Western Cape Scout Groups - Atlantic Seaboard
Please see Scout Groups in South Africa for a list of all the current Groups in the country
Today it is hard to believe that in its Scouting heyday, the Atlantic seaboard supported around ten active Scout Groups. Some were linked to churches and others over time had their own halls. Although the demographics did change over the years, sadly it seems that in many cases the groups folded due to the lack of Adult Scouters.
So where were all these groups? Many of the individual groups moved several times, from one venue to the next as their premises became unavailable, too small or built their own hall.
Alphabetical list
The following is a list of the Groups and where they met, and where possible this is followed with a short history of the Group.
This history has been compiled from documentation sourced in the Scout Archives and portrays a section of the Cape's rich Scouting heritage. GASP is the abbreviation for Green and Sea Point.
1st GASP - Founded on 23/2/1909. Between 1916 and 1939 they met in the old stone-floored Sea Point fire station in Hall Road, but at the same time outdoor meetings we held at the Fresnaye Estate, at least until 1923, when this area was developed. Their own hall on the corner of Dover and High Level Road Sea Point was completed in 1939. The property was sold in 2000, and townhouses now stand on the site. Read more ...
2nd GASP - (Congregational) Registered on 30/3/1914, they met in the hall of the Congregational Church corner Marais and Main Road, Sea Point. Synonymous with the 2nd is the name Jack Appleton known as "Appy", who joined the Scouts when he was 11 and was a Scout, Rover and their Scouter for many years. In 1928 Renee Hawes became the Akela for 7 years. Read more ...
3rd GASP - (St. James) Founded on 16/1/1916 by the Rev. R. Bryant and Mr. R. A. V. Dukes the troop was connected with St. James' Church, St James Road Sea Point which had taken an interest in its welfare. They met in the hall of the Church. Read more ...
4th GASP - (1) As per the 1919 and 1920 Local Association minutes for GASP the 4th is initially listed as 4th GASP (Camps Bay) for the troop, but Camps Bay for the Pack.
4th GASP - (2) Founded in 1974 as a Catholic Scout Group it had an extra name tag marked "St Margaret Marys". They ran from the Silesians Institute on the Main Road Green Point. They did not last long as there was massive debate as who they fell under - the local Scouts, the local Catholic Church or the Vatican. Their scarf was White and Yellow - the Papal Colours.
5th GASP - Registered on 17/3/1917 they met in the old Dock School breakwater cottages in the docks and their Scoutmaster was B O'Brien. Later they moved to the Memorial Hall Somerset Road Green Point and the SM (Scoutmaster) was F Blomkamp. Conflicting records say it was founded in 1921, and SM was RH Coker and 1938 E Andrews. The Cub Pack was started in 1934.
On 20th June 1941 the Groups' Scout Hall in Tramway Road, Sea Point was opened, however by 1971 the group had closed and 12 GASP took over their hall.
6th GASP - (Methodist) Founded in April 1919 and associated with the Wesleyan Methodist Church, corner Main and Mount Nelson roads under SM JA Watkin with 16 Scouts. In 1920 the SM was TW Kelly and in 1938 W E Stephen.
7th GASP - Founded on 5/5/1924. The LA minutes record that a 7th Troop associated with the Anglican Church of the Holy Redeemer, Kloof Road has been formed. Later they built their own hall in Hall Road Sea Point. In 1938 the SM Rev D A Wolfe. Read more ...
8th GASP - (Presbyterian) Founded on 16/10/1924 at St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Somerset Road, Green Point. Read more ...
9th GASP - (Baptist) Probably founded in the early 1920's, they met at a number of venues before finally settling in at the Baptist Church, High Level Road, Three Anchor Bay. Read more ...
10th GASP - Founded on 11/6/1938. It was recorded that: - We held our first Investiture Ceremony on Saturday, June 11th 1938, when twelve fellows became Scouts. A/D/C Dukes officiated, and the Sponsors were the 2nd Muizenberg (Jewish) and 11th Cape Town, two of our Scouters, H. Cohen and D. Goldberg, having been in those two Croups respectively. Our other Scouter is N Gottschalk, late of 1st Somerset West. On June 8th our Cub Pack under Miss Daitsh and Miss R, Jackson, held their first meeting, 14 fellows turning up, a number that was increased by a further six at the next meeting. Read more ...
In July 1954 the Pack was re-started and they were meeting in the 7th GASP Scout Hall in Hall Road. In January 1956 they opened their own hall in Bay Road, Mouille Point.
11th GASP - Founded on 23/2/1960. Started as a Jewish Group they met in the Ballroom at the Temple Israel Hall, in Upper Portswood Road, in Green Point. Unfortunately, they were fairly close to the 10th which was very Jewish and closed in 1973.
12th GASP - Founded in January 1965 as a Catholic Scout Group they met at the Our Lady of Good Hope church hall in St Andrews Road, Sea Point. On the 14 June 1972 they moved to Tramway Rd and then around 1985 they moved to the 1st Clifton hall at the 4th Beach Car Park. Read more ...
1st Camps Bay - At a meeting held on the 19th May 1916, it was decided to form a troop of boy scouts to be called 1st Camps Bay. Mr Ward-Cox was the first Scoutmaster. There were initially 13 scouts, which by November 1916 had risen to 72, they met in the Little Glen, Camps Bay. Read more ...
2nd Camps Bay - Founded around 1916 and in the 1930's was referred to as 2nd Camps Bay (Clifton) and them simply 1st Clifton.
1st Clifton - Originally called 2nd Camps Bay (Clifton) they were by 1930 known as just 1st Clifton and their hall was in the 4th Beach Car Park, Clifton.
1st Hout Bay - This was a Sea Scout Group and was initially active in the 1960's and 1970's. The archives have a photo dated 1967 with the Scouts camping at Soetwater with Richard Manual as their Scoutmaster. However, a newspaper cutting dated September 1991 reported that the group has been dormant for almost 20 years and that it would be re-forming and meeting in the Hangberg community centre. The proposed new scout leaders were Gerald Cloete and Henry Africa (both scouts from the earlier troop) Theodore Walters, Cyril Meter and Lester Guenantin and three cub leaders Dellarees Slimmert, Dorothy Guenantin and Ashley Bailey. Later Louise Leggett was the Scouter but unfortunately, they had had to pay rent for the use of the hall and she simply could not get enough money in from the Cubs and Scouts to pay the hall hire and the Group closed.
2nd Hout Bay - Originally established as a Land Scouts group, they were re-established as Sea Scouts in June 2011.
There was a Cub pack in Llandudno and also at St Albans Church, Green Point but no information has been found.
History
Additional information on the following groups has provided an insight into Scouting in the area.
1st Green and Sea Point Scout Group
(1909-1999)
Late in 1907, a series of articles on outdoor adventure and service to the community began to appear in a boys' magazine published in Britain. It would have been enough that these articles were written by General Robert Baden-Powell, a hero of the war in South Africa that had ended only five years before - but what interest they held! Enthused by the ideas put forward by "B-P", groups of boys began to join together and take part in this great new activity called "Scouting".
As soon as the magazines began to arrive in South Africa, boys here, too, read them. In Sea Point, teenagers Norman Hill and E Douglas Clark gathered a few of their friends to go out to do the things B-P had suggested, for example signalling, doing good turns, stalking and camping. Quick off the mark as they were, however, they weren't the first in South Africa - this honour belongs to the teenagers that started what became 1st Observatory, 1st Claremont, and some other troops. We don't know exactly when this took place, but we had been active for several months before our February 1909 official registration by the newly-constituted South African headquarters as the "1st Sea Point Division".
