When the history of a small organisation such as Bardon Group is being researched and written there are occasional gaps because minutes and correspondence are not concise, or have disappeared. It is then that we have to call on the memories of the members of those years, and the Group thanks the following good people for their time:

The formation of the Group was first mooted at a Public Meeting held in 1932 to form the Bardon Girl Guides. Great difficulty was experienced in finding the requisite trained Scout and Cub Masters, and it was not until 1935 that definite steps could be taken to form the Group.

"Minutes of a Public Meeting held in St. Bartholomew's Church of England Hall, Simpsons Road, Bardon, on Monday 27th May, 1935, at 8pm.

PRESENT: There were present approximately 90 parents and boys and proceedings were commenced by singing the National Anthem.

CHAIR: The Chair was occupied by Mr J.C. Tindall who was supported by District Scout Commissioner Dr F.H. Whitehouse and Scoutmaster L.R. Munro."

Twenty-four boys wished to join as Wolf Cubs and eleven as Scouts. The meeting was also advised that twelve Scouts would join from a nearby Troop which had recently disbanded. The new Group was to be called the '1st Bardon Group, ["Troop" in the minutes but a technical error in naming] and was to include the areas not covered by Ashgrove and Milton Groups. Mr L.R. Munro was appointed Scoutmaster, with Mr A. Hooper as his assistant, "both being qualified and approved of by the District Commissioner".

Mr D. Cole and Mr J.W. Dick offered their services to train a temporary Cub Master.

A temporary Committee was formed comprising of Messrs F. Philips, J. Hunt, P. Youngberg, H. Newby, V. Stark, J. Tindall, G. Skinner, A. Smith, H. Nicol, J. Northeott and A. Hogan. In addition, a temporary Ladies Committee was formed, consisting of Mesdames Tindall, Staiisfield, Podmore, Watt, Salotti and Youngberg.

At the first committee meeting, held on 31st May, 1935, Mr H. Newby was appointed Chairman, Mr J. Tindall as Secretary and Mr F. Phillips as Treasurer. At this meeting, an area of land over one acre in size, situated in Bee Street and owned by Mr A. Brarnhall was proposed as a suitable piece of land for permanent headquarters.

The second important date was Monday 10th June, 1935, when the first Group parade was held in St. Bartholornew's Hall, starting at 7pm. 34 Wolf Cubs attended and 32 Scouts, among them a boy named Albert Best who was later to become the Group's first King's Scout.

That first committee certainly kept things moving. On 14th June, they resolved the withdrawal of £5 from the newly opened bank account at the Commonwealth Bank for payment of the land in Bee Street, and an inspection of the site was made at 10am on Sunday, 1 6th June. It is interesting to record some of the particulars regarding the purchase of the Group's land, an area virtually unique in Queensland when size, position and type of acquisition is considered.

The main area consisted of nine building blocks, five of 16.2 perches and four averaging 18.7 perches, totalling 3 roods 36.1 perches. Also in the sale were three blocks across the road totalling 2 roods 2 perches, which were eventually sold to provide funds for buildings. At the time of the sale, the twelve allotments were valued by the Brisbane City Council at £50, but were sold to the Group by Mr AIbert Brarnhall for £ 5. Back rates of £ 5.1.9 were also paid by the Group, and at a meeting held on 5th July, Mr Brarnhall was elected as the Group's first Honorary Life Member in recognition of his generosity regarding the sale of the land.

The transfer was signed on 19th June and formal possession was taken on Saturday 22nd June, 1935, at 1.30pm. A Union jack was hoisted and saluted, the Deeds were presented to the Chairman, afternoon tea was served by the Ladies Committee and here it comes the first "working bee" was held. How many has the Group seen down through the years? Not losing any time, "Cub Master Lyall gave the Cubs some instruction and Scout Master Munro directed the Scouts in various duties".

On the 2nd August, it was reported that negotiations had been entered into with James Campbell & Sons for supply of materials to build a but 30 ft. by 20 ft.

It was also noted in the minutes that the grounds from now and henceforth would be called an Indian river from Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book".

On Saturday 13th July, the Cubs met for the first time at "WAINGUNGA".

While all this was going on, our dauntless Committee was organising a Fete to be held in conjunction with the opening of the Scout Hut, which was being built at the same time.

On 25th August, the Hut frame was cut out, and it was erected on lst September. Running against time now, it was reported on 24th September that the Hut was constructed, lighting had been installed, but the ink was not yet in place, and the painting was not yet started. (This is now the Scout Den, with the rear part enclosed later.)

The Hut was officially opened at 2pm on Saturday, 28th September, 1935, by the Governor, Sir Leslie Wilson, just 125 days after the inaugural meeting.

The records also show that during this period there were three wet weekends and an epidemic of influenza amongst both boys and workers. This was also in the middle of the great Depression years.

The boys' Scout and Cub meetings, meanwhile, were proceeding in good fashion. Mr J. Lyall was appointed as first Cub Master on 13th July and Mr Dick was appointed Group Scout Master at the same time. The Scout Master, Mr L. Munro had two Assistant Scout Masters to help him, Mr A. Hopper and Mr D. Macalorum who had recently been promoted from the ranks of the Scouts. The first Scout Camp organised by the Group was held at Ferny Grove from 18th to 20th October. It w well attended and was presumably thoroughly enjoyable no accidents were reported.

And that was 1935. The records show that including Mr R.J. Archibald, the President, 34 ladies and gentlemen were members of the committee! This was a vintage year, and maybe the records are best concluded with the following:

1936 was a year of high activity, consolidation and change.

On 3rd July, John Tindall assumed the position of Group Scout Master, and his first official duty was to take charge of the ceremony for the unveiling of the King George Memorial Cairn, now located to the rear of the Lyall Den.

The concept of erecting this memorial was first advanced by C.M. Lyall as a tribute to the King of whom Rudyard Kipling said, "A better Scout never lived". Although lengthy, the report on this ceremony is of interest and is reprinted in full on later pages.

The census for 31 July, 1936 showed that the Group had settled down and numbered 25 Scouts and 33 Cubs with 5 Scouters. At the August meeting of the Committee, the G.S.M. reported that discussions were progressing for the erection of a Cub Den. At the time it was proposed that the bricks for this den should be made from the soil from the Group grounds, but soil analysis showed that this was not possible. However, during the 1936-1937 year, this need for another den was discussed many times, and at the April meeting of 1937, a motion was passed setting aside the sum of £70 to erect a den which we now know as the "Q Store". Also at this meeting, Mr J. Lyall was appointed Group Scout Master on the resignation of Mr J. Tindall.

At a special May meeting it was resolved that the three allotments on the south side of Bee Street should be sold for the offered price of £30. The open extension at the rear of the Scout Den was partly enclosed at this time for office and store purposes.

The Group's second birthday party was held on 26th June, 1937, under fitting circumstances by the opening of the new Cubs' "Den", a timber building 25 ft. x 20 ft.

At the Annual General Meeting held 30th June, 1937, the Group Scout Master reported that during the year one First Class and two Second Class badges were awarded. However, the top news for the year was that Troop Leader A. Best had gained the first King's Scout award for the Group. How sad it is to record that Abbie passed away this January 1985, only a few short months from seeing "his" Group reach its Golden Anniversary.

