bay in 1946.

A Senior Troop was formed in 1948 to cater for the older Scouts and to provide activities that were more age related. Richard Dey ran the Seniors and Trecor Geach the Juniors and therefore the troop had two Scoutmasters. Group, Troop and Cub combined camps were held at Gillooly's, Henly on Klip, Hunter's Farm, Quillam, Journey's End, Wilga River and Glen William. Distance didn't seem to be an issue as Port Alfred and Victoria Falls are also visited. The Group magazine 'The Beak' was started in January 1950 with C Bartlett as editor. Margeret Robinson became editor in March 1965.

The visit of an International Scouter of note was when in January 1952 John Thurman, the Camp Chief of Gilwell Park, spent some time with the troop. But Scouting wasn't their only talent, because in 1953 the troop acted in a film being made about Scouting for headquarters. In January 1954 W Silburn was appointed Scoutmaster. Richard Dey was appointed District Commissioner for the North Eastern District in August and resigned as Scoutmaster. Rover Scout C Roos became acting Scoutmaster for the Senior troop. At the end of the year there was a Group Camp at Henley.

The 9th World Jamboree, being the 50th Anniversary of Scouting was held in 1957 at Sutton Park in England and was attended by Graham Bundy and John Silverthorne. They were away for 3 months!

A milestone for the 1950's was when the group celebrated their golden jubilee in 1958. A Pageant depicting 50 years of Scouting was held on Friday 23 May for Scouts, 24 May for parents and a dance on the 31 May.

1960's and 1970's

In March 1964 a Jamborally at Mafeking was attended by members of the group and in September school holidays the Guide's and Scouts held a joint hike in the Drakensberg. In 1968 Mr Carveth Geach, an old BK Scout, was made Chief Scout of South Africa.

The option to form a Venture Scout Section came about around 1967 and BK took the decision to form one as there were now 40 Scouts and 40 Cubs. Camp Koraan was also a popular campsite that the troop used in the 1970's. 1st Malvern due to the lack of Scouters started meeting with BK around March 1972 and in October 20 Scouts formally transferred to the group. In 1995 1st Cleveland also merged with 1st Belgravia Kensington.

Since its founding, 1st Belgravia Kensington has recorded approximately eighty Scouts who have qualified for the King, Queen or Springbok Award.

The merger of the 1st Kengray-Rhodes Park Scout troop with 1st Belgravia Kensington took place in 1998 a day after their 90th anniversary campfire. At this merger the name of the group was changed to the 1st Kengray Belgravia-Kensington Scout Group.

1st Belgravia Kensington Cub Pack

The 1st Belgravia Cub Pack was registered in April 1918 and the Pack Scouter was W O'Donnell. They met outside in Fawcus Street and the uniform was navy blue shorts and a black long-sleeved jersey.

The following year there were 12 Cubs and in December Miss M E Teubes was appointed Pack Scouter. Next was H Winn who became Pack Scouter in April 1921 and held the meeting at her house. Totems were in 1924 presented to the Cub Pack and they camped at Fairlands. Towards the end of 1930 the separate 1st Belgravia and 1st Kensington Cub packs were amalgamated to form the 1st Belgravia Kensington Cub Pack. The Cub's turned up Hat was at the end of 1931 replaced with the Cub Cap.

The Cubs were very keen and active winning the1932 District Cub Competition and various other events. The Group in 1934 was very strong with 43 Cubs, 45 Scouts and 10 Rovers and combined camps were held at Witpoortjie Gorge. The Pack were meeting at Rhodes Park and were often joined by the 2nd Kensington Pack. Miss J Anderson was Pack Scouter for a while as was Miss Johnson and then Olive Plint. During the war the Pack moved from meeting on a Wednesday evening to a Saturday afternoon in Rodes Park and 2nd Kensington was temporally amalgamated with 1st BK. The pack participated in a District Cub Rally and campfire at the Hellenic School in May 1944.

There were two short six-month stints of leaders in 1946, Miss Jessie Anderson for first half of the year and Miss Johnson for the second half. The following January Mrs Olive Plint took over and soon there were 55 Cubs on the roll. In 1949 the first ever bob-a-job week brought in £50! The Cub ages were changed to starting when turning 8 and leaving when turning 11. Pack meeting times were changed from Saturday afternoons to Friday evening in June 1960 and in October the Cubs attended a district Cub Camp at Hellenic grounds.

Rover Crew

On return from the 1929 World Jamboree, Bob Williams and Cecil Silverthorne suggested that the group start a Rover Crew and consequently held their first meeting in October at the home of Mr J. S. D. Dey. The following meetings were held on the verandah of the Silverthorn's house. R Williams and R S Barnard attended the 1934 Australian Jamboree and E Bell attended the 1935 Rover Moot in Sweden and in June the Rovers built a Den in the backyard of Mr F C Bell at 419 Main Street. Two months after the start of the Second World War (1939/45) the Rover Crew went into recess but was restarted by R Douglas in early 1948.

In May '48 four Rovers attended the East London SARSI. This was the first South African Rover Scout Indaba following the second world war and coincided with East London's centenary.