B-P had advised "Find a gentleman you like, and say: Sir, we must have a Scoutmaster - will you be our Scoutmaster?" The gentleman they chose was H Chamberlain, and under his leadership nine boys attended the first troop camp, held in the "wilds" of Bachelor's Cove, Clifton. At the end of 1909, Edgar Tidman, known as "Toc- N", joined the troop. His association with the troop, and with the district, lasted for 40 years, through spells of Scoutmaster and various roles in the district, until the end of World War II, shortly after which he returned to England. He was made a life member of the group in 1925.
The troop grew rapidly. The first King's Scouts were Clark and J C Jones. The clothing became uniform, and sky blue and khaki were adopted as the colours of the scarf. We had been meeting in a variety of venues, outgrowing each in turn.
Between 1916 and 1939 we met in the old stone-floored Sea Point fire station in Hall Road, but at the same time (meetings were held on several days each week) we held outdoor meetings at the Fresnaye Estate - at least until 1923, when this area was developed.
Other than the kind of activities we would today associate with Scouting, other activities in those early decades included signalling (under the tuition of Toc-N, the troop for many years regularly won the signalling competitions), rifle shooting (the troop built its own rifle range "near the golf links on the Fresnaye Estate" - having later to build another at the disused brickworks at the top of St John's Road), and boxing.
Tastes changed over the years, and no doubt activities also reflected the interests of the adult leaders. Shooting, for one, disappeared from the programme, being replaced by wrestling and chess, among other things.
In 1912 we amalgamated with the almost-as-old 1st Green Point. Under Scoutmaster S R Haybittel, the troop reached its highest numbers in April 1918, with 115 Scouts on the roll. We had our own bugle and drum band. We won the King's Flag, presented to the troop in South Africa which had the largest number of King's Scouts - we had no less than 39 of them! During the war we did a lot of related work such as orderly duties. In the great influenza epidemic at the end of 1918, amongst other tasks we staffed the Three Anchor Bay Post Office and took responsibility for delivering letters through the suburb (two deliveries every day).
Four former members of the group were killed during the war, one of them Lieutenant E Douglas Clark (Cheshire Regiment), of wounds received while in action against the Turks in Iraq.
In 1916 Baden-Powell published "The Wolf Cub's Handbook", and we established our Cub pack (inaugural meeting 20 September 1917). One of the first Assistant Cubmasters, Val Dukes, soon succeeded to the Cubmastership, a rank she held for 24 years
We started a Rover crew in 1919. Ten of our members attended the first ever world jamboree, in London in 1920 (cost, including the ship to England and back, 60 GBP per person). At that jamboree, B-P was acclaimed "Chief Scout of the World".
By 1920 there were four other Scout groups in Green and Sea Point and one in Camps Bay. All of these started life affiliated to some or other church, although most of them broke this link in later years. The district and the division (Cape Western) realised the need for competition between the packs and troops, and the division's Edwards Shield and the district's Jumbo Trophy, Toc- N Trophy and Rawson Cup (for first aid) were all started between 1919 and 1921. In 1920 we won the Gordon's Shield, a feat we never again achieved.
Our joint second longest-serving Scoutmaster of all time, Cyril Versfeld, took the reins in 1922, moving on in 1930, where after he devoted considerable energy to finding us a property of our own, and raising funds. Of many noteworthy events of the period, the annual hike camps deserve special mention. These invariably lasted three weeks during the summer holidays. We pulled our trek carts with us, all the way from Sea Point to Somerset West, Stellenbosch and Groot Drakenstein (to quote a typical itinerary).
In 1937 Patrol Leader Maurice Geyer was presented with the Gilt Cross for Gallantry for saving someone from drowning. In the following year, Rover Dick Stranger became the first person in South Africa to be awarded the Cornwell Scout Badge for exceptional bravery, for bearing his multiple handicaps and still doing his best to be of service.
In 1945 the unusual circumstance occurred of the Medal of Merit being awarded to a troop rather than to an individual - we received it for giving the alarm and saving furniture from a blazing house. And in 1946 Rover Harvey Ward won the Silver Cross for Gallantry, also for saving someone from drowning.
Our other joint second longest serving Scoutmaster, Arthur Gardiner, led us from 1935 until 1945, less two years when he was on active war service. Numbers in the troop throughout the pre-war and World War II period never dropped below 30. Work started on our own hall, corner of Dover and High Level Roads, and the official opening took place 3 June 1939. The plot, purchased about ten years before, had cost 360 GBP, and the hall cost 910 GBP to build.
Five former Scouts were killed in World War II. The DSO (Distinguished Service Order) was in 1942 awarded to Lieutenant Gordon Burn-Wood, South African Navy, one of our King's Scouts.
In 1947 the cubs replaced their floppy hats with caps. In 1949 Bob-a-job was instituted.
Scouting slumped after the war. Our Rover crew closed in 1947. There was even talk of closing down the group. A new Scoutmaster in 1949, and another new and even more energetic one in 1953 (Colin Inglis, who went on to become Chief Scout of South Africa) led to a revival. Around that time, too, the character of Sea Point began to change radically, with the first large blocks of flats taking the place of old houses in large grounds
Our first Queen's Scout, in 1954, was Cedric Stembridge. In the same year Joan Jackson (later Joan Wilkins) began an association with the pack, which lasted 40 years, including being Cubmaster. In 1956 we again won the Gordon's Shield (team led by Peter Barnard), only to be disqualified on a technicality.
In 1959, Peter Barnard became Scoutmaster. He was to be our longest-serving Scoutmaster, resigning only in 1971 in order to become ADC and then, until 1984, District Commissioner. With the coming of the Republic, associations with the Queen fell away. Our first Springbok Scout, in 1962, was Evan Franklin. In 1964, Tim Gibbon became Group Committee Chairman, a position that he held for a record 17 years.
The end of the 1960s saw the group grow from strength to strength, and in 1971 it reached a pinnacle of excellence. For example, in 1971 our team of Dimitri Kakiades, Mark Lindhorst, Leon Benzakein and Farrell Segall won the Divisional Senior Scout Rayner Trophy for the first and only time. Then we won the Tonkin Trophy, the trophy awarded to the group that scored the highest aggregate points in all the Western Cape Divisional competitions.
We remained strong for the best part of the next 10 years. But into the 1990s the character of Green and Sea Point changed, and one group after another closed down, until there was only one other (7th Green and Sea Point).
In 1997, an experiment was tried of running the pack on the premises of the Sea Point Junior School and offering Cubbing as one of the extramural activities of the school. Because the school was co-educational, the pack had to be as well - we thus became one of the very first groups in the Cape Western to admit girls as cubs or scouts. This experiment was however not a success. We couldn't find leaders for the pack or troop, and in 1998 the decision was taken to amalgamate with 1st Camps Bay. The group was deregistered in 1999.
In practice we were able to contribute little to 1st Camps Bay other than a proud tradition and the memory of the wonderful dedicated people who led the group, and built better citizens. Our property was sold in 2000, and townhouses now stand on the site where so many boys had over the decades so very much enjoyed their Scouting.
