a vocation at the weekends which is when we tend to hold our parades and that’s the reason we have fewer parades now.” Much has changed since I was a Boy Scout in the late ’50s. I joined the same group Alfred was in — 2nd Gibraltar Scouts — and in fact we attended a Jubilee Jamboree together in the UK! We returned to Gib on one of Her Majesty’s frigates, HMS Loch Ruthven which cut engines somewhere in the Atlantic. Crewmen joined scouts and jumped in for a swim... But I didn’t! “Well there have been many changes since you were a scout, but in 2007 a group of us attended the 50th anniversary of that jamboree and the campsite there, in Sutton Coldfield in the Midlands, has not changed much at all. “But yes, now we have Girl Scouts in our scout groups who, for whatever reason, choose not to join the Girl Guides — with whom we keep in close contact and have an excellent relationship. With girls joining come special arrangements we have to make when attending camping trips up the Rock and other places. Toilet and washing facilities have to be separate as well as sleeping arrangements. An adult female has to be present when calling in a girl scout for a meeting with scout leaders. An important aspect of girls joining us is the effect they’re being there has had on the boys. Our leaders tell me they’ve been a steadying influence on them, not wanting to look silly in their presence. “In general terms there’s also more work to do with Health and Safety and insurance issues and all sorts...” Alfred enlightens me on how different, and much stricter, achieving ‘skill’ badges is these days. As an example of the level of achievement needed, achieving a Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award equals approximately three quarters of the way to becoming a Queen’s Scout. “Nowadays we have St John’s, Duke of Edinburgh Awards, Royal Gibraltar Regiment cooks, Radio Ham and internet enthusiasts, and others instructing our boys and testing them before any badge is won to be worn on their uniforms.” Badges, as well as uniforms, are now bought online — the Scout Shop in London is no more and Alfred knows of only one these days, in Glasgow. Expeditions for our scouts are
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on the increase with canoeing, white water rafting, climbing and other related activities undertaken in France and Italy. Funding for these trips is provided by the association, through fund raising, and sometimes some form of Government grant, plus parent or guardian contributions. So for one who thought the movement might be taking a nosedive, I was pleased to learn scouting activity on the Rock is very much alive and doing well. Exchanges with scout groups in the hinterland are also active — there’s contact with groups from Cadiz and Malaga and when parades are held locally a number of them visit, but with the random long waits at the frontier these days, they’ve not been coming so much. The next World Jamboree is to be held in Japan and Gibraltar will hopefully be represented. Our new Governor, Sir James
Hutton, has shown great interest in Gibraltar’s scouts having been a scout himself. “Oh yes, he had a serious interest spending long hours with our three different groups when on a routine familiarisation visit,” Alfred says. “He’s insisted on wanting to spend time talking to the leaders and scouts and that’s been great on his part.” There are approximately 35 million followers of Scouting founders, Lord Robert and Lady Olave in the world today and that number is still growing. Here, including Girl Guides, there are around 650 individuals following in the Baden-Powell’s footsteps (he actually came to Gibraltar on a number of occasions). The Scouting movement celebrated 100 years on the Rock in 2008. Founder’s Day (the Guides prefer to call it Thinking Day) is celebrated on the Saturday nearest 22nd February: the birth date coincidentally, of both founders!
Here, including Girl Guides, there are around 650 individuals following in the Baden-Powell’s footsteps (he actually came to Gibraltar on a number of occasions)
Scout Commissioner Reoch has a lot to think about during his twilight scouting days and has had much to oversee as Chief Scout during his 17 years as Gibraltar’s top explorer. Friday evenings at 6.30 still requires his chairmanship at Scout Headquarters in Wellington Front until the new Commissioner is named, but scouting issues for Alfred Reoch are much more than attending a weekly meeting over a coffee — it’s a way of life or a ‘vocation’ and his interest in the movement will no doubt continue. Presently he’s busy preparing a four year programme, soon to be launched, re-enforcing what scouting is all about and which the new incumbent is obliged to undertake. Troop premises are moving and the 1/4th band is soon to return. He’s also in the process of writing a book on the history of scouts on the Rock. Oh, and another innovation — should I decide to be a scout again I have a choice in how to wear my group scarf: fasten it with the standard ‘woggle,’ or tie it together with the ‘Friendship Knot...’ I like that one! n
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