The Acton Free Press Wednesday Feb 221976 Acton groups active Scouting in Canada a reason to be proud by Jennifer Rows Throughout the year various articles on members of the Scout and Guide move ment arc featured in the paper However this week Scout and Guide is especially important for the organization This Is a time when instead of being in the limelight for what they arc doing they are seen for what they are and the great history that is a vital part of every boy and girl in movement Acton is fortunate to have Brownie and Cub packs Scout and Venturer troops Guide Companies and Beaver Colonies The hard work of the Scout and Guide movement that has earned them their good name Is not only in Acton but spread throughout the world The dedication of leaders In the organization is what makes this possible Tiiese leaders spend much of their own time lo make it possible for the youth to develop into strong responsible citizens following the good example of their founder Lord Baden Powell and their leaders In Acton there is one Scout troop with about boys aged to 14 meeting Thursday evenings The program is divided Into four areas service personal achieve ment outdoors and citizenship The boys work to acquire badges in the ferent areas Scoutmaster of the Acton Seoul troop is John Sharpies assistant scoutmaster Mark and Scout In Training Rob After forming Scouts Lord Baden Powell decided their was a need to have a group for younger boys He described Cuba as a Junior branch of the Scout movement In order to meet the eagerness of a large number of small boys who want to be Scouts and who are as yet too young Cubs began in Acton in 1932 The idea is to prepare boys 11 years of age for the challenge of Scouts Cubs encourages the boys to become responsible citizens through community involve ment and working with boys their own age The program includes a balance of nan games athletic fun skills and service In Acton there are two Cub packs who meet every Monday and Thursday evening Akela on Monday night is Potrica Carton with James Boyle James Phillips and Mike Walton assisting with the 30 boys Thursday night Cubs B pack also has about boys is Harold Todd with Brian Alder Brian Stewart and Jerry Waskalik assisting In Lord Baden Powell and his sister visited Canada to start Guiding a division for girls years The first guide Company was opened In St Catharines In Acton the First Acton Guide company began about 1928 sponsored by St Church Guiding promotes good citizenship and a wide variety of topics are explored through badge work Most of the tests originally were based household skills however now this Idea has broadened to include outdoor activities sports and interests that arc Important to boys as well as girls There are now two Guide Companies In Acton Monday night Guides includes about girls under the direction of Captain Jean Vaughan and Lieutenants Glynn is Nor and Marg Hamilton Wednesday night Guide leaders are Captain Alison Glnn and Lieutenant Pauline There are about girls In the Company After the formation of Guides in 1910 the younger sisters of Guides wanted to Join the organization For this reason the Rosebuds were formed with the Canadian counterparts the Brownies a re ing Brownies are for girls ages seven to ten with the program based around the symbol of the toadstool and the wise owl There are four Brownie Packs in Acton Brown of the 1st Acton Brownies is Pat van with assistants Mrs Pat Peterson amd Miss Karen van der Eyken- Second Acton Brownies Is under the leadership of Brown Owl Heather Homer Mrs Matthews and Mrs Nancy Little The third Acton Brownie Pack is headed by Brown Owl June Payne with Miss Mary Elliott Mrs JanSoutlercand Mrs Cora Kelly assisting The fourth Acton Brownie Pack is lead by Brown Owl Lynn with assistants Mrs Linda Widdlsh and Miss Debbie Ryder The newest addition to the Scouting movement was In 1074 with the Beaver Colony for boys aged Canada Is the only country In the world with Beaver colonies with the exception of Germany where Beaver colonies arc set up for the sons of men from the Canadian Armed Forces ne Beavers arc based on a story called Friends of the Forest The story stresses the importance of love and un dcrstanding of nature Beavers Is designed lo start young boys developing an awareness of nature and the people around them Their motto is very straight forward yet it says all that the Beavers stand for Sharing Sharing Sharing In the Beaver colony there are no head beavers or leaders Instead everyone is on an equal basis In place of badges the Beavers are given tails to sew on their hats These tails arc Riven accord to age A blue tail Is for a five year old Beaver and represents discovery The red tail is significant of the ex plonng nature of a six year old The white tail shows a helpful seven year old Beavers arc held Monday and Wednesday evening In Acton Colony A Beavers are lead by Sharon Deforest Mary McVeigh Sue Walton and Rick Gibson Colony Beavers is lead by Carolyn Carol Gill Is Joan