Ack: Kevin Wall August 2006
1st Camps Bay Scout Group
(1916-1999)
At a meeting held on the 19th May 1916, it was decided to form a troop of Boy Scouts to be called 1st Camps Bay. Mr Ward-Cox was the first Scoutmaster. There were initially 13 Scouts, which by November 1916 had risen to 72. Shortly thereafter another troop 2nd Camps Bay was started and operated until the mid 1930's.
It was agreed that the colours of the scarf worn by the troop would be chocolate and lemon. These colours were taken from the colours of the trams that ran from Cape Town to Camps over Kloofnek to the tram sheds (now The Bay Theatre) in Link Street. The heat generated from the power station for the trams was used to heat the water of the indoor swimming pool located opposite the tram sheds (now a grassed area next to the Police Station .
Mr Farquhar, secretary of the old Cape Marine Suburbs, allowed the troop to use the old butchery premises in Strathmore Lane as headquarters. These were their headquarters until the early thirties. Rental paid to the Cape Marine Suburbs Company was 1/- per year. The troop then moved to two huts behind the hostel (Lower Tree Road), which they used for a few years before taking up the basement of the Sea Bath Pavilion. This had no ventilation and was most unsatisfactory.
Mr Ward-Cox resigned in November 1916 and Mr W A Way was appointed Scout Master. During the 1st World War years scouts from the troop were active in helping the war effort and assumed the duty of keeping watch on suspicious shipping movements between Camps Bay and Hout Bay.
In 1932 the group entered into a lease of Plot 1347 (where the Scout Hall and Guide headquarters are situated in the Little Glen) at 1/- per year during the Cape Marine Suburbs Company's pleasure. A building fund was started with the sum of £25.17.10. and a savings account was opened with the Cape of Good Hope Savings Bank in 1932. By September, 1933 it had swelled to £66.1.0. By September 1938 it had reached £100.0.0. Funds were raised by sports entertainment £10.0.10 and bioscope £15.17.0.
The architects Roberts & Small drew up plans for the Hall and these plans were passed by the City Council in October 1936. It was not however, until 1939 that sufficient funds had been collected to build the hall. Mr Cyril Pearce was the builder and the total cost of materials and labour was £133.16.10, part of this being a donation from Mr Pearce, in memory of his son, who died in an accident, whilst on a Scout camp at Simondium.
The Hall was dedicated, named the Pearce Memorial Hall and was opened by the Mayor of Cape Town, Major Brinton on 21st December 1939. There was no electricity in the hall and initially a carbide lamp was used, but because of the smell it was replaced by a Coleman primus lamp, which was used for many years despite the fact that the mantle disintegrated quite often when the south easter blew too hard. The ablution section and kitchen was added in 1960 and further additions in the form of the pack scouter's den and storeroom were added in 1985.
The group was financed by levies of 1d per week paid by scouts and cubs, sports meetings, skating carnivals, and bioscope shows until the introduction of entertainment tax, which made it impossible to make a profit. For example a dance in St Peter's Hall raised £1.8.0 and a Carnival at the Pavilion £9.4.0 in 1934. Dingaan's Day was popular for carnivals, children's fancy dress and sports gatherings
Little Glen provided an excellent venue for camp fires, hide and tracking games and many an evening was spent up the mountainside eating watermelon at the end of a trail. Much time was spent in keeping the bridges over the river in good repair as well as the access path to the hall, which could be quite a hazard on a dark night.
Great emphasis was laid on the outdoors, especially weekend camping - the favourite place being Van Breda's Beach, at Oudekraal, whilst Llandudno, Big Glen, Little Glen and Bain's Kloof were also often used. Because of transport difficulties the troop had either to carry their needs or use the trek cart which was a favourite means of getting the scouting equipment to the selected site.
The trek cart was somewhat like a hawker's barrow - the body a bit more elongated with large diameter wheels and a longer shaft. Rings were attached to the body for fastening ropes for the scouts to pull.
During the 1930's the troop also had soccer and cricket teams that played against other troops and at one time the soccer team had an unbeaten run of three years.
The inaugural meeting of the 1st Camps Bay Group Committee was held in the Bowling Club House on Wednesday, 16th September 1931, Mr C Booth took the Chair and the committee elected consisted of Mr & Mrs Salmon; Mrs May; Mr W B Baker; Mr Wrench Mr J Farquhar; Mr Pentz; Mrs Morley; and Mrs Orchard, Mr Farquhar was appointed Chairman in October 1931 holding that position until his death in 1936.
In the 1940's Scout Peter Marshman (known to the troop as Bogman) was awarded the Cornwell Scout Badge for Gallantry but it is unknown what the circumstances were.
In the 1930's there was a link with 1st Simonstown and the group became known as the "Group of the Setting Sun" whilst 1st Simonstown was known as the "Group of the Rising Sun".
A painting depicting 1st Camps Bay scouts at camp overlooking the sea and the setting sun was painted and hangs at the end of the scout hall.
The Red Indian sign for setting sun into water was frequently used in codes and messages and in the late 1970's this sign was adopted as a logo sign for the group. It was used on letterheads, signboards, logbook covers and on the group's t- shirts.
The group reached its peak during the 1980's, when the group, pack and troop excelled in various Area and District Competitions either winning or being in the first three places of Tonkin Trophy, Rayner Trophy, Upton Shield, Edwards Shield, Goudie Shield, Jumbo Trophy, Rawson Cup, Area Athletics, Area Swimming, Berlinski Shield and the Lyons Cup.
The group magazine "Glen Echo" also featured well, winning both the National and the Area section of the H V Marsh Award for Journalism for 4 consecutive years.
Over the years World Jamborees have been attended by many of the group's scouts. John Chicken was the first to represent the group at the first World Jamboree in 1920. He was one of 300 scouts from South Africa who travelled to England in one of the cargo holds of the Balmoral Castle, some sleeping in hammocks, as there were insufficient bunks. Amongst other activities, the South African contingent visited Buckingham Palace and was inspected by King George V and Queen Mary. They also had a trip over London in a Handley Page plane
Throughout its history the group has had strong ties with a number of long standing Camps Bay families.
In 2016 they held their centenary celebrations, having by then reverted to calling themselves 1st Camps Bay.
1st Camps Bay/Sea Point Scout Group
(1999 – 2016)
In the 1990's it became more and more difficult to find scouters. The group had a strong pack run by Anne Hill and a strong committee but few scouts and no troop scouters. 1st Green & Sea Point had 6 cubs but no pack scouter, a small troop and several troop scouters, so after many discussions in 1998 the decision was made to amalgamate the two groups
After making the decision several name combinations were suggested and a combined decision was taken by the scouters to call the amalgamated group 1st Camps Bay/Sea Point.
At the same time it was agreed that the scarf should include the colours of both groups and should be khaki with a border of equal stripes of brown, lemon and blue, which has become very distinctive. On 20th August 1999 a special event was held when the members of both groups were presented with their new scarves by the Area Commissioner.
A decision was also taken to use the hall in Little Glen as there was more space for outdoor scouting. The hall in High Level Road stood empty for a while until Area Headquarters decided to sell the property for development and use the money for promoting scouting in the Area and District. The trophies from both groups were also pooled and are still presented at the group's prize giving every year.
Since the merger the group has continued to flourish, presently having a membership of 24 cubs and 18 scouts, with 1 pack scouter, 4 troop scouters, a strong committee and many of enthusiastic parents. Currently the troop has 6 scouts who will be attending the Centenary World Jamboree in England in 2007,
In 2007 South Africa joined many countries throughout the world in celebrating 100 years since scouting started on Brownsea Island. Little did Robert Baden-Powell realise that his vision and dream which blossomed and grew would have such an important impact on the lives of so many people - adults, boys and girls alike - in so many countries for so many years.