The Cubs also had a splendid year. They won the "Snow" Totem at the Kedron Park and did particular well at various other events.

At this time there were 27 Scouts and 35 Cubs and Mrs M. a 1 became the Assistant Cub Master.

The Annual General Meeting for 30th June, 1938, showed that the Group consisted of 17 Scouts and 18 Cubs, with four Scouters, somewhat of a dip in previous numbers. However, it would appear that there had been some internal "differences" within the Scout Troop, with the loss of some of the boys. Quite a number of Cubs had progressed into Scouts during the year, but it appeared from the records that the year's problems were in the past. however, the same problem existed then which exists now - a shortage of suitable Scouters, and the Group was being led by Mr Lyall, and Mr and Mrs Loggie. At the 1938 Annual General Meeting , Troop Leader Abbie Best became Assistant Scout Master, thereby helping to ease the situation considerably.

Bardon has been represented at a large number of jamborees over the last 50 years, but the first one is always the most important, at least for the records.

1938/39 saw an Australian Jamboree held at Bradfield Park, Sydney and this was attended by four Scouters and five Scouts.

The year ending June 1939 told us that the expected consolidation had indeed taken place, and the Group now had 23 Scouts, 22 Cubs and six Scouters.

Training and general programs were obviously progressing well, judging from the numbers of 1st and 2nd Class Scouts, and 1st and 2nd Star Cubs.

The August 1939 meeting saw a Group stalwart, Mr H. Newby, who had bee the Committee Chairman since the Group's inception, leaving the District, and consequent having to resign. There had been quite a few ups and downs and changes of personnel in all areas but throughout all this Mr Newby had remained in office guiding the Group, and 1st Bardon is sincerely indebted to him for those formative years.

During the coming year, in fact on 16th March, 1940, Cub number 24489, Manfred Cross, was invested. It is not the purpose of this short history to single out too many specific people, but this 10 year old was one who played a considerable part in the Group's history. He progressed through Cubs, into Scouts, became an Assistant Scout Master and eventually Scout Master.

But back to 1939.

The Group accepted the resignation of Scouter Mr Finia on account of military duties, and a memo was received from Scout Headquarters reminding Groups that a shortage of Leaders could be expected ut as the Association was an important part of the National Emergency Scheme, Group levels of efficiency must be maintained.

The Annual General Meeting held 28th July, 1941, showed us that Jock Lyall was the G.S.M., Harry Hill was the President, and Mr E. Taylor the Chairman. The Group now boasted 38 Cubs, 30 Scouts and eight Scouters, which was a fine effort in troubled times. As the G.S.M. was on duty with the Defence Department Mr D. Loggie had been appointed as Acting G.S.M. He spoke of the difficulty in getting parents actively interested and requested the assistance of parents as Cub Instructors which all proves that nothing really changes.

1942 Annual General Meeting, and Mr Cross was Chairman with Mr Loggie still acting G.S.M. The Group was down somewhat in numbers with 25 Scouts and 19 Cubs. Mrs Lyall advised that she was moving from the District but would continue to assist with the training and operation of the Cubs wherever possible. During the next two ears the Cub Pack was ably run by Scouts Cross and Munro. The Pack had won the Totem Pole, a State competition, for the second year in succession, and strength was now at 36. Unfortunately, the Scout Troop had fallen away in numbers and was now down to 12. The significance of Leadership was again demonstrated at the 1944 Annual General Meeting, when the new Scout Master, Mr D. Taylor reported that when he took charge of the Troop during the year. e members ip was three on but the numbers were back to 27 by census time. Also during 1944, Mr Loggie became the District Cub Leader and was succeeded as G.S.M. by Mr V. Purnell.

And so ended the first 10 years. It can be seen from that well-documented history that five to ten families in particular were mainly responsible for the fine start the Group was given, but that apart from the usual domestic problems and personality clashes every organisation suffers from time to time, the picture was one of steady growth and consolidation. 1945 ended with nearly 70 boys and five Scouters, an enthusiastic Committee, an acre of ground with two Dens (and a toilet with white ants) and £ 80 odd in the Bank.

Unfortunately, some of the following years are not well documented as the first ten. and our records of events are sometimes a little sparse. Space, too, is a problem and accordingly the next forty years have been divided into four ten-year period apologies are sincerely offered for any events not recorded, and for the omission of the names of deserving, good folk whose names should have appeared, but were missed due to a lack of records.

1946 saw the beginning of a second Group at Bardon under the auspices of St. Bartholomew's Church of England. However, with a change of incumbent, it was decided not to continue with a Sponsored Group, and it was another 37 years before the District saw a similar Group registered , this time at St. Mark' , he Gap. The old Rosalie Group was also sponsored but became defunct during this decade. The second Bardon Group met for some time in a garage opposite the Presbterian Church after becoming group with a Den off Cecil Road, and eventually ceased to exist, with assets and boys going to l st Bardon. Their Honours Board is displayed - fittingly - alongside 1st Bardon's.

During 1946, Mr Walker was G.S.M., and boys and Scouters numbered 69. Scout

M. Cross was helping run the pack, due to a shortage of Scouters.

1947 saw Mr W. Drew become GSM and lighting was installed in the Cub Den. Numbers remained constant and this was a "quiet year".

1948, and the original planning finally was resolved when Bardon Group with its own Rover Crew, thereby fulfilling the wish expressed at the first Annual General Meeting.

Nine boys and three Scouters attended the Jamboree at Yarra Brae near Melbourne.

This was a year of change. Mr Cross, who had been Chairman for eight years and a Committee man for several ears before t at, was transferred to Adelaide; Mr D Jenkins, Secretary for nine years and Mr Smith, Treasurer for three years both resigned and their places were filled Manfred Cross

Mitchell as Treasurer. Mr W. Drew was still the G.S.M. with S.M. H. Mauchline, A.S.M. M. Cross and three Cub Leaders.

The 1949 Annual General Meeting was again one of optimism. There was a very Ion waiting list for the Cubs but unfortunately not enough Scouters to consider another Pack, which now numbered 30, along with 24 Scouts and 5 Rovers.

1950 was outstanding in that the sewerage had come, and it seemed that most committee meetings were spent discussing the subject.

In 1951, the Cub Leadership ad changed again, and Mr Edward Gardiner was now the Cub Master. This was another of those "holding" years when everything ran smoothly with little to report.

1952 was an interesting year as in October Volume 1 No. 1 of a magazine called "Smoke Signal" appeared. It wasn't going to run "Courier Mail" off the road, but it was all ours and it was here to stay. 33 years later, in the guise of "The Message Stick" it still does its good job and still has short tempered Editors screaming for something to put in it.

There were a few more changes in personnel. Mr Alan Radford became A.S.M. and we didn't have a Cub Master, so the District Cub Master, Miss Deicke had charge of the 33 Cubs. It would seem that it was difficult to find Leaders.

At the 1952 census the Group consisted of 33 Scouts, 30 Cubs and 4 Scouters with Manfred Cross as Leader in Charge.