Phillips Anne and lna Boyle North District Commissioner for Scouting Is Murray Harrison Assistant District Commissioner for Scouts is Gord Douglas for Cubs Steve Thompson Ed for Venturers and Andrea Sharpies for Beavers District Commissioner for Acton Guiding and Brownies is Pat van deputy Jean Vaughan treasurer Mrs Helen secretary Mrs Badge secretary Mrs Bonnie Dunne and District Guidcr Mrs Ginger Everyone In the organ spends many hours because they care not only about their Individual group but about children and people in A group for older boys GUIDE WEEK known as the Venturers is alsoactivelntown Thegroop is designed for boys after Scouts aged 14 17 years Venturers gives boys a chance to open doors to things they cant do on their own It allows them to work with other boys their own age and set up a system where they make their own decisions and rules The are respon for planning their own program with the help of an advisor when needed Advisor for the Ac ton Venturer Troop Is Rick Powell published his book Scouting for Boys He had found that many boys in England were reading and enjoying his earlier book Aids to Scouting This first book however was written to help army scouts in searching out and spying on the enemy He used basically the same ideas in his second book but organized this training around a program run in patrols In troops After Scout For Boys was published new scout troops sprang up not only in Great Brilain but as soon as the book reached overseas in the rest of the Empire The new Scouting movement grew In leaps and bounds in all different ways Finally In his late Majesty King Edward VII requested that Baden Powell resign from the army and devote his full energies lo organizing this movement which had swept the Empire This Baden Powell did not only in England but he visited many Dominions and colonics in the Empire In 1914 The Canadian Parliament officially the Boy Scouts of Canada In a charter Two years later the Wolf Cubs were added The Free Press reported that in October Scout master Hammond of Toronto came to speak at St Alban Reverend Mr Smith spoke strongly In favor or the organization of a corps of Boy Scouts for Acton That sparked off enthusiasm in town The paper of November 11 said A meeting of the local council of the Boy Scouts Association was held In the parish hall on Monday night Captain A 0 Beard more presided It was decided to start a troop In town to be known as the Ac Ion troop open lo all boys in town aged ten years to IS years Rev CHE Smith M A was appointed Scout master with George assist ant The troop first duty was a paper drive on December 1915 for the war effort The new troop soon brought honor to their home village when at the Toronto Exhibition the Duke of chase them as the best dressed group and gave them the honor of being the color parly In the grand parade Wolf Cubs began meeting about 1932 in Acton Girl Guides were formed soon after In town On October 1949 all Ac Ion proudly witnessed the opening of the new Scout hall It was built under the dircc tion of secretary of the group committee William Middle- ton committee chairman John and scoutmaster Dave Dills The children of the war years soon reached cubbing and scouting ales and Acton boomed In the middle fifties two large Cub packs and two Scout troops shared the hall with Brownies and Guides In Ihe Boy Scouts of Canada revamped the Scout ram Scouts were thereafter aged from years to 14 years A new section named Venturers looked after former from to 18 years Kevin ran the first Venturer company The Beaver program which was officially recognized as part of the Boy Scouts of Canada in 1974 began In Acton the same year Andrea Sharpies Linda McGrenere and Elizabeth Gough began the section for five to seven year olds Such growth demanded the construction of an addition to Ihe old Scout hall Therefore on February Hodeno- two was officially opened by the chairman of the project Donald Mae- Donald assisted by Barbara Murehinson Today Acton boasts two Beaver colonies four Brownie packs two Cub packs two Guide companies one Scout troop and one Ven company After years of Scouting In Canada and years of Scout ing In Acton one has a right to be proud All and all their charges in the past have a right this week to be proud of Ihelr involvement how ever short with Ihe largest youth organization in the world IN ACTON SCOUTS CANADA THIS YEARS SALUTE IS SPONSORED BY ACTONS LEADING MERCHANTS AND BUSINESSMEN ACTON HOME FURNISHINGS BLUE SPRINGS FLOWER SHOP ACTON TODDLERS to TEENS ALTON CONCRETE CONTRACTORS NIELSENS CLOTHING CHICKEN and PIZZA SPOT MORSE PRO HARDWARE SWETMANS SHOES THE MUSIC STOP ACTON DELICATESSEN PANTRY BOUTIQUE JT SPORTS FIRST LINE TELEVISION ROBERTSONS FLOWER SHOPPE ROYAL VARIETY GLENLEA DRUG MART DOUBLE HAPPINESS RESTAURANT HALTON HILLS FURNITURE and APPLIANCES GRANTS MOTORS DILLS PRINTING and PUBLISHING CARPET CORNER ACTON IGA MRS CK BROWNE LAKEVIEW CENTRE A and B SUPERMARKET 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