In 2016 they held their centenary celebrations, having by then reverted to calling themselves 1st Camps Bay.
2nd Green and Sea Point Scout Group
In the beginning
The Troop was formed by the Reverend Richards and members of the Sea Point Congregational Church. These included Dr Dommisse (Hawkeye) and two other prominent men. They approached a Mr. Hugh Beattie, who was a partner in a well-known sports shop in Cape Town, with a view to getting some sort of junior boys of the Church together and starting a Scout section. The group was registered on 30/3/1914 and they met in the hall of the Church on the corner of Marais and Main Road, Sea Point.
This proved successful and first five boys who enrolled and were Malan, H. Leibbrandt, H. Wellman, F. Sawyers, N. Sawyers and met towards the end of November 1913 for their first meeting. The next batch arrived March 1914, D. Dommisse, G. A. Kilpatrick, F.L. Phillipson, R.O. Versveld, H. Nelson, and J. Appleton.
By the end of February 1914, they were holding parades in the wooden hall in Marais Road. There were two patrols under the leadership of Bob Leibbrandt and Lawton. At this time the Minister gave so much support, with every available facility placed at their disposal, he was instrumental in getting the Troop underway.
Mr Beatty who had no Scouting experience, invited Hubert Roberts (Bwana) to be ASM and very soon the Troop was handed over to him.
Scoutmasters
Hugh Beattie was followed by: H L Roberts (Bwana), Carl Maag (who stood in for Bwana whilst he was on 1914/1918 war service), Charlie Playfair, Horace Gray, J Appleton, Fatty Rutter (1935 - 1951), Lincoln Watson (1951 - 1954) and Arthur Bernstein (1954 - ?), Michael Stavropoulos and Emile-Noel West.
Akelas
Mrs Andrews, Miss S Matthew, Sebastian Lowinger, Miss Flavell, Roy Chapman, Miss Rene Hawes (1928 – 1935), Miss Joan Hicks, Miss D Dunlop, Miss Y Voldteedt, Miss N Pereira, Miss J Brimacombe, Miss M Laughton, Miss M Forsyth, Miss M Raath, Roger Gardner, Y Falconer, J Heydenrych, Ruth Morgan, Sheila Addison, Andrea Beattie, Leslie Scott, M Clucas and Tamara Appleton.
Rover Scouts
The leaders were Dirk Dekker and Ronald Roy, Rover camps were held at Somerset West, Kommetjie, Cedarberg and De Hell. They were the winners of the Hawkeye competition in 49, 52, 54, 61, 65, 66 and 67.
World Jamborees
A highlight for any Scout would be attending a World Jamboree and the 2nd GASP were represented from the very first Jamboree. The uniquely South African experience of attending a World Jamboree has been published and provides an account by those Scouts who were there.
- 1920 1st World Jamboree, Olympia, London. Eight attended: F Phillipson, B Chapman, E Weston, J Chicken, F Dommisse, R Day, C Syndercombe, J Appleton and Bwana Roberts.
- 1924 Imperial Jamboree, Wembley, England. Nine attended: Playfair, McDonald, Francis, Kaye, Howell, Bates, Hoey, Chicken and Fisher.
- 1929 3rd World Jamboree, Birkenhead, England. Eight attended: Edward Bakker, William Foster, Gabriel Groenewald, Curtis Hughes, Stanley Raath, Esmond Rutter, Roy Chapman and Langdon Hawes.
- 1933 4th World Jamboree, Gödöllö, Hungary. Four attended: A Macduff, I Wilson, E Anderson and L Blake.
- 1937 5th World Jamboree, Vogelensang, Netherlands. Six attended: C McCartney, L Cohen, C Legg, N Chicken, B Macintosh and J Spence.
- 1951 7th World Jamboree, Bad Ischl, Austria. Seven attended: Barry Zackon, Donnell Smythe, David Clain, John Ferguson, Ernest Chicken, Malcolm Davidson and Duncan Davidson.
- 1955 8th World Jamboree, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada. Four attended: Ian Appleton, Nigel Derry, Gregory Boud and Peter Lewis.
- 1957 9th World Jamboree Sutton Park, England. Five attended: Colin Appleton, Adrian Kellner, Frederick Thomas, Roger Syndercombe and Alan Muirhead.
- 1963 11th World Jamboree, Marathon, Greece. Six attended: Alan Scott, Willy Thomas, Peter Heydenrych, Storm Larkins, Derek Wiid and John Vadas.
- 1967 12th World Jamboree, Idaho, U.S.A. Michael Stavropoulos
- 1971 13th World Jamboree, Fujinomiya, Japan. Gregory Gordon
- 1975 14th World Jamboree, Lillehammer, Norway Anthony Mansfield
- 1979 World Jamboree Year, Philmont, America. Melt van der Spuy
- 1983 15th World Jamboree, Alberta, Canada. Michael Conidaris
- 1988 16th World Jamboree, Sydney, Australia. Jeffrey Kelly, Gary Appleton
- 1991 17th World Jamboree, Soraksan, Korea. Alex Scott
- 1995 18th World Jamboree, Netherlands. Kevin Noll
Timeline
- 1914 Meetings or 'Parades' were held on Saturday afternoons. Appie Appleton and Fatty Rutter were little boys in the troop. Scarves were order from England. A Bugle Band was formed. In November, the first edition of the troop magazine 'The Foxes Query' was published with Dr. H.G. Wellman as the editor, but faded away after two years.
- 1917 The Wolf Cub Pack stated on 27th July 1917.
- 1928 Renee Hawes appointed Akela, she retires in 1935 after 7 years.
- 1930 The Rover Crew was started on 30th January 1930.
- 1931 Fatty Rutter is appointed Assistant Scoutmaster.
- 1935 Fatty Rutter is appointed Scoutmaster, he retires in 1951 after 16 years.
- 1937 John 'Appie' Appleton (18/10/1902 – 12/09/1996) Appointed Group Scoutmaster, he retires after 45 years in 1982
- 1949 The group magazine GASP was started by Peter Younghusband and Mike Ravenscroft. The enthusiasm of these two was reflected in the quality of the early editions. There was no lack of contributions from the Scouters, Pack, Troop and Crew. Rev Cooke leaves after being associated with the troop for 20 years, Rev Williams replaces him.
- 1951 Spotty Watson appointed Scoutmaster. Fatty Rutter is appointed ADC CW1 (DC in 1953) and leaves the Troop.
- 1952 In January the wooden hall was demolished and the troop used the 1st GASP hall before returning in August to their new hall
- 1952 Cub hats are replaced with caps
- 1954 Arthur Bernstein is SM
- 1984 Group moved to Scout Hall in Tramway Road
Camps were held at Wellington, Piketberg , Sandy Bay, The Glen Camps Bay, Wit Els, Synonymous with the 2nd is the name Jack Appleton known as "Appy", who joined the Scouts when he was 11 (1914) and was a Scout, Rover and their Scouter for many years.