Mr Lyall was now the Chairman, which just proves that you can't keep a good man away for long. Unfortunately in 1953, Jock was forced to resign again due to ill health. This still didn't stop him returning later on as G.S. however. We now had 26 Scouts, including one Queen's Scout, John O'Carroll, and 36 Cubs but somewhere along the line the Rover Crew had become non-existent. P.S. Mrs Lyall was still A.C.M.

Seven boys and two Scouters went to the Greystones Jamboree at Parramatta and had a "terrific time".

One of the main problems in 1954 seemed to be the connecting of that sewerage completed by the Annual General Meeting, a fine effort as it was laid by parents in working bees, under the leadership of George Cray and Arthur Lewis. This was another of those vintage years which can only be described as one of "many doings and great deeds".

1955 and the end of our second decade. There was a Jamboree held at Clifford Park, Victoria, attended by 13 Scouts and 6 Scouters.

Mr A. Lewis became G.S.M. during the year, a position he was to hold for considerable time an ock L a 1 had become District Commissioner for Brisbane West, with Bardon Group attached. It may be of interest to digress for a moment or two and compare 1955/56 (when the District became Taylor Range) and now.

In 1955 there were six local Groups: Ash rove, 1st Bardon, 2nd Bardon Dorrington, St. John's Wood, and The Gap, plus three city Groups: Valley, New Farm Spastic and Brisbane North West, a "holding" Group of 5 Squire/Rovers who met at St. John's Wood and eventually became their first Rovers.

The local Groups had registered 148 Scouts, 142 Cubs and 28 Leaders, with 1st Bardon totalling 91 persons easily the biggest Group. At the 1984 census b comparison, Taylor Range had registered 218 Cubs, 167 Scouts, 48 Venturers, 48 Rovers, 52 Leaders with 6 Groups (now 7). 290 boys then, with a ratio of one leader to 10.4 boys in comparison to 481 boys now with a ratio of one to 9.3 boys.

The Scouts had an excellent year, with Brian O'Neill, Robert Morgan and David Evans gaining the Queen's Scout Award.

The "Smoke Signal" with yet another cover was still rolling - occaionally.

1955 finished on a high note with the best Group numbers yet seen, and the Group must have felt extremely pie ed with its second 10 years.

Many of the old names had now gone, but many were still there too, and were to remain actively associated with 1 st Bardon into the third decade.

1956 was an important date for 1st Bardon - the Group came of age after 21 years of growing up.

As we mentioned at the end of 1955, the District, which had been so closely linked with its second oldest offspring for so long, also grew up and became a separate entit Ta or Range with i ock Lyall of Bardon as its first District Commissioner.

Numbers were still u , very nearly at the magical 100 mark. Arthur Lewis was G. S. Manfred Cross was S.M. and Matthew Georgeson was Cub Master. John Cook had gained his Queen's Scout Award - and Mrs Lyall was A.C.M.

1957 was Jubilee Year - marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lord Baden-Powell, and fl ty years of Scouting. A "Musical Extravaganza" " Boy Scout" was presented in City Hall, and members of 1 st Bardon were part of the cast. During the ear the Grou "lent" A.S.M. Alan Radford to the ailing 2nd Bardon Group, and the patient recovered. There was no other change in the Scouter line-up, but Mr Geor e Cra C airman acce ted the position of Patron. John O'Carroll was now an A.S.M. and, as the annual report stated, "Mrs Lyall remains evergreen and enthusiastic".

It would appear that changes were now in tile wind. During 1957 58 t e three Scoutmasters - Manfred Cross, Brian O'Neill and John O'Carroll had resigned and Matthew Geor eson had become District Cub Master. G.S.M. Arthur Lewis was still in office, and plans were afoot to build a Den for the Senior Scouts to mark the Silver Anniversary in 1960. During 1959 the Cub Den was repainted, and it was rededicated on 4th October.

Unfortunately, the third Den did not become a reality in 1960 maini ue to the ig cost of buildina and materials. However, 1960 did not pass completely, unnoticed, as our good friend Mrs Lyall was honoured by being awarded the Medal of Merit for her outstan ing service. A so as we mentioned that a Cub named Manfred Cross joined in 1940, so we now mention another Cub, Ross Wieckhorst, who joined in 1960. The ollowed the same path through Cubs and Scouts and then years of service as Leaders. Ross is still with the Group today Cub Leader for the last 9 years and was A.C.M. before that. During Paul Rosser became a Scouter, and the Group celebrated its Silver A with a very successful and well attended Silver jubilee Reunion.

1961 and the third Den was a reality. Thanks to the generosity o Machinery Co., we acquired a four year old canteen from them for £15 repairs, alterations and a lot of hard work - again - by the parents, an Den was in place, and in operation, in September 1961.

The 1962 Annual General Meeting thanked those parents for all including the establishment of outdoor lighting, but bewailed the intro, canned beer as it apparently affected our bottle drives!!

Mr M. Anderson, who had been president for three years, resigned as th Group rules allowed Office Bearers to remain as such for only three ye Lewis was still G.S.M. and Scouting was still flourishing.

The October minutes noted that a letter of appreciation was sent to C. for their voluntary painting of the Den (inside and out), and this hist not be complete without recording the assistance freely given by Col the next 25 years as a parent and later as the local MLA.

Also in 1962, another name appeared in the Group's history - Mrs Da was one of six new Scouters welcomed, and yet another long assocition with the Group began. It is interesting to note that in August 1962, Bardon the services of 13 Scouters.

This year, also, the kitchen was added to the Senior Den, a much needed addation.

On Saturday, 23rd March 1963, Sir Henry Abet Smith officially opcned the Senior Den and named it the Lyall Den in honour of Jock and Mary Llyal honour richly deserved. Sir Henry planted the silky oak directly outside Den and Paul Rosser, D.C., Scouts and Scoutcrs planted the remaining tin

The Group remained at a considerable size - 39 Cubs, 56 Scouts, 11 Sen - having reached the 100 boy figure the previous year.

Highvale (Samford) camp site was being developed as a new close-in area L was never really successful and was relinquished in 1984. At this time, considerat discussion was taking place regarding an addition to the Lyall Den to act as Store, but this did not eventuate.

1964 and we nearly bought a house to site at the far end of the Cub Flat, instei of the Lyall Den additions, but unfortunately we missed out on the sale. A important event was that three Bardon Scouts became Queen's Scouts, an excellei achievement. By this time, too, both Paul and Dawn Rosser were Sco!.tters the Group. We may not have mentioned him for several years but Arthur Lew is still the G.S.M. which is one very good reason to say that these were top yea, in our history.

And now to the last year of our fourth decade. 1965 and D.C. MuMberg resigne, after many years in office and -was succeeded by D.C. Harris.

There were 83 boys registered, and G.S.M. Lewis reported that there wero "sufficient" Scouters.

The Group magazine came out of the cupboard yet again and was discussed al great length. A competition was to be held, with a prize for the person naming an acceptable cover.

As it was noted "a few years back", that period from 1956 to 1965 saw the boy

members at their peak. There are a great many people, names we still know today, who are responsible for this, and we would be remiss if we failed to mention Mr Culpan and Mr Lewis, Mr and Mrs Miller, Mr Leftwich and so many more.

Committees were always well attended and good feeling ran high in the Group.

