Margie Maccoll
It was two days of adventure and activities for Noosa Sea Scouts as long term members praised the movement for its benefits in teaching youth practical life skills, leadership and team work when the Noosa branch of the organisation celebrated 70 years of Scouting at its Badger’s Wood headquarters last weekend.
Scout leader Len Barty joined the movement in Noosa in 1986 when his youngest son, Dale, was a cub, and has been a fixture for half the life of the Noosa club.
It was a return to Scouts for Len who, as a child living in Charters Towers, was a Cub in 1952 when the Noosa branch was just beginning.
“I came along with Dale to give a hand. Someone grabbed me and threw a uniform on me. When Dale left, I just stayed,“ he said.
It was a similar story for many Scout parents who became leaders and stayed on.
Noosa councillor Brian Stockwell became involved with the Sea Scouts about 17 years ago when his daughter and son participated, and last Sunday espoused its virtues in teaching children basic skills, cooking on fires, setting up tents, working in a team, as well as proficiency in water craft use.
Such are its benefits Scouting has long been associated with NASA astronauts.
Of the four astronauts in the 1969 moon landing, three had attained the highest level of Scouting, Cr Stockwell said.
“It’s an antidote to the media screen society,“ he said.
Just one of their activities involve a team of Scouts budgeting, shopping at the local supermarket, carrying it back to base in their trek cart and cooking a meal for 50 to 100 kids during a camp over at Badger’s Wood.
Cr Stockwell said the abilities of Sea Scouts often came to the fore during school camps when the skills they learnt through Scouting turned them into the gurus of camping and cooking in the eyes of school mates.
History shows in previous years Sea Scouts were even more adventurous and during an annual Festival of Waters, held from 1967-85, were involved in a canoe race from Boreen Point to Noosaville. Cr Stockwell said he had hopes of reviving the festival that also included a street parade led by the Big Pelican, now a Gympie Terrace fixture.
The Sea Scout anniversary celebrations included an exhibition of 70 years of Scouting memorabilia compiled by Scout parent Ian Kaye and composed mainly of collections from Scout leaders Len Barty and Desley Staatz.
Ian said among the items that stood out for him was a record of the first Cub leader, Vera Jones, who set up the group in 1953, when the small local population required residents have multiple roles.
In addition to being Cub leader Vera was a fish filleter, Avon lady and ran the mail delivery at a time before houses had street numbers.
“She would write the names in order in biro up her arm and deliver it that way,“ Ian said.
Desley Staatz was a Scouting group leader for 16 years, having joined the Sea Scouts in 1991 with her sons, who achieved high levels in the Scouting movement.
Desley spoke of the sense of achievement experienced by Scouts who earned their progression up the ranks of the movement by meeting set challenges along the path.
She believed one of Noosa Sea Scouts’ best achievements was in producing high level Scouts including about 20 Noosa Sea Scouts who had achieved the level of Queen Scout, a prestigious award presented to them at Government House by the Queensland Governor.