The campsite was situated at the mouth of the Nahoon River in a most beautiful setting. The weather was kind to them affording opportunities for swimming in the lagoon and sea.

In 1949 Carveth and Trevor Geach attended the Rover Moot in Norway.

The Chief Scout, Lord Rowallan, in February 1950 toured South Africa which included a visit to General Jan Smuts farm for a rally. Here the Rovers did all the cooking, E Bell organised the transport and 26 BK Scouts were in camp. In June the Pop Bolton night hike" was won by the crew and the next year it was organised by them. At the end of the year the Rover Leader R Douglas organised a camp at Port Alferd that included 16 Scout and 4 Rovers. There were now 'on the group's roll', 33 Cubs, 39 Scouts, 16 Rovers and 7 Scouters.

In 1951 the rovers did a 160 Km, 12-day Wild Coast hike from Port Edward to Port St John and in December the following year a hike in the Drakensberg. In 1953 Rovers M Brown and C Roos, attended the World Rover Moot in Switzerland. In the mid 1950's motor racing was held at Queenshaven and both the Rovers and Scouts helped out on a number of occasions. In January 1959 the Rovers held their 500th meeting! In 1973 the crew was asked by Carveth Geach to organise the first multiracial camp at Pitso.

Meeting places

In 1912 the Scoutmaster was Rev W P McCormack of the St. Johns Church Belgravia and the troop met at his residence near George Goch Station. The following year the Troop meetings were held in the Belgravia Park Hall. When Walter Swift became Scoutmaster in 1916 troop meeting were held at his house in Tucker Street and later in a large shop in Jeppe Extension. Mention is also made of meeting at a room in a house on the corner of Hans and Fawcus streets and in 1923 at 28 Floss Street, Kensington. In 1925 the Assistant Scoutmaster, Lex Stewart, who worked for the council arranged for the hire of the hall in Sir Abe Baily Park in Marshall Street and stayed there until they moved to their own hall in Highland Road. There was also a District Hall on the corner of Jules and Kent Street that they used ocasionly. The Cub Pack would usually meet at the Akela's house.

In 1932 stands 1069/70 at 38 Highlands Road was purchased for £50 and in January 1933 ownership was transferred to the Transvaal Scout Headquarters. The committee supported the sale of the old District Scout Hall in Jules Street and this allowed them to make a loan from the District. Construction of the new hall took place during 1938 when a tender by Mr Harris for £990 was accepted and the hall was officially opened by Dr Han Pirow on the 4th of March 1939. Terracing of the grounds was started towards the end of 1943 and in 1948 the Rovers erected a fence at the front of the grounds and burglar-proofed the building. It was decided to extend the hall and this was completed when the alterations to the hall were opened in May 1952.

In 1972 the Girl Guides in the area started using the hall on Saturday afternoons. In 1978 the 70th anniversary of 1st BK was held at the Hall in Highland Road near Jeppe Boys High School.

In 1988 1st Belgravia Kensington celebrated their 80th anniversary. The Group Scoutmaster was Owen Few, Scoutmaster Neil Philipson and Pack Scouter Zoscia Urquart.

In 1998 the 1st Belgravia Kensington Scout group celebrated its 90th anniversary and moved into the old 1st Cleveland Scout Hall on the other end of Highland Road in Kensington. The day after the 90th anniversary campfire the group officially merged with 1st Kengray.

With the merger there were now fewer than four troops left in the old Kengray District, which therefore had to disband. Two of the three groups that were left joined the North Rand District. At this merger the name of the group was changed to the 1st Kengray Belgravia-Kensington Scout Group. The scarf that was chosen was the Kengray scarf, which was royal blue with a yellow border with the old Kengray District badge sewn on the back. The troop flash was designed to have all the colours of all the troops that merged in it.

1st Kengray Belgravia-Kensington Scouters (C1900's)

Group Scouters
Les Elderkin (1929/46), E R Bell (1946/66), H A Day (act 1949), T Geach (act 1963), Dr D Gordon-Smith (1966), Quinton Dalgleish (1971/3), David Phillipson (1973)

Troop Scouters
A F McGillivary (1908/14), Rev P McCormack (1912/4), Walter Swift (1916/24), A A Maynard (act 1920), Donald Hiskett (1924), H J Hiskett (1925), William O'Donnell (1925), A J Stewart (1926/28), HE Day (act 1928), Les J Elderkin (1929), Eddie Plint (act 1940/47), R H Dey (Seniors)(1948), T Geach (Juniors) (1948), W Silburn (1954/56), T Geach (1956)

Pack Scouters
W O'Donnell (1918/19), Miss M E Teubes (1919/20), Miss Goslin (1920/21), H Winn (1921), L J Elderkin (1925), Cecil Silverthorne (1928), (ASM) Downing (Act 1941), Miss Jessie Anderson (1946), Miss Johnson (1946),Olive Plint (1947), Miss S George (1951), Quintn Dalglish (1962), Miss E van Zyl (1962), Carol Hunter (1968), Miss Bondeno (1969)

Rover Scout Leaders
J S (Pop) Dey(1930/6), R Douglas (1948), Peter Spargo (1963)