The Decade was off to a good start when Cub Kerry Rosser's title of "The Message Stick" was voted as the best of a large number of suggestions and he was duly presented with an open order for $3 at the Scout Shop.

We are fortunate to have a copy of that first edition, giving, as it does, names of Committee members, Scouters etc. It could be noted that one of the A.C.M.s was a certain Mrs Lyalli! However, this was to be her last year, and after 30 years of service to the Group her resignation was accepted with sincere regret.

This, too, was the year when the Rover Crew was re-formed after being in recess for a long time. A new den for the Rovers was also on the drawing-board, and estimates were being prepared.

1967 saw the end of an era when Arthur Lewis resigned at the Annual General Meeting, to take effect when a suitable replacement was found. Arthur had taken this position in 1955, and 12 years' unbroken devotion to duty in a Group's most demanding post may be a record unequalled anywhere. His place was taken by Mr J. Griffiths, a name new to this history but not to the Group or District Scouting, and it was a relief to the Group to have an experienced man still at the helm.

1967 was a sad year for the Group as it saw the passing of Rover Paul Martin. Paul was held in the highest esteem by all who knew him and his tragic loss was deeply felt.

This year was also the year of the Jindalee jamboree, the first to be held in Queensland, but surprisingly only four of tile Group attended.

At long last, Patrol corners were erected in the Scout Den after many years of discussion and planning. This was now 1968, and a small portion of land at the top end of the grounds was sold as an easement, again a subject which had been under discussion for a long time. 1968 also saw a trial split up of Taylor Range, excluding The Gap suburb, but this was short-lived. Plans for the building of a Rover den were now accelerated, with the Crew building the den from their own resources.

In fact, the following year, 1969, saw the completion of the Paul Martin Memorial Rover Den, as it was to be named, after a fine effort by the Rover Leader, Lloyd Williams, his Crew and members of the Group. The Den was officially opened and dedicated on 21st September, 1969. The Lyall Den was also given a face lift with a new coat of paint. Five new Queen's Scouts were added to our lists during these three years, a top achievement the Group may never witness again. Jack Griffiths remained G.S.M. and was assisted by nine other Scouters, and youth numbers remained at a good level.

1970 was the year of our 35th Anniversary and another highly successful reunion was held on Sunday, 12th July. There was somewhat of a decline in the numbers of both Scouts and Scouters, being only 45 boys and seven Leaders, but there were several Cubs joining and numbers would rise again shortly. The Group still had the four sections and plans were continually discussed regarding the addition of a Q Store at the rear of the Lyall Den.

1971 saw the resignation of Mr Len Culpan, who had been "Editor" of "The Message Stick" since its rebirth in 1966. Area approved the award of a "For Service" badge to Mr Culpan for service to the Group. Mr V. Caple was now Group Chairman, and we were still in some trouble with a lack of Leaders, mainly in the Scout Section, but the D.S.L., our Rovers and Tony and Quenton Beaies from the Valley Crew kept the Troop going.

With 1972 came Scouting's "new design" and we had Venturers instead of Senior Scouts, "Leaders" instead of "Masters", and the Cubs had exchanged their old uniforms for khaki similar to the older sections. The Group now had a second pack, meeting in the jubilee Den under the control of Don McConnell, yet another worker who played a major role for many years. Throughout 1971 and 1972, correspondence was exchanged between the Bardon and jubilee Groups regarding a possible merger, but this never eventuated. At the same time, Dorrington and Oakleigh Groups merged and continued to meet at Oakleigh. 1972 also saw the Rainworth Guides meeting in the Lyall Den as they had no permanent meeting place of their own. The jubilee Group ceased to exist and it was noted in our 1972 balance sheet that $375.64 was transferred to Bardon to be held in trust in the event of a resumption. The jubilee Den was used by the Venturers, and to round off the year, Ross McConnell became a Queen's Scout.

Jack Griffiths had tendered his resignation as Group Leader after five years, taking effect from 31st March 1973. jack was to remain on the Scouting scene along with his wife Dorothy for many years yet, as a helper and on the District level. It was noted at the Annual General Meeting that there were over 60 families in the Group, but only three of the ten Leaders were parents. History repeats itself over and over again.

Brian Woodward had stepped into the breach as Group Leader, a position he held until 1976.

1974 saw an easing of the Scout section Leader problems when Alan Walsh and Ray Cavill became A.S.L.s. Due to insufficient boys, the two Packs had combined and we now had 25 Cubs, 21 Scouts, 15 Venturers and 11 Rovers. The Annual General Meeting again saw many names of great workers over a number of years, such as Messrs. Rogers, Cook, Graham, White, Bouchard and many more. Henk Horchner, worker over the years, was now D.V.L. and Ross Wieckhorst was back at Bardon after a short transfer to North Queensland. The Cubs now had the service of Leaders Ross, Don McConnell and Rhonda Lye, with John Graham and Tom Gockel as C.I.s. Errol Matharns now had 30 boys in tile Venturer Unit, a tribute to the fine job he had done as a leader in the Group over a long period.

1975 and the fast year of the Group's decade. Our faithful old money-raiser, the bottles, were still with us but had been joined by a newcomer called Directory Deliveries. This was a great revenue raiser which was held unbroken until 1984 when another organisation undercut our tender. In the words of MacArthur, 94we will return".

The Venturers had reached the all time high of 39 boys, aged 15 to 18 and controlled (?) by one Leader, a mighty effort. This, joined with 26 Cubs, 28 Scouts and 7 Rovers to give the Group 100 registered Scouts and four sections (compared with 83 at the end of the last decade). Once again it could be said that Bardon was in the forefront of successful and well-run Groups. Mr Thiesfield became Chairman, and most of the old names were still with us.

The decade commenced on the right note when the engraved plaque reminding us-of the efforts of John and Mignon Tindall was unveiled on 17th January, by John Tindall, son of Mr and Mrs Tindall.

The Group again had the honour of another Queen's Scout, Joe Forni, and we lost the services of Brian Woodward who had been Group Leader for three years.

An interesting note in the minutes stated that after their marriage in 1977 Ross Wieckhorst and Rhonda Lye would be resigning from the Group!

Ray Cavill had filled the position of G.L. and attempts were being made to revive "The Message Stick", which had not been printed for a considerable time. Malcolm McLean became Editor and the magazine has seen two more Editors since then, but has always come out "on time" - or nearly so - since that date, a record of nine unbroken years.

1977 and the jamboree in Victoria had just concluded. Throughout the correspondence of these years there appears the name of Alderman Denver Beanland, and while it is not the intention of this chronicle to mention people not connected directly with the Group, assistance by all the Aldermen over the 50 years should not be forgotten, as t,'-iey all contributed in no small way to the Group's success.

The first rumbles of complaint were heard regarding the "unsightliness" of the bottle area, and efforts were made to keep the area as tidy as possible. Don McConnell and Bill Graham painted the Scout Den, and we were now down to 49 boys with 8 Leaders.

1978 was another sad year, when John Graharn died aged only 21. Although not connected with the Group at the time of his death, John had been a fine Scout at all times. Ron Bouchard finally hung up his eloquent pen'after many years as Secretary of both Bardon and jubilee Groups.

