Scouting

One of the most vital and enduring youth organisations in Cobden has been the scouting fraternity with its 1st group turning 100 years old in 2021.

A celebration of the group’s centenary was planned for 2021 but the COVID pandemic led to its postponement until March 2022.

• 1921: Scoutmaster Rev J W Scott reported scouts started with the Wolf and Kangaroo patrols meeting in the Presbyterian Parsonage. The first scouts included Jim Williams, Walter Scott, George Taylor, Sydney Smith, George Clarke, Jim Cowley, Frank Howard, Lester Cameron, John McWilliams, Bill Roberts, Justin Peter and Jack Pollock. Assistant scoutmaster was Keith Downs.
• 1932: Scout meetings were held in the Cobden football sheds. Moves were afoot for a scout hall.
• 1940: An old hall from Lake Elingamite’s banks was moved to the north-east corner of the swimming pool reserve. It remains as part of the present scout hall.
• 1941: First cub pack formed and the hall was opened by president Mr W Clingan of Bostocks Creek.
• 1954: A kitchen, office and four patrol corners were built by volunteer labour. Jim Little was scoutmaster or group scoutmaster for the next 27 years.
• 1955: Hall’s new wing was officially opened by Deputy Chief Commissioner of Scouts, Colonel A.G. ‘Tops’ Oldham, and a ladies committee led by Grace Malone and Alice Fagan was formed. Cubs was reformed with Misses J and D Roberts pack leaders for the next 26 and 21 years respectively.
• 1956: Operation Senior Den – the senior scouts built their own room.
• 1957: Cobden’s first Queen’s Scout was Neville J Page – 53 followed over the group’s next 55 years.
• 1959: A hilarious mock deb ball featured flower girl Millie Parlour and page boy Billie McKenzie.
• 1960: Committee purchased land for £300 including that previously excised from the swimming pool reserve. A tender for new building additions from L V Kelson (£2678) was accepted. Col Oldham opened the newly-extended hall.
• Tussock-clearing at the Curdies Siding led to the perfect Cobden camp site being established with a kitchen and patrol areas as well as access to a store, dairy and a woodyard.
• 1971: Jim Little was awarded with the Medal of Merit for special service to the scouting movement.
• 1974: The senior scouts group became known as venturers.
• 1979: The group was presented with the Chief Commissioner’s Award for having a 12-strong leadership team.
• 1981: Heytesbury Shire citizenship award to Joyce Roberts for her contribution to the scouting movement.
• Early scoutmasters/leaders included Rev J W Scott (1921), Rev Tolhurst, L W Simpson, Rev Legg, Bill Roberts, Norm Giles, Neville Vagg, Allister Stewart, Les Overton and Jim Little (1957) while the first appointed Group leader/Group scoutmaster was Jim Little (1962) followed by Des Mackay, Alex McDonald, Greg McQuinn, David Luker, Phil Langley (leader-in- charge) and John Wason.
• 1994: Barbara Mason became Cobden’s first female scout leader, the third member of Bernie and Joan McQuinn’s family to be invested as a leader.
• The first girls joined scouts in 1994 – Georgia Sambell, Brenda James and Becky McCann who became a Queen’s Scout in 1996.
• Venturers disbanded in early 1990s but reformed a few years later.
• Scouting involvement with the community has included Bob-a-Job, the town’s Anzac Day ceremony, Red Shield Appeal collec- tion, tree planting at Cobden Lake, support for the Spring Festival including the duck race and the district’s Relay for Life.