Gilqua Patrol Leader Training Unit
The first in what was to become the Patrol Leader Training Unit Courses was run in July 1959 at the Lexden Camp Site the Natal Gilwell Scout Training Camp. It was under the leadership of Dr Dudley Forde, with 19 Scouts from the 2nd Durban YMCA Scout Group in attendance. Courses were offered to boys from the same Group over the next five years until the 6th Course in October 1964 when it was opened to participants from the South Durban District. It was after the 9th course in October 1967 that the Patrol Leader Training Unit (PLTU) was formed to offer formal Leadership Training courses for Scout Patrol Leaders in the then Natal Division. The Lexden Unit is proud to have hosted and mentored those who went on to create PLTU Units in other centres in South Africa.
As it is a requirement that the Troop Leader has attended a PLTU course, the Western Cape, in paving the way for their initial course, arranged for Ryan Dearlove and Anton de Roo to attend the Lexden PLTU course. Peter Foster, having attended an earlier PLTU course, was the first Gilqua Course Leader which was held at the Hawequas Scout Adventure Centre near Wellington in 1992.
Past Course Leaders
| Course Year | Course Leader | Troop Leader |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Gilqua (1992) | Peter Foster | Ryan Dearlove |
| 2nd Gilqua (1993) | Craig Mullett | Anton de Roo |
| 3rd Gilqua (1994) | Peter Foster | Thomas Henshilwood |
| 4th Gilqua (1995) | Mark Abrahams | Simon de Nobrega |
| 5th Gilqua (1996) | Buzz Macey | Robert de Nobrega |
| 6th Gilqua (1997) | David van Eyk | Gareth Hall |
| 7th Gilqua (1998) | Peter Foster | Colin Muir |
| 8th Gilqua (1999) | Anton de Roo | Dylan Delahunt |
| 9th Gilqua (2000) | Buzz Macey | Robert Lloyd |
| 10th Gilqua (2001) | David Shelly | Robert Lloyd |
| 11th Gilqua (2002) | Paul Green | Tim Crombie |
| 12th Gilqua (2003) | Anton de Roo | Ross McDonald |
| 13th Gilqua (2004) | David van Eyk | Matthew Broadley |
| 14th Gilqua (2005) | Kevin Reeves | Stephan Thaele |
| 15th Gilqua (2006) | Nicolas Price | Peter Jones |
| 16th Gilqua (2007) | Kevin Reeves | Bion Wortmann |
| 17th Gilqua (2008) | Kevin Reeves | Tristan Goldie |
| 18th Gilqua (2009) | Peter Statham | Robert Turner |
| 19th Gilqua (2010) | Brendan Dale | Ronnie Kellerman |
| 20th Gilqua (2011) | Nimmy Abrahams | James Peart |
| 21st Gilqua (2012) | Ingrid Webster | Fiona Marinus |
| 22nd Gilqua (2013) | Quintin Combrink | Michael Ketterer |
| 23rd Gilqua (2014) | Matthew Broadley | Michael Cheney |
| 24th Gilqua (2015) | Peter Otzen | Kiyan van Rensburg |
| 25th Gilqua (2016) | Liz Broadley | Robert van Wyk |
| 26th Gilqua (2017) | Ryan Hultzer | James Barnard |
| 27th Gilqua (2018) | Ryan Hultzer | Stuart Vidal-Hall |
| 28th Gilqua (2019) | Mario Penso | Jamie Fraser |
| 29th Gilqua (2022) | Jason Raad | Robyn-Anne Hyslop |
| 30th Gilqua (2023) | Michael Ketterer | Byron Kingwill |
| 31st Gilqua (2024) | James Stewart | Sofie Watermeyer |