Unfortunately, due to poor attendance, the Rover section was closed and has remained so, notwithstanding several attempts to start again. Budge Mansfield became Chairman following several years of Committee work, and Mrs D. Murphy, who had kept the Minute Books so ably for years, resigned. Numbers were still at a good level: 27 Cubs, 20 Scouts and 13 Venturers, with sufficient Leaders.

This too, was the year when the. Honours Board was finally-displayed in the Lyall Den, after many false starts.

Early in 1979 we were again in trouble, with one neighbour in particular jegarding the area used for bottle collections. Although Cub and Scout numbers were still up, Venturers were at a low ebb having only three boys. G.L. Ray Cavill resigned and Secretary Brian Schneider took his place at-the' end of the year. This was best described as one of those "holding" years Which appeared from time to time when the Group moved along at-an even pace without anything occurring which was noteworthy.

1980 and the Perth Jamboree was over. with five boys and one Leader attending from Bardon. The one Leader, Pat Lye, has, represented the Group at *three Jamborees to date and has now assisted Ross Wieckhorst as A.C.L. for the past eight years.

The Gateway at the entrance to the Cub Flat was re-erected and the Group had 26 Cubs, 14 Scouts and 10 Venturers with 5 Leaders. Due to pressure, the bottle collection a constant source of income for over 40 years, and currently earning over $800 per annum, was stopped.

1980 was also the year when Budge Mansfield, Committee Chairman, died in office. Budge had been a great worker for the Group and he was sorely missed. As a lasting commemoration, a donation was used to build and polish a large bookcase for Group records. Ray Cavill stepped in as Chairman and Mrs Howie continued in her temporary position as Secretary.

1981 was the year when the Group first used a professional painter to paint the Lyall Den.

Over the years there has been a steady decline in the number of parents attending Committee meetings, notwithstanding numerous pleas for better attendances, but this trend is not confined to the Bardon Group, or Scouting in particular. During this year there was another change of Group Leaders, with Bill Howie leaving the position of Editor/Assistant Secretary to fill the position, and Mrs Howie handing the position of Secretary to Dr. Chenoweth to become Editor of "The Message Stick", while Mr Jim McMillan became the new Chairman. The year ended with 46 boys and 6 Leaders. This, too, was the year that Margaret Gockel stepped down after six years as Assistant Cub Leader, and it was noted that for most of the year, none of the Group's Leaders were parents.

This was the year when a contest was held to decide on a Group Logo for T-shirts etc. Cub Matthew Misso came up with the winning entry, which is shown on the front cover.

Collingwood Park was the venue for the second Queensland jamboree which commenced on 27th December 1982. Taylor Range had been allocated Camp No. 9 and considerable time was spent by boys and parents clearing the site, following which 10 boys and three Leaders attended for a most successful 12 days. Bruce Chenoweth became Chairman, and the Group had another Queen's Scout, Andrew Horchner, to carry on the long tradition in this field. Numbers were steady at 48 boys, but only four Leaders, with the Group Leader running the Scout Troop throughout the year. Telephone book deliveries were still going well under Ann Howie's supervision but Eric Rogers passed on and Paul Rosser suffered a serious stroke from which he would not recover.

1983 saw the start of the Group Family Camps, currently being held twice a year and proving exceptionally popular and an excellent means of cementing inter-parent friendships. A highly successful Garage Sale was the means of clearing out the Q Store and parents' back lockers. The Boating Committee under fan Corner, another long-standing worker, was operating well and the Editor was still pulling hair out looking for suitable material for "The Message Stick". Leaders, Venturers and Scouts earned a total of 13 water craft Charge Certificates, and we had registered 26 Cubs, 17 Scouts, 7 Venturers and a massive 8 Leaders.

Ground plans were being laid for the Golden Anniversary in 1985, and this included landscaping and overall preparation of the grounds. All in all, between $3,000 and $4,000 would be spent on this project between now and 1985.

We had a change of Group Leaders - again - Bill Howie had become X1D.C. at the end of the 1983 Scout activities and Merv Kendall took over for a year before deciding to carry on as A.S.L.

The main focus was now squarely on the Anniversary, and most action was in that direction. The Q Store was given a face lift by the Venturers, at the beginning of the year, as part of the ground improvements program set down as a lead-up to the 1985 Anniversary. The bank balance had been extremely healthy at the start of the year but several thousand dollars were spent on landscaping, planting and the installation of an underground irrigation system, with a great deal of the work done by the usual dedicated fathers at working bees. As mentioned earlier this was the first year for a long time when we did not deliver telephone books, and the bank balance suffered accordingly. After eight years of constant Cubbing, Pat Lye found studies too demanding and could only help out occasionally as A.C.L., leaving the Cub section in trouble Leader-wise. Venturers were in the doldrums with only five in the Unit, and numbers for the year were down to 17 Cubs, 13 Scouts, 5 Venturers and 5 Leaders.

You will recall that back in 1960 Mrs Lyall received the Group's first Medal of Merit. We are proud to announce that, fittingly, on our Golden Anniversary, the Cub who joined that year as a tenderpad has honoured the Group by being the second recipient of that Award.

Thank you Mary Lyall. Thank you Ross Wieckhorst.

And now we have arrived in the present time after a quick look at the 49 years which went before. Probably the numbers and support for the Group follows the graph of average ages in the area. If this is so, Bardon can expect a continuation of the current upsurge of enrolments in all sections, as shown in the 1985 census at March 31st. Due to publishing deadlines, it is not possible to report at any length on 1985 - this will have to be the task of the next "Chronicler". The year has been spent entirely on grounds work and building repairs, and whilst it was hoped that the work would have been at a more advanced state, it can be seen how the grounds will present themselves within a short time.

It is fitting to finish with the 1984/1985 Leaders and Committee, for on their shoulders rests the future of Bardon, "A Group with Style".

GROUP LEADERS:

1984 Merv Kendall 1985Ross Munro

VENTURER LEADERS:

1984 lan Harrison 1985David & Yvonne Robbins

SCOUT LEADERS:

1984185 Arthur Clendinnen 1985Merv Kendall

CUB LEADERS:

1984185 Ross Wieckhorst and Pat Lye

1984 John Sawyer

1985 Cub Instructors: Andrew McLean and lain Howie.

1984 COMMITTEE:

Chairman: Rick Webster Vice-Chairman: Bruce Chenoweth

Secretary: Kaye jaffrey Treasurer: Jan Hubner

Assistant Secretary / Editor: Ann Howie

Grounds: John Muller Property: David Jordan

Ladies' Committee: Wendy Kendall and Jude Perryn.

If you look back to the minutes of the first Public Meeting you will see that two temporary Committees were formed, not one. The second one, the Ladies' Committee was vital to the survival of the Group at that time, and has so continued for half a century. Allocating space to those years meant that many happenings, people, decisions and just plain dedication could not be included, or the rhythm of the history might have been lost.

