Information on Scouting and Guiding at St Johns Norway

Parade of Years

(90 years of history of Scouting and Guiding)

Law & Promises

Parade of the Years

(From the 90^th anniversary celebration at St John the Baptist Norway on February 23, 2003.)

The Early Nineteen-Hundreds

At the beginning of the 20^th Century Canada was a very different country from what it is now. It was part of the British Empire and the connection with England was cherished by many Canadians. The population of the country was 5.3 million, most of whom lived on farms or in rural communities.

A British army officer named Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden Powell (known as BP) started the Scouting Movement after returning from the Boer War where his exploits had captured the popular imagination.

He found that boys in England were gathering as groups of Scouts using the book "Aids to Scouting" which he had written as an army training manual. In 1908 he published "Scouting for Boys" following an experimental camp at Brownsea Island a year earlier.

The distinction of having the first Scout Troop in Canada belongs to St. Catharines, Ontario, where one was founded in 1908. It was in St. Catharines that the first Guide Company began two years later. Scouting came to Toronto with the formation of a troop at Holy Trinity Church. As the troop grew groups of boys broke away and formed new troops in different parts of the city.

The Nineteen-Tens

Earl Gray, then Governor General of Canada, was persuaded by BP to become the Chief Scout of Canada in 1910. So began a tradition where successive Governor Generals have filled the post.

In 1912 the 35th Toronto Scout Troop was formed at St. John's, Norway, by Henry Meakin, an experienced Scoutmaster from England, and George Adams. We still have the original charter granted by the Boy Scout organization. It is a beautiful work of art, a far cry from the computer print-outs of today! The 7th Toronto Girl Guides were formed at around the same time.

In 1914 the Boy Scouts of Canada were incorporated by an Act of the Canadian Parliament. The Canadian Council of the Girl Guide Association was incorporated by Parliament in 1917. As the Scouting movement grew the need grew for a program for younger boys. This led to the creation of the Wolf Cubs in 1916. This was quickly followed in 1917 by the Rover program for young men who were too old for Scouts.

The latter half of the decade was overshadowed by World War I. Scouts did their part in such ways as working on farms or selling war bonds. One group raised money to buy wool for socks to be knitted for men on active service.

The Twenties

The first World Jamboree was held in London, England, in July 1920. At this gathering of Scouts from around the world BP was proclaimed Chief Scout of the World. A year later, in 1921, the Ontario Association of Girl Guides was founded.

By 1925 the Scouts and Cubs of St. John's, Norway, were able to enjoy meeting in the newly-completed parish hall which included a gymnasium and bowling alley. This hall stood where the present parking lot is located.

As their contribution to Canada's Diamond Jubilee in 1927 Scouts decorated and cleaned up the graves of the Fathers of Confederation. In Toronto the graves of George Brown, James Rockburn, and Oliver Mowat were honoured with a special ceremony performed by Scouts.

As the decade drew to a close, ten million Canadians hoped for a quick recovery from the stock market crash of October 1929.

The Thirties

Despite the depression of the Thirties, the 35th / 37th Scout Group continued to flourish. There were 60 Cubs and 70 Scouts between the two groups. In 1930 the 35^th Toronto added a new section when Mr. Willett, the former Scoutmaster, formed a Rover Crew with 12 members.

In 1932 the first Apple Day in Canada took place in St. John, New Brunswick. It quickly became a Canadian tradition. In the spring of 1935, BP paid a visit to Canada. Wherever he and his wife Olave stopped, they were greeted by thousands of cheering boys and girls.

War clouds were gathering by 1937 when the 5th World Jamboree was held in the Netherlands. Two years later, Europe was engulfed by war when Germany invaded Poland. When the Nazis came to power in Germany the Boy Scout organization was banned. In Canada, Scouting grew over the course of the decade from 50 thousand to almost 86 thousand members. When war broke out in 1939, many of these put themselves at the disposal of the country.

The Forties

During World War II Scouts performed many hours of service on the home front. Thousands of former Scouts and leaders volunteered for military service. Many of them gave their lives in the cause of freedom and peace.

In 1941 Scouting and Guiding suffered an irreparable loss when BP died in Kenya on January 8th at the age of 84. That year, Scout troops carried a black ribbon on their flags

At the end of the war, Scouting in Canada played its part in restoring the Scouting movement in war-ravaged Europe, helping provide training materials to liberated countries in their own language. By 1947 the situation in Europe was settled enough for the 6th World Jamboree to be held in France. Boys came from countries which had been at war with each other just two years earlier. 37 Canadians attended. The first Canadian Jamboree was held in Ottawa in 1949, attended by 2,579 boys.