Photo Gallery
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Group in 1918
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Group in 1926
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Winners Gordon Shield 1948
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1920 Jamboree Patrol
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1963 Jamboree Patrol
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1988 Jamboree Patrol
3rd Green and Sea Point Scout Group
(Circa 1936) St. James' Church, St James Road Sea Point
The Sea Point Hall was crowded on Thursday night 17 December 1936 when the 3rd Green and Sea Point Boy Scout Group celebrated its 21st birthday. The celebration took the form of a dinner to which members of the Group had been invited and of a social to which the public was admitted.
From its foundation in January 1916 with just two patrols by the late Rev. R. Bryant and Mr. R. A. V. Dukes (the present Group Scoutmaster), the troop has been connected with St. James' Church, which has taken an interest in its welfare.
The first Scoutmaster was Mr. F. Osborne (assisted by Mr: Dukes himself) and the troop has almost trebled its numbers since 1916.
No troop has a better camping record than the 3rd Green and Sea Point. As much outdoor work as possible has been the aim of its Scoutmasters and it excelled itself in the influenza epidemic of 1918 in providing Scouts who acted as postmen and telegraph messengers.
Jamborees
The troop has usually been represented at the various overseas Jamborees and at Arrow Park, Birkenhead, in 1929 - the biggest Jamboree - tied for first place in general camp work and discipline.
Since 1916, 336 boys have joined the troop, of whom 114 served in the Wolf Cub pack before joining.
The entire Group (Scouts, Rovers and Wolf Cubs) owes much to Mr. Dukes who has been helping it since its inception.
During the celebration, Mr. Dukes presented the troop with a new flag in memory of his parents, while Mr. and Mrs. Carl Rayner provided a "birthday cake.": Mrs. Rayner, who was the first Cub Master of the Group, presented new badges. An entertainment by the Scouts themselves occupied the rest of the evening.
Ack: Cape Times 19/12/1936
7th Green and Sea Point Scout Group
Although the Troop was started on the 5th May 1924 the Scout Archives has little information until April 1946 when their magazine 'Bush Telegraph' was first published. Early records seem to indicate that the Group was initially associated with Church of the Holy Redeemer in Kloof Road and their meeting place was in Tramway Road.
From Fire Station to Scout Hall
A long serving chairman recalls that in 1939 the Troop moved up to the old Sea Point Fire Station in Hall Road from the basement of the old Sea Point Pavilion. The building had become available as the 1st GASP had moved out and into their new hall on the corner of Dover Road and High Level Road, Sea Point.
The old Fire Station was a wood and iron building with a cobbled floor which sloped from each side to a furrow down the middle and a pair of large double doors on rollers that could be quickly opened to exit the fire tenders. When the station was first built, the engines were pulled by horses, and the furrow was an obvious necessity and around the back were the stables for the horses.
As can be imagined the boys found it difficult to keep their balance on the sloping cobbled floor and organised games were out of the question. Appeals to the Council to level the floor for us did not at first bear fruit, but eventually they gave in, and levelled up the floor with concrete. The surface however, disintegrated under the heavy traffic and at the end of an evening the boys were coated in fine white dust and looked like a lot of spooks wending their way home. To do the Council justice they did not leave us long in agony and resurfaced the floor within a few months with a more satisfactory coating.
As the war progressed the Seventh became very badly off for Scouters and committee members. The committee and Scouters of the Seventh at that time consisted almost wholly of the Henry family and their husbands - in fact they were unable to find a Scoutmaster and the Seventh was at its lowest ebb and Mrs. Broomberg acted as Scoutmaster for a time. Had it not been for the loyalty and hard work of this family with Harry Galloway as Treasurer, the Seventh could not have survived.
The hard-working parents committee raised funds to replace the hall with a brick building in the 1950's. Whilst it was under construction meetings took place in the 10th G & SP hall on the Green Point common. The new hall was officially opened on 24 January 1958. This was followed by plans to enlarge the hall and the extension was opened on 10 September 1965 by the District Commissioner John McEwan.
The Scouters
According to the July 1939 minutes the Group had been at a very low ebb but this all changed when in the same month Miss Del Spolander became 'Lady Cub Master' and by September she had done wonders with the Pack. From that time on the Seventh never looked back. She was to remain Akela for 13 years until 1954. At the same time Eben (Tikky) Brand-Parker joined the Group and became their Scoutmaster.
Towards the end of 1948 the Group Scoutmaster K Halliday resigned and Eben (Tikky) Brand-Parker became Scouter-in-Charge and Scoutmaster, a post he held for many years. The following year a Rover Crew was started by Eben's brother Bill (Dixie).
The year 1950 was a particular good year for the Group when on the 4th of April the Scoutmaster Eben (Tikky) Brand-Parker) married the Akela (Del Spolander)!
During the 1940s and 50s the name Parker was synonymous with the Seventh Green and Sea Point Group. Eben (Tikky) Parker was the Scoutmaster, his wife Del was the Akela and his brother Bill (Dixie) was the Rover Leader.
When Senior Scouts came into being in 1954 the Troop spilt into 'Seniors' with Tikky as their Scoutmaster and the 'Boy' Scouts 11 to 15 years with Mike 'Cheese' Meintjes as their Scoutmaster. This however only lasted for a year and the Seniors re-joined the troop.
In June 1954 after 13 years of devoted service to the Pack Del stepped down as Akela and Irene Wyndham who had been with the Pack for some time then took over as Akela.
The group celebrated a double century when their magazine 'Bush Telegraph' in April 1955 produced its 100th edition and the group now had 100 members in uniform. The following month there was a reshuffle of Scouters when Tikky Parker became District Commissioner for the Sea Point area and Jock Richie became the groups Group Scoutmaster. The following year Cheese Meintjes became Scoutmaster.
In 1957 after 5 ½ years in the pack Irene resigned as Akela and her sister, Shirlee Wyndham became the new Akela. She was followed by Joyce Snailman from 1959 to 1961. Del Parker then stepped in to fill the vacancy until 1963. Over the year a number of Akela's stepped up to run the pack including Heather Kerr, Maureen Blackshaw and then back to Heather, Nina Lingard and Marion Jones. Keeping it in the family, as it were, Irene married Cheese Meintjes in December 1957.
It is well known that looking back over time, any nation, organisation, school or any Boy Scout or Wolf Cub group can measure its past successes against the calibre of its leaders at the time. If one looks at the track record of the 7th 1948 to 1955 and 1955-1965, one can easily measure the wealth of competitions won to the leadership of Del and Tikky Parker, overlapping with and closely followed by the Rene and Cheese Meintjes era. In both eras, there was also a plethora of excellent Assistant Wolf Cub and Scoutmasters and to underscore all of the above, there was wave upon wave of teenagers, in addition to those graduating from Wolf Cubs, joining the troop because of the oh so positive vibes of fun, adventure and success emanating from the 7th.
In 1965 the Standard Bank transferred Cheese to Johannesburg and David (Pieface) Laughton became Scoutmaster. The Laughton family had a long association with the Seventh. Mr Laughton of Laughtons Hardware drove the scouts and cubs to their camping sites each year and two of his daughters helped with the cubs. When Cheese returned to Cape Town the following year, he was instrumental in running the very active Outdoor Club for the Troop.
Competitions
The 7th entered all District and Divisional competitions each year, often winning the Jumbo trophy and the Edward Shield for cubs and the Gordons Shield and Rayner trophy for scouts. One year they entered two teams for the district Toc N trophy – one team gained first place and the other shared second place with the 2nd G&SP.
In 1948 the Troop won the prestigious Gordon Shield for the first time; it was a feat that was to be repeated five times.