This does not mean that the part played by those countless Ladies' Committees has been overlooked or not appreciated to the utmost, but it would need another book to do them justice. Down the years from the first meeting, the first Fete, the first morning tea or Lamington Drive, the Group has survived because the ladies got out and did their bit - and often as not more than their bit. Although all the names are there and all the work is there, well documented, (in many instances better than the Committee itself) we cannot in fairness mention even one name, as each period provided so many workers who asked for nothing more than to see the Group "in funds" and the boys provided with the necessary grounds, shelters and equipment.

Cubs become Scouts, and Scouts become men, but we never forget - or should never forget - "Mum", who worked so hard to give us the things we needed. This short history salutes her and her achievements.

On the last page, it is fitting to ask why put the effort into an Anniversary, a history book, a gathering on lst June, 1985?

The answer is not that this is a tribute to those pioneers of 1935 who realised the need for a Bardon Group. Nor is it a tribute to all those mothers at all the Fetes and the Lamington Drives, nor to all the Fathers at all the Working Bees and the Committee Meetings. Nor, even is it a tribute to the inestimable numbers of dedicated Leaders, many not parents themselves, who stood on our stage, some Fleetingly and some for so many years.. This is not a tribute to those people, although God knows they deserve it, but it is a tribute to the spirit of Scouting, to a worldwide Brotherhood which asks only in payment for a membership badge that you promise to do your best.

Scouting and Guiding have grown unparalleled in the last fifty years, but only because 8.P. 's principles were right then and remain acceptable in the cynical world of today.

Every member of the Bardon Group down through the years has helped in some small way to accomplish this, and that is what this Anniversary is really all about.

1 believe we all prayed for good weather, and sure enough, it was perfect -clear blue sky, gentle breeze, 25'C.

The Cub Flat was a picture, reasonably grassed, including the earthen stage laid the previous year for just this occasion. A new Cub Scout flagpole to allow for the four section flags, the National and State flags all ringed by a display of 60 National flags lent by the Bardon Lions. A very impressive staging with seating for 200 guests and filled to overflowing.

Requested seating time was 1.30 p.m. to allow for a 1.50 p.m. parade of youth members, and opening prayer by Rev. Michael Preston. And we started on time, with a warm welcome to all by the M.C., Group Leader Ross Munro, who performed admirably throughout.

The breaking of the flags at the masthead was performed correctly and efficiently by section Scouts, with the exception of the Rover flag which was left furled to denote that no Rover Crew was in operation.

Short opening speeches (short speeches being the order of the day) were as follows:-

Allan Laidlaw Asst Chief Commissioner

(Allan then "broke" the Rover flag, saying that he expected a "full Group" before too long.)

Col. Miller M.L.A.

Tom Roberts Area Commissioner. Denver Beanland Alderman.

Bill Howie District Commissioner. Joe St Ledger Alderman.

At 2.30 p.m., we were entertained with a Cub display followed by the cutting of the cake by Mrs Lyall and the youngest Cub, Martin McMullan.

2.45 p.m. - still on time, saw what it was about. Roll Calls and Reminiscences commenced with Mr John Tindall talking about 1935, followed with:-

1936 - 45 Mr Doug Taylor

1945 - 55 Mr Manfred Cross M.P. 1955---65 Mr Arthur Lewis

1965 - 75 Mrs Dawn Rosser

1975 - 85 C.S.L. Ross Wieckhorst

with a follow-up by the Group Leader on the current position.

The official meeting concluded at 3.30 p.m., but reminiscences rolled on, probably well into the night.

Afternoon tea was served in front of the Cub den and folks spent a pleasant hour or so looking at the displays of old photos and the displays so ably contributed by the three sections of Cubs, Scouts and Venturers.

5.30 p.m. saw a barbecue for those wishing to stay - and many did - followed by a campfire at 6.30 p.m., finishing at 8.30 p.m.

Writing up the day's events seems flat in print. Nothing can capture the marvellous feeling of excitement and togetherness which existed for these few hours when the people and the events of 50 years of endeavour were compressed into such a short time-space.

The weather was great, the people were great, the event was great, the Group is great.

What more could we want?

Fortunately, 1985 was an excellent year in all respects. So often, an important date is marred by so many "Murphy's Law" possibilities, but for Bardon, Murphy stayed away. At enrolment time we boasted 24 Cubs, 16 Scouts, and 7 Venturers, 7 Leaders and 2 Cub Instructors. 1985 was a great year for us, historically, and so it was fitting that this 50th year was the first year the Group admitted GIRLS as youth members. Yes, two Venturers, Joanne Robbins and Natalie Fowler appeared on the section nominal roll!

The Cubs went on a Pack Holiday, Scouts and Venturers camping, and all sections had so many varied trips, hikes and events that there was no doubt that the Group was in top gear.

The AGM held 27th April saw one of the biggest attendances ever, and to facilitate the smooth running of the celebration day, all office bearers renominated and were gratefully re-elected. To round off the 50 years history, those present are noted hereunder:

Chairman Rick Webster

Vice Chairman Bruce Chenoweith

Secretary Kay Jaffrey

Treasurer Jan Hubner

Ass See/Editor Ann Howie

Grounds John Muller

Property David Jordan

Ladies' Committee Wendy Kendall, Jude Perryn

District Cal Hanton (Chairman)

Bill Howie D.C.

Len Greer A.D.C.

Ross Munro G. L

David & Yvonne Robins V. Ls

Ross Wieckhorst C.L

Special Guest Manfred Cross M.P.

Martin Ackland, Jeff Cowan, Barbara Mann, Roger Mann, Pat Moore, John

Moore, Jan Munro, Margaret Teitzel, John Teltzel.

This was the first year that the name Ross Munro appeared on the books as G.L. and his guiding hand for several years was one of the main reasons for the Group's recent success. Was it more than coincidence which saw a Leader called Munro at the helm during the formative years of the first half century and again at the second?

Fortunately for the Group and its bank balance, telephone book delivery became a reality again and two months after the anniversary, several committee changes took place, with Ann Howic taking the Chair. The Venturers and Cubs each camped again, the Scouts held a most successful Father and Son camp and the Scouts and parents held a dinner in September to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the opening of "Waingunga".

Sadly, we grieved with Col Miller when his wife, Lorna, one of the great supporters of the Group, passed on.

And to end a truly marvellous year, 5 Scouts attended the Jamboree at Cataract Park.

And so ends 1985 which we started to chronicle at the end of our last booklet.

Funny thing, when the chroniclers Ann and Bill Howie wrote " 1976 to 1985 - the Latest 10 years" back in 1985 for the 50th Anniversary they expected someone else to be writing the 1986 to 1995 effort. Ho hum. Here we go again.

The 1986 AGM saw Roger Mann as President, a Group family camp organised at Elanda Point and talk of starting up Rovers again. We also saw resurgence of interest in charge certificates for boating with most Scouts and Venturers passing the course. However, the most important news the Group could provide was that no fewer than five Venturers honoured the Group by being accepted as members of the Queen's Troop, or, Queen's Scouts, an achievement rarely seen in Queensland Scouting history. The Group thanks the Queen's Scouts themselves and the Venturer Leaders who helped them.

They are, in order of date of achievement:

DARREN FOWLER

CHRIS GONINON

IAIN HOWIE

ANDREW FRANKS

NATALIE FOWLER.