The Fifties

These years were a boom period in Canada. Suburbs sprang up across the country. Shopping malls and super highways changed the face of the urban landscape. People had more leisure, giving them time to watch the latest home entertainment device, television.

Canada played host to the 8th World Jamboree at Niagara-on-the-Lake in August 1955. Boys from around the world came and experienced Canadian hospitality. In 1957, the Girl Guides celebrated the 100th anniversary of BP's birth with an international camp at Doe Lake, Ontario.

The 35^th Toronto Rover Crew was disbanded but when Scouts from 37^th Toronto approached Ray (Skip) Harrison to become their Advisor, the 37^th Toronto Rover Crew was formed.

The Sixties

The sixties were a time of great change. Society saw new fashions, 'women's lib", student protests, and the first human beings in space.

The times had their impact on Scouting which made major changes to its program in mid-decade. Among the changes introduced to the Scouting program: the Cub Program was revised from two stars to five in 1966, and the Venturer program was introduced for 14-17 year olds.

The Girl Guides celebrated their Golden Jubilee in 1960 by planting golden tulips across the country to create a river of gold from coast to coast.

The Seventies

Social and technological change continued into the 1970s. Scouting and Guiding adapted to the changing times. A pilot program for boys aged 5-7 was started in Winnipeg in 1972. By 1974 the Beaver program was able to go national and Sheila Baynes started one of the first Beaver colonies, the 35th Beavers, here at St. John's, Norway. Co-ed Rovering was introduced.

Not to be left behind, Guides Canada added Junior Leaders as an important part of their program in 1973. Six years later, in 1979, Pathfinders were added to their program.

The demolition of St. John's parish hall in 1976 had an impact on Scouting in our community, and many Scouting and Cubbing programs moved to local schools.

The Eighties

In 1982 Scouting turned seventy-five and special celebrations were held around the country. Members of Scouting were given a special badge to wear throughout the year. The 15th World Jamboree was held in Alberta, attracting some 15,000 youth, including about 6,000 from Canada. The Jamboree was to have been held in Iran but when the revolution there made it necessary to change its location, Canada quickly offered to act as host. Adapting to changing times, Scouts Canada approved co-ed Venturer Companies.

The Guides celebrated their seventy-fifth anniversary in 1985 Sparks, the youngest members of the Guiding family arrived on the scene in 1988.

The Nineties

The last decade saw even more changes in the Guiding and Scouting programs. This was seen in the new uniforms worn by both organizations. But the changes are more than cosmetic. Today's Scout or Guide can earn badges for computers as much as woodcraft. Reflecting the growing multicultural nature of Canada, language strips can be worn by Cubs and Scouts in a wide diversity of languages and the Religion and Life emblem can be earned by youth of all the major religious traditions.

In 1992 Scouts Canada began to allow co-ed groups as an option. In 1998 the National Council made Scouts Canada an officially co-ed organization. In the same year our current Rover Crew was formed (co-ed of course) with five members.

In 1996 the Girl Guides of Canada hosted the 29th World Conference at Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Camp Blomidon, an international camp, was held at the same time. Two years later they hosted the Canadian Mosaic international camps in Yukon, Alberta, Manitoba & New Brunswick with the theme “Footprints in Time."

The Two-Thousands

As we enter a new millennium, Scouting and Guiding face many challenges but they continue to be the largest world-wide youth organization in the world.

In Scouting and Guiding young people learn lessons of good citizenship, care for the environment, respect for self and others. These were the ideals of Lord Baden Powell when he wrote "Scouting for Boys," the book which started it all off, almost a hundred years ago. They continue to be the ideals for which these brother and sister movements stand today.

Today, as we celebrate the 90^th anniversary of the 35^th/ 37^th Toronto Scout Group we pay tribute to those who have contributed to Scouting through those years and to those who continue to serve today: boys and girls, teenagers and young adults, leaders and parents.

SCOUTING PROMISES

GUIDING PROMISES

Beavers

Sparks

Brownies

Beaver Law

I promise to do my best,

Wolf Cubs

Guides

Cub Law

Guiding Law

Scouts/Venturers/Rovers/Scouters

Scout Law