Towards the end of 1950 there was a unique first for Scouting in the Western Cape when the Group won all three major trophies; Hawkeye for the Rovers, Gordons for the Scouts and Edwards for the Cubs.
The very first Rayner Trophy held in 1954 was won by the Senior Troop of the 7th GASP.
The Tonkin Trophy for all round excellence in the Pack, Troop, Crew and Committee was awarded to the Group in 1965.
Jamborees and Jamborally
There were Local, National and World (overseas) Jamborees that the group attended. These events required a huge effort from the committee to raise funds to subsidise the Scouts.
1951 - The 7th World Scout Jamboree was held in Bad Ishl in Austria. The Scouts spent just a few days in London before the train journey to Austria. The Jamboree excursions were exciting and the scenery spectacular. Then back to England for a ten day coach tour of Britain. 8 Scouts from the Troop attended, they were - James Bowden, Michael Mientjes, Billy Goldblatt, Maurice Phillips, Mervyn Couves, Edward Duell, Michael Wood and Kenneth Baker.
1955 - 8th World Jamboree, Niagara-On-The-Lake, Canada. This Jamboree was the first World Jamboree and first International Scout gathering to be held outside Europe. A total of 71 countries were represented and the numbers totalled 11,139 of which 18 were South Africans. One Scout from the Troop attended.
1957 – This was the year of Jamborees, first was the Mossel Bay Jamborally and then the World Jubilee. The Jubilee Jamboree in England celebrated Scouting's 50th anniversary, the year of B-P's centenary, and incorporated a Rover Moot and an Indaba. The Jamboree was attended by Tikky Parker, David Laughton, David Binns and Ivor Broomberg.
1963 – 11th World Jamboree, Greece. This was the first time that the S A contingent did not sail by 'Mailship' from Cape Town. This time a plane was chartered and they few from Johannesburg to Turin, Italy. Their itinerary consisted of a tour of Italy, the Jamboree and ended with a tour of Greece and the island of Crete. The five Scouts attending were William 'Huck' Endersby, Paul Mestern, Michael "Porky" Benedict, Redvers Robb and Keith 'Soily' Rosen.
In 1953 two rovers attended a Rover Moot in Switzerland.
Camps and the Outdoors
In February 1958 the 'Outdoor Club' was founded by Cheese together with Huck Endersby, Tom De Roo and Porky Benedict. It was to become hugely popular meeting more than twelve times a year focusing on mountaineering and camping. Ten years later they had their 159th meeting.
However, from the very early days of Scouting the Glen in Camps Bay and Sandy Bay, that is before it became notorious as a nudist colony, were very popular venue for all the Groups around the peninsula. The Sea Point groups and this included Cubs, Scouts and Rovers of the 7th would use these sites for anything from a simple picnic to advanced first aid, camping and campfires were common.
The most favourite campsite for the Troop's annual summer cap was Mouton's Valley above Piketberg. They also held very memorable camps at Garicia Plantation near Riversdale, Franschhoek, Vlottenberg and Firgrove to mention a few of the many sites.
Cub Camps were held at Morning Star in Somerset West, Glencairn and Gilcape.
But it wasn't only camps that the Scouts went on! In September of 1953 twenty eight Scouts and four Scouters boarded the passenger liner 'Edinburgh Castle' for a trip to Durban and back. Stopping at Port Elizabeth, East London and Durban they were welcomed by the local Scouts and Scouters and taken on various sight-seeing adventures.
When the forerunner to the 'Cederberg Adventure' took place in 1969, three Scouts from the seventh were there.
The Camaraderie
There's a saying 'Once a Scout, always a Scout' and it couldn't be truer for the Seventh. As the boys passed from Cubs to Scouts to Rovers there was a very strong camaraderie that was built up though the many outings, camps, hikes and team sprit at competitions.
The Bush Telegraph was the monthly magazine of the 7th and kept everyone well informed of the Group's activities. It also kept past Scouts in touch and they in turn contributed many tales from the Groups past .The editor for a long time, Mike Meintjes, spent many hours in the cellar of the Parker home operating the old Gestetner machine, emerging now and then to partake of "Oumie" Parker's tea and homemade cake.
Each year the scouts voted for the boy they felt had best lived up to the Law and Promise of the movement. The trophy was named after David (Boskop) Brown, a scout who had died during a tonsillitis operation. His parents awarded the prize in his memory and there was a plaque in the hall with the names of the winners each year.
Unfortunately, this is where the history ends as the last copy of "Bush Telegraph" in the archives, on which this history is based was dated September 1970.
Top Scout Awards
| Surname | Name | Year | Award |
| Goldblatt | Robert | 1946 | King |
| Jackson | William G | 1947 | King |
| Wilder | Maurice | 1947 | King |
| Craik | B | 1948 | King |
| Couves | Brian | 1948 | King |
| Stuart | Glen | 1950 | King |
| Croeser | M | 1951 | King |
| Couves | Mervyn | 1951 | King |
| Meinjies | Michael | 1951 | King |
| Bowden | James Matthew | 1951 | King |
| Goldbratt | Billy | 1951 | King |
| Morris | N H | 1953 | Queen |
| Morris | William Henry | 1953 | Queen |
| Richter | Melvyn William | 1953 | Queen |
| Marsh | Geoffrey Petu | 1953 | Queen |
| Meintjies | Dennis | 1953 | Queen |
| Wood | Michael John G | 1954 | Queen |
| Beverley | David Jon | 1955 | Queen |
| Phillips | Maurice | 1955 | Queen |
| Binns | David William | 1957 | Queen |
| Ingle | Jack A R | 1960 | Queen |
| Endersby | William | 1961 | Queen |
| Robb | Redvers Colin | 1962 | Springbok |
| Richings | Gordon | 1962 | Chief Scout's Award |
| Morris | Victor | 1962 | Chief Scout's Award |
| Paulson | Graham | 1962 | Chief Scout's Award |
| Cozien | Michel Pierre | 1962 | Springbok |
| Darwood | M P | 1963 | Chief Scout's Award |
| Mestern | Paul | 1963 | Chief Scout's Award |
| Benedict | Michael David | 1963 | Chief Scout's Award |
| Farlam | Andrew James | 1963 | Chief Scout's Award |
| Mestern | Andrew | 1968 | Springbok |
| Farlam | Colin | 1969 | Chief Scout's Award |
| Clemitson | Ernest A | 1970 | Springbok |
| Coomer | Martin R J | 1970 | Springbok |
| Mc Gregor | Ernest | 1970 | Springbok |
| Van Lierde | Martin | 1970 | Chief Scout's Award |
| Okerglicki | Andrej M | 1977 | Chief Scout's Award |
| Collingridge | Richard Alan | 1980 | Springbok |
| Collingridge | Paul | 1982 | Springbok |
| Harold | Tyrone | 1982 | Springbok |
| Swanson | Martin | 1983 | Springbok |
| Booth | Malcolm John | 1983 | Springbok |
| Marriott-Watson | Jason | 1987 | Chief Scout's Award |
| Page | Jorncy Graham | 1989 | Springbok |
| Kirkwood | Scot Robert | 1990 | Chief Scout's Award |
| Strydom | Jon Phillip | 1995 | Springbok |
| Osborne | Trent | 1998 | Springbok |
District Commissioners
Major Smithers (1917 – 1936), 'Curry' Penrith (1949), Tikky Parker (1955 - 1960), John McEwan (1965)
Group Scoutmasters
Rev D A Wolfe (1938), K Halliday (1933 - 1948), Scouter-in-Charge Tikky Parker (1948 – 1955), Jock Richie (1955 – 1965), Neill Evans (1967 -1969)
Scoutmasters
K Halliday (1933), G Hallock (1941), Mrs Broomberg, E Brand-Parker (1941 - 1948), Mike 'Cheese' Meintjes (1956 – 1964), David (Pieface) Laughton (1965), Colin Farlam (1977 – 1986)
Pack Scouters
Miss Del Spolander (1941 - 1950), now Mrs Del Parker (1950 - 1954), Irene Wyndham (1954 – 1957), Shirlee Wyndham (1957 – 1958), Joyce Snailman (1959 – 1961), Del Parker (1961 – 1963), Heather Kerr 1963), Maureen Blackshaw (1964), Heather Kerr (1964), Nina Lingard (1967 – 1968), Marion Jones (1969 – 1970)
Rover Leader
Bill (Dixie) Parker (1948), Dick Swaffield (1959)
8th Green and Sea Point Scout Group
Thursday 16 October 1924 was a "red-letter night" for the Green and Sea Point Scouts, when a new Troop, the 8th, received its official "kick off." The headquarters are situated in the large double hall adjoining St. Andrew's Church, Somerset Road, Green Point.