And we delivered telephone books and the Treasurer is starting to smile at last. The other important news for the year was the Group Leaders' report that the new Rover Crew is meeting 'Tentatively' (as the minutes put it) which leaves the Venturers without a building of their own. Venturer Leaders were reported to be wandering around the Q Store with tape measures with speculative looks. Another family camp and another father/son camp at the end of the year.

And so, the latest decade started off with a year that will be hard to rival, anywhere, anytime. In no small way, great credit is due the Group Leader and his eight-yes-eight section leaders, as well as a committee and parents who really got behind the spirit of Scouting and made it all work so well.

Unfortunately, it all fell to pieces somewhat in 1987. the, Group had considerable problems keeping Leaders, particularly in the Scout section where the G.L. was obliged to run the section most of the year. There was a long waiting list of boys in the Cub section with 17 due to go into Scouts but no place for them due to a lack of Scout Leaders - our able Scout Leader had moved from the district. There were 16 Scouts (plus 17 Cubs to move up), 16 Venturers and 12 Rovers, making a total of 68 youth members and Rovers, a G/L and six Leaders but, as mentioned, no Leaders in the "middle pin" section of Scouts.

1988 started on a much more buoyant note than 1987 - the AGM boasted 22 in attendance. Frank Quinton took over the reins of Chairman, G.L. Ross Munro again had Leaders in all sections, four Cub Scout Leaders, assisting as studies permitted, one Scout Leader, 2 Venturer and a Rover Adviser. Camping was again in full swing and thanks to those telephone books, about 15,000 twice a year, the bank balance was healthy. The Group took advantage of the Community Services scheme, and a considerable amount of painting and general ground maintenance was provided. June 1988 saw the "newsletter" published again for the first time since the Message Stick went into decline about three years previously. A good sign. There was a very successful Group camp at Rathdowney and signs of the times and events to come, a questionnaire went out to the parents regarding girls joining the Cub Scout section and Scout section.

The upgrading of the property electrical system continued on from 1988 into 1989. Numbers tended to be down slightly, with around 50 members at the year's start, but quite a few were expected to enrol during the early months. The AGM saw an attendance of 18 ~ an acceptable number, and there were no problems with Committee positions. Dave Hordern, a tireless worker for several years, had taken over the Chair and there were still. six Leaders but the bad news was that after five long years of outstanding 1eadership Ross Munro had decided to stand down.

The main problem was the lack of a Leader in the Scout section. The new Group Leader, Peter Fleming, together with guest appearances by District Leaders alternated to keep the section operating, but this was only a stop-gap and was not very satisfactory.

The Group was indebted to the Bardon Lions Club and Planetarium Rotary Club for financial assistance in completing the electrical work. Basically, the only income was the delivery of the telephone books, as parent donations were kept as low as possible, covering only outgoings for Branch levies such as insurance.

1989 also saw the start to a conversion of part of the Q Store into a Venturer Den giving the Venturer Section a permanent home of their own after a housing shortage when the Rovers started up again. The Venturer Leader, David Robbins, was seen progressively marking larger and larger areas but was eventually restrained to accept workable areas for all concerned. 1989 also saw Ann Howie awarded her Thanks Badge for service at Group and District level - at that time the highest National award possible to a non Leader Scouting person, and only one of two awarded in Brisbane that year.

January, 1990 saw another milestone in the Group history, when "Akela" Ross Wieckhorst finally - after much urging - took on the position of District Cub Scout Leader, handing over the reins to Pat Lye (Baloo). Ross had been filling in for this position since 1980 as well as running the Pack. To the casual reader, so what! To a Bardon Group member, or ex member, it means that the boy who became a Cub in 1960, finally left the Group ~ officially only - in 1990. Pat, who joined the Group in 1976 after a long stint as District Secretary, has become Cub Scout Leader (did we have to lose that dearest title of "Akela"?) in his place. How can we ever thank selfless service such as this!!

And so to the final decade of the twentieth century, the counterpart to the first decade, when Scouting all began. Bardon was going to make sure that this was going to continue being a Group with style.

In 1985, we wrote that Mary Lyall and now Ross Wieckhorst had received the Medal of Merit for outstanding service. 1990 brought even greater credit to Bardon when Cub Scout Leader, Pat Lye and Venturer Leader, David Robbins (partly Townsville service), were also made recipients.

The AGM once again was well attended, with no problems filling positions. As mentioned previously, Peter Fleming had been seconded from The Gap Group Leader and the Scout section had two Leaders who, unfortunately, would only be available until the end of the year. Basically this was one of those "holding" years with one exception - the Cub Scout section admitted girls for the first time approximately two years after the concept became a reality in Australia. Scouting has seen quite a few changes over the years and whilst the admittance of girls into the two older sections was probably inevitable, the same changes with the two younger sections led to many an argument amongst Leaders and parents alike. Within the Taylor Range District, Oakleigh Group had taken "the plunge" in 1989, followed a year later by Bardon and other Groups. At the start of 1990 there were 58 youth members and seven Leaders, but it was impossible to keep leaders in the Scout section and during the year the Group Leader resigned leaving the Group without one for the first time since 1952 when Scout Master, Manfred Cross, stepped into the breach briefly as Leader in Charge.

Actually, the group was operating well with a good committee and with Rover Adviser, Allan Wallis, filling in as Leader in Charge. Finances were good and the Family Donation remained pegged to the amount set several years ago ~ signs of a well run Group. During this year, too, John Tindall, almost our "Founding Father" kindly donated a Totem, the replica of the totem won by the first Bardon Pack. This has been suitably mounted and is now displayed in the Cub Scout den.

1991 started with the usual search for Leaders. The Group was short in each section but desperately needed a Group Leader, Venturer Leaders and Joey Scout Leaders.

Although the AGM was not well attended, a full committee led again by Dave Hordern - a pillar of strength to Bardon over the years - came forward and we had a Group Leader again, Chris Harris taking over from a much relieved Allan Wallis.

The Cub Scouts section had two Leaders with 20 members, Scout section three Leaders with 21 members, 14 Rovers but we still had no Venturers. The Scouts, in particular, continued their outstanding success in overall competency, again coming equal second against 70 other Troops in the annual Nighthawk competition. This may well be due to the Leaders concentrating on Scouts gaining "cords" of efficiency. Quite a few earned Red cords over the last few years, several Blue cords, the next level, and a few, a very few, who gained the coveted Green cord.

During 1991, a considerable amount of necessary work took place around the grounds. The toilet block commenced upgrading but the Bi-annual Brisbane North Area grounds inspection was a disappointment - a tidy den with only a satisfactory image.

Chris Goninon gave the Group a great lift for the end of the year by becoming the first Group recipient of the Rover section Baden Powell Award. This makes Chris one of the very few members (the writer would like to know if he is still the only one) to gain the Golden Boomerang, Green cord, Queen's Scout, B.P. Award all at the same group.

Salute, Chris Goninon.

1992, and Joey Scouts became a reality on 30th January. For the record, Queensland officially commenced this section on 15th September, 1990, and whilst Bardon had a waiting list almost from the start finding and training Leaders was the hold-up.

We only had one Scout attend the Jamboree at Ballarat but the Group maintained its record at this peak in a Scout's life.

