Veld Lore
The idea of the Veld Lore Scrapbooks was inspired by the Chief Scout Garnet de la Hunt. His concern is that the rich and timeless fund of ideas contained in the editions of Veld Lore should be made easily available to today's generation of Cubs, Scouts, Rovers and their leaders.
Each scrapbook in the series brings together the huge range of ideas which Veld Lore has featured in its editions. The ideas have been grouped thematically for ease of reference and the original text and drawings have been retained. This timelessness is a tribute to the genius of Vic Clapham.
First appearance
Veld Lore first appeared in August 1958 as a quarterly magazine, produced by the 5th Durban Rover Crew and the Southlands Rover Crew for the boys of South Durban and Southlands Districts. The editor was Assistant Rover Scout Leader, Vic Clapham. He has edited Veld Lore ever since.
Demand spreads
The demand for Veld Lore soon extended far beyond those districts: by the fourth edition production was taken over by Natal Division and by the seventh edition it had become the quarterly magazine of the Boy Scouts of South Africa. In the early seventies, Veld Lore ceased to be a subscription magazine and the present pin-up, wall-newspaper format was adopted.
Soon its coverage was extended to the Southern Zone of the Africa Region. Veld Lore is distributed free in South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. Its international readership is much wider.
Quality contents
Veld Lore is not a glossy colour extravaganza; it is a valued and meaningful publication. Its popularity is evidence of the sustained quality of its contents.
Each scrapbook in the series retains the original text of virtually every article. Occasionally for the sake of clarity, minor adjustments have been made. Rather than rewrite some items, where appropriate, a conversion table - for ease of use- has been included.
The Veld Lore Scrapbooks are treasure houses of stimulating ideas. This series will prove most valuable and each one in the series should find its way into the libraries of Scout Groups everywhere.
Peter Foster June 1987