Twenty-six boys attended the inaugural meeting, which was presided over by the Rev. R. Whyte, who opened the proceedings with a short speech, followed by Major Smithers, the District Commissioner, and Mr. Appleton, the chairman of the local association.
Dist. S.M. Tidman then touched upon the fascination of Scouting, and introduced the eager youths to a few special stunts. Mr. Lander, who is undertaking the Scoutmastership, received a very warm welcome, as did Mr. Todden, who is to be Cubmaster.
Refreshments were served at nine p.m., after which the boys entered whole heartedly into some Scouting games. Eighteen boys handed in their names for the Troop and eight for the Pack, a very happy start.
Meetings will be held regularly on Thursday evenings, and support will be forthcoming from the Third Grew and Sea Point Rovers, who have already helped two other Troops in this area to become established.
In the October 1937 "Rucsac" it was reported that they had 30 Scouts and 12 Cubs. In 1938 the SM was F H Sawyer.
9th Green and Sea Point Scout Group
In the October 1986 edition of the Natal Kwazulu magazine "The Trail", there is an article titled "Area Secretary looks back" wherein he reports that: -
"In 1921 I joined the 9th Green & Sea Point Cub Pack. We held our meetings in the basement of the Rev Charles Garrett's house in Cheviot Place, Green Point. It had an earth floor and was rather dark, but it was home to us.
In due course I went up to the Scout Troop where Geoff (Springbok) Shackle was the Scoutmaster. At a later date we moved our headquarters to what was the old fire station near to the Sea Point Town Hall - cobbled floor and all!
Most of our Troop were from the Baptist Sunday School and Church, but I'm afraid I cannot recall all their names. Among those that come to mind are Howell Edwards, Roger Overett, Noel Taylor, Ray Meneses, Colin Garrett and Ken Garrett, and Jack Oliver. Time dims the memory!
What glorious camps we had at Col Etherington's farm at Fransch Hoek where we camped on the banks of the river and where swimming was the order of the day. And, of course, the Gordon Shield Camp held in the forest at Pinelands not a house in sight! We pulled our trek cart from Sea Point loaded with heavy bell tents and camping equipment - no gas lamps and portable radios in those days! Staves were cut from suitable blue gum trees and carefully etched with a magnifying glass, then oiled with raw linseed oil and polished.
At a later date we moved to our new headquarters in the Baptist Church Hall on the corner of Glengariff Road and High Level Road. Hiking was mainly done on Signal Hill, up Maskew's path and then on to the Glen in Camps Bay.
Time takes its toll and the old 9th Green and Sea Point is no longer in existence.
An undated photo from the archives reveals that the troop must have attained a very high standard and this was acknowledged when, at their annual inspection c1930's they were presented with the "King's Flag".
As a gesture of brotherhood and Scouty goodwill the Troop was presented with the King's Colours and Troop Colours by Rover Hunter of the visiting 104th North London (Bruce) Rover Scouts and Rovers from the 74th North London (England) Boy Scouts.
The Troop remained active during the Second World War and from a birthday card sent to Dr Jan Dommisse in 1943 who was the Divisional Commissioner (1940 – 1949) on the occasion of his 70th birthday, it shows that there were 24 Scouts and 10 members "On Active Service" in the war.
Some of the Scoutmasters on record are:
Mr H Edwards1937, Mr Geoff Shackle1938, Mr S Johnson 1943 and Mr. L R Overett 1949.
10th Green and Sea Point Scout Group
From an early 1980's logbook the fortunes of the group reveal that during this period it was very active and true to the spirt of Scouting. Unfortunately, there is very little other documentation in the Scout Archives about 10th GASP.
In December 1980 their Scoutmaster was Stan Szapira and the Assistant Scoutmaster was Max Cohen. Their year-end camp which was held at the Rotary Camp in Glencairn, was attended by only 5 Scouts.
The Troop started 1981 with barely two patrols from 9 Scouts but by ear end they were up to three patrols and 16 boys. After an absence of three years they entered a team for the District Rawson Cup and the Area Upton Shield competitions.
February 1981 saw Mike Cohen taking over as Scoutmaster with Stan Szapira becoming Group Scoutmaster. With Signal Hill nearby it was an ideal place for many hikes, both day and night and the District campsite Appleton was a bonus for all the Sea Point groups.
With the Troop numbers growing from both Cubs coming up and from recruits, they now had a number of Senior Scouts. These older boys could now partake in more adventurous activities and March 1982 saw them in the Witzenberg hiking and swimming down the magnificent Visgat Canyon. For the younger Scouts this was something to look forward to and were nurtured with hikes on Table Mountain sleeping over in the Scout Mountain Cub hut. Later in the year three former Patrol Leaders agreed to became Assistant Scoutmasters, these were Jacques de Klerk, Julyan Symons and Max Cohen.
The following year, 1983, started off with a 7-day tour by Mike and 8 Scouts along the Garden Route. The Troop also made good use of the Scout Mountain Club hikes, rock meets and the longer Eastern Week end meets which this year was in the Cederberg. The Troop had now grown to 24 and was a hive of activity. The Upton Shield team improved their performance coming 13th out of 44 teams, not bad for a young Troop. Even during the school holidays, the group was often active and the December holidays saw 24 Scouts and parents enjoying the beautiful hike along the hidden coast from Hout Bay to Sandy Bay.
Now with more skills and outdoor experience they could tackle the sport of Kloofing and to this end in the summer of 1984 they explored Elandspad Kloof, Jan de Toit's Kloof and Witels. More water activity was when they won the Goudie Shield, the District's annual swimming gala. It was their first participation since 1968 and the first time in 5 years that anyone had pipped Camps Bay.
Many of the Scouts attended the Mountain Leadership Course and this set them up for even more outdoor activities. The year ended with a 10-day camp at Palmiet Valley, the first in many a year and in recognition of their all-round Scouting were awarded the Silver Star for excellence.