Once again the Bardon Lions and Planetarium Rotary helped out very generously with donations to complete the toilet block work. Over the years of this Group's life local service groups have contributed magnificently and we thank them for their help.

1992 was the year Dave Hordern stepped down from the committee after many years as Chairman, with Anthony Job taking his place. This year saw the sanding and polishing of the Lyall Den floor painting of the Scout Den, inside and out, work on the Cub Flat and alterations to the Venturer Den.

Under the Leadership of Chris Harris, there were 7 Leaders, an overflow of Cub Scouts, 22 Scouts, 18 Rovers and 12 Joey Scouts but still no Venturers. Outdoor activities continued to be the order of the day, a Group camp, Pack Holiday plus many Cub Scout activities, 10 camps by the Scout section (were they ever home?) and too many Rover outings to even start to list. It may be a little rough on the poor old Leaders but it is certainly the way to keep the troops keen and interested. This was just a normal Scouting year - numbers remained steady money remained steady, the committee worked well and the grounds were kept up to standard, but Leaders remained a problem.

Chris Harris was still the Group Leader at the start of 1993 and reported that Joey Scouts, Cub Scout and Scouts were at full capacity considering the number of Leaders the Group had. At the start of the year a building survey was requested from the Queensland Fire Service. Some inadequacies were noted and recommendations made - and complied with to raise the buildings to a safety standard. The Rover den roof was repaired and work continued on the grounds.

Once again, the 1993 AGM had no problem filling the committee positions, with Anthony Job again at the helm. However, during the year, quite a few Leader changes took place. The two Scout Leaders, who had helped out so well left, but a new one appeared - Allan Wallis retired, but we found a new Rover Adviser - and we still couldn't find Venturer Leaders. Thanks to our local Alderman, Helen Abraharns, the Group benefited extremely well from the Jobskills program. Allied with the Mobile Community Assistance Group and at only half cost, the underfloor area of the LyaIl Den was secured with battening, the Venturer Den was repaired, the toilet block was painted and some plumbing carried out, the Rover Den chimney repaired and the log seating around the campfire area was replaced. This was the year we had accepted females into the Scout section as well, so all five sections (if we had Venturers!) have females in them.

Throughout the history of our 60 years, we have often mentioned the assistance to the Group of so many of our friends holding political positions, and, as this year shows, our Alderman and Wendy Edmonds are to the forefront again, and we thank them.

1993 was also a very sad year as Mary Lyall was called to a higher station. Right up to the time of her passing in July, she retained great interest in all the Group events and it will seem strange not to have Mrs Lyall at our annual break up. A wonderfully warm person and a great Bardon worker. Mary was an inspiration to several generations of Wolf Cubs and leaders. Those who knew her as "Bagheera" will never forget her energy and cheerfulness at all times.

As a result of the immense amount of work completed and still proceeding on the grounds and buildings, the "Scout Grounds Classification", a bi-annual inspection rose from " C " (satisfactory) in 1991 to " A " (excellent image). The committee and all workers are to be congratulated for their efforts in returning the grounds to their previous high rating.

1993 saw a farewell to another long standing Cub Scout Leader in the group. Margaret Graham was first associated with the group through her three brothers. In 1975 she followed the footsteps of her brother John and became a Cub Instructor. In 1977 she became an Assistant Cub Leader and later married Assistant Scout Leader Tom Gockel. In 1981 Margaret moved out of the district and left our group for a time. She resumed Scouting in Cairns in 1984 and returned to us in 1987 where she remained until 1993. Margaret is now Group Leader at Camden Park Group.

With Margaret and Pat planning to leave the pack, the last Cub Scout annual concert was held. In 1974 C.L. Dawn Rosser organised the first concerts and these were held at Mater Childrens Hospital and Sylvan Lodge. The following year this was taken over by C.L. Ross Wieckhorst and since then the concerts have been held at the Royal Childrens Hospital and Southerden Lodge. In 1990 this was taken over by Margaret and Pat with Ross acting as Guest Compere and Mr Music. And so in 1993, after 20 years of performances, the last Bardon Cub Scout Annual Hospital Concert was performed. Many Cubs will have fond memories of the appreciation shown by our audiences and those wonderful afternoon teas at Southerden Lodge.

And so to 1994, the last year of this marathon decade when so many things were accomplished. The Leader problem was - or is - still with us. As Chris Harris pointed out in his 1993 report, Scouting should be twice its present size if only sufficient Leaders became available. To ensure the recommencement of the Venturer section, he has stepped down from the Group Leader's position and become Venturer Leader. Pat Lye, "who would have to resign through pressure of work and studies" so many years ago, has taken on the Group's top position. If you think back over our 60 year history, you will also realise that this is the first time we have had a lady as a Group Leader. The ladies have done so much to keep Bardon at the top of Scouting that we may be in an even more auspicious period. At last, thanks to Pat and Chris, the Venturers are off and running, and the Group is "complete" again - also, the first time we have had five, not four sections. However, the bad news is that the Cub Scout pack had to go into recess for a while and now is meeting for less time and only if parents are prepared to "roster on" and help - not the first time the Pack had to survive in this fashion.

The last AGM of this first 60 years saw a change from Anthony Job to Catherine Bannerman in the Chair, with a well deserved thank you to Anthony for his years of support and hard work.

Towards the end of this year the Cub Scout problem eased when Chris Goninon became Leader and the waiting list started moving again. However, the old problem of non parent participation at Leader and committee levels continues to be a major problem, but, of course, not only at the Bardon Group, and not only in the Scouting and Guiding Movements.

We always seemed to have sufficient Leaders - mostly parents, helped by a solid committee and ladies' committee, and great Scouters such as Arthur Lewis must have puzzled at today's trend towards non-participation. An interesting aspect of our annual fund-raising telephone book delivery is that due to Bardon's exemplary record in this activity, we are no longer obliged to tender, but will be automatically granted our own area.

Sadly we heard of the passing away of Arthur Lewis's wife Jan. Jan was an ardent supporter of Scouting (as a committee member and badge examiner) and Guiding (as a leader) in the Bardon and Rainworth area for many years. She will be greatly missed by those who came in contact with her.

And with the December committee meeting, we must close this updating history, due to printing requirements, etc. However, to round off the year, we had 9 Joeys, 18 Cub Scouts, 24 Scouts, 12 Venturers and 8 Rovers.

The Joeys had a sleepover, Cub Scouts a Pack holiday, Scouts a camp and Venturers a trip to Stradbroke Island.

So you see, despite all the problems, despite every hair-raising and nail-biting event, non event and near catastrophe, despite the financial worries and everything else that Murphy could have invoked in his law to see it falter, or fail, Bardon Scout Group ended its last decade with 31 more youth members than in 1985, as many Leaders, and a healthy, (well, reasonably healthy) bank balance, plus a pretty good looking set of buildings and grounds.

Yes, we have had great assistance from Service clubs, local committees and business people, people in politics - but none of this would have mattered in the final tally without a solid core of hard-working parents, even harder working dedicated Leaders and the kids who wanted to be Scouts and were prepared to overcome study pressure and peer pressure to be proud to belong to the World's greatest Youth Movement.

Roll on 1995 to 2005, Bardon is ready for you.