In February 1985 the Troop entered the prestigious Rayner Trophy, the first time in nearly 20 years and finished a creditable 18th. In March the Goudie Shield swimming gala came up and they retained the Shield. In the same month they proved they could be multitalented when they joined up with the Milnerton Sea Scouts and spent 3 days yachting, boating, windsurfing and water skiing.
Sadly, this is where the logbook ends, but from the few extracts recorded here, it can be concluded that this was a Troop of some note.
The following photos show the Troop in the Visgat Canyon in 1982.
From their group magazine "The Foghorn" we can get an insight into a Scout Competition in the late 1950's.
Under the leadership of Mike Silverman, the following team was entered for the TOC N Trophy Competition. M. Silverman, H. Sacks, V. Morris, R. Landecker, L. Fine, R.Sacks, R. Morris, S. Cohen. After meeting at the Congregational Church hall, the teams were transported to Suikerbossie, where kits were weighed, uniforms inspected and instructions given out.
We walked to the crossroads leading to Hout Bay and here our next set of instructions were issued. We were given a live chicken which had to be cared for and housed in a Muishondproof Hok. We trudged over the sand dunes to Sandy Bay, the site for the competition proper.
We selected a campsite, pitched camp and started making four bivouacs part of a test. At about 5 .30 p.m. we started doing tests and at 8 o'clock our supper (Hunters Stow and Rice Pudding) was served. Needless to say, the billies were scraped to the very bottom - grub was super!
There is no frosh water available at Sandy Bay and we had to make do with what we had brought with us - not too easy I can assure you!
Our Camp Fife item flopped. The noise of the sea made hearing difficult and our subtle dialogue did not produce the necessary effect. After the Camp Fire we "hit the hay". Herb kept the boys in fits of laughter for at least half an hour with his sharp wit. The chicken; in its snug hok and covered with jerseys and towels, have been warmer than most of us!
Our luxury breakfast of porridge, polony and eggs and coffee gave us a good start. After inspection, we reported to the beach and there did lifesaving, tent pitching and sand story tests. An unusual competition was the building of five different kinds of fire places.
At 11.30 we bade farewell to our chicken, who was doomed to the pot. Lubber and Vivian performed the necessary operation, while the rust of the team could not be found until it was all over!
The chicken was plucked, cleaned and boiled. After boiling, we cut the poultry into pieces, fried it and served up a rather tasty dish of "Fri od Chicken". After lunch we cleaned up, packed our kits and reported to the beach where the result of the competition was announced as follows:
- 1st - 3rd Green and Sea Point
- 2nd - 2nd Green and Sea Point, and 10th Green & Sea Point.
- 4th - 7th Green and Sea Point
Well done 3rd on a fine win!
Our slog over the sand dunes began once more and after the strenuous week-end the journey seemed never-ending. From the crossroads at Hout Bay we taken home by car.
Our thanks go to Chief Judge Colin Inglis who made this most enjoyable competition possible and to the members of our Croup Committee who so kindly provided the necessary transport
Roydon Sacks
The Foghorn, March 1959
12th Green and Sea Point Scout Group
The Group started January 1965 as a Catholic Scout Group and the Priest in Charge was a Father Donald de Beer although 1965 photos show a Fr Ronnie van den Hoven. As Catholic Scout Group it was open to everyone and grew to be one of the biggest Scout Groups in the Cape Western.
The first Scout Master was "Smoky" Phillips and he was assisted by Bill Otto. They met in the Church Hall of Our Lady of Good Hope by the old Loreto Convent. Thus, under the 12th Green and Sea Point tag - they had a second name tag called "Our Lady of Good Hope". The Group magazine was called KI-RO, being the first two (capital) letters chi and rho (ΧΡ) of the Greek word "ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ" =Christ.
The Cub Pack held their first meeting on the 22nd January 1965 and was run by 'Smoky' Phillips and 'Akela' Phil Otto. It was attended by seven new chums and this very soon grew to fifteen. Outings were popular with hikes up Signal Hill to the Appleton Campsite were various activities had been pre-arranged. The campsite was also used to District competitions and overnight campfires. The Pack had a wide choice of other Packs in the area to visit and were themselves hosts in return. They also took part in soccer, athletics and swimming competitions
1970's
The Cub Pack remained very active with outings to many mention them all and apart from all the District and Area activities they still found time to visit warships, the Circus, Zandvlei and Wiesenhof game park. Hiking played a big part from the 'pipe track', Rhodes memorial, Kalk Bay caves and Lion's Head. Camping at Gilcape, Glencairn and Hout Bay and every popular District campfires in the 'Little Glen' thanks to very dedicated Akela's.
Daryl McEwan took over as Scoutmaster in 1970 (at age 20) and stayed with them for many years until his formal farewell party in September 1980.
In 1971 the 12th changed from Land Scouts to Sea Scouts and this was done with great fanfare with - the Cardinal, Admiral and Mayor in attendance. They changed to Sea Scouts when Captain Dudley Stephen, Marine Superintendent of Unicorn Shipping Lines, put his two sons into the Troop - and thus began a time when Sea Scouts could do coastal trips on his ships. In the same year the group moved to the empty Scout Hall in Tramway Road which had previously been the home of the old 5th GASP.
On the 18th August 1976 a Rover Crew was established with 6 members under the guidance of Paddy Milner. J A Ross was the Cubmaster.
Apart from all the normal Scouting activities in 1977 the Group saw the Scouts going on a tour to the Fish River Canyon and the Pack to Oudtshoorn.
By 1978 the group's census recorded 51 Cubs (Akela Gail McEwan), 41 Scouts (Scoutmaster Daryl McEwan), 19 Rovers (Crew Leader Paddy Milner) and 14 Scouters, and the following year the Scouts won the prestigious Rayner Trophy. Not to be outdone the Rovers won the Hawk Eye Trophy and were the first in SA to invest a female Rover.
1980's
Although they had in 1980 won the prestigious Tonkin Trophy for all round Scouting excellence, it was to become a year of change at the end of 1980 when Pack Scouter Gail McEwan had her last meeting and handed over to Bev Grainger and Scoutmaster Daryl McEwan handed over to Victor Sanvido.
In the early 1980's due to staff shortages they merged with 1st Clifton and moved to their Scout Hall. The two Packs merged into one and the two Troops also merged into one. Numbers had dwindled as the 1986 magazine reports that 'we have grown dramatically' to 20 Scouts and the 15 Cubs were at last allowed to wear navy shirts to match their navy sea scout shorts.
As another first in 'gender equality' we saw in 1987 Margaret Eastman become the first female Group Scoutmaster and things again started looking up for the 12th.
1990's
The decade started with Margaret Eastman as Group Scoutmaster and her receiving the 'Medal of Merit', Bev Grainger as Pack Scouter and Michael Eastman as Troop Scouter. The Group Scouter reported that:- 1990 started off very well with hikes, galas, outings and good meetings for both Pack and troop. Since 1989 the group has been riding the crest of a wave as a result of team-work and hard work on everyone's part. This was acknowledged when the Pack received a 'Star Pack' award.
The Cubs attended two swimming galas and a Cub Fun Day at Gilray.
The Troop had a hike up the Witels River, entered two teams on the Rayner and both did well, Kontiki was a lot of fun. Due to work commitments Michael Eastman, who stated with the group as a Cub, and became Scoutmaster in 1988, handed over the reins to Dale Kushner. Sadly, this was the first time in twelve years that the 12th did not have a contingent at the Cederberg even though there were Scout eligible.
Unfortunately no further information was found, as to how and why the group folded