'Scouting is the best secret in town'Continued from page12the running for the badge.Such aspirations grew in boysA jamboree menu from a gather-like Kelley, who remembered, as aing held on the property of W.T. fresh Wolf Cub around nine years of Merry, The Kings Castle on Sixthage, when he went camping near a Line in 1927 included items such as local golf course and came with a porridge, bacon and Irish stew.nasty case of homesickness. He saidA 2008 menu recorded fare such he walked back, through the lanes as steak and potatoes, BLTs, Kraftand streets all the way home.Dinner and hotdogs, quesadillas I remember being on Kerr and pancakes.Street I thought Id never make Scouts were involved locally init home, he told Cross in the inter-fundraising through bottle drives, view.clothing donations, apple sales,He also recalled the stench of even a bandage bee, held early dur-smelly socks and the sad sight of ing the scouting movement, in men marching from west to eastwhich they collected donated mate-during the Great Depression in therial and then crafted it into bandag-1930s when about 60 of the es for wounded horses during marchers stayed overnight in theWorld War I.Scout Hut.Scouting is the best secret in He also recalled he and othertown, said Powell, noting numbersScouts hammering nails into the continue to be respectable when floor of the Scout Hut as it wasadvertising is really only by the constructed.Scouting groups presence at vari-A more sombre note in theous local functions and venues.exhibit records the August 1954Van Driel got involved with his tragedy that saw two Sea Scoutssons, but continues now that they and a Sea Scouts leader lost in Lake are in university. In fact, its VanOntario. The body of the leader was Driel, seen at the rear of his familysnever recovered, notes documenta-40-year-old canoe, with his son uption in the press of the day.front, thats depicted in a Scouting It does, however, indicate thatposter on display at the museum.MICHAEL IVANIN / OAKVILLE BEAVERtragedy led to the establishment of The story of a Scout who made a THROUGH THE YEARS: Scouting uniforms are part of the Oakville Museum exhibitScout's Honour: 100 Years TOWARF (Town of Oakville Water pancake breakfast and surprised hisof Adventure in Oakville.Air Rescue Force) in 1962.mom on Mothers Day some-Many former Scouts kept a sash, thing hed learned on a Scouting does the exhibit, which opened to They worked on badges, piecedas was the title of King Scout,cap or badge collection stashed camp trip is the kind of thing honour Scout Week in latetogether their uniform shorts, a though Kelley said he never quiteaway somewhere at home.that keeps Van Driel motivated, heFebruary and will continue throughkhaki shirt, scarf and hat and earned that honour, which provedIt was those personal items of said.March 2012.began carrying a pocket knife, elusive to him even though he andlocal residents, in some cases, Cross said even she was sur-Kelley said he and other young learned to camp and generally set a friend set about measuring theentire collections, that were minedprised by a couple of things discov-Oakville boys joined when they about being kind to others.lakefront from Eighth Line to to produce the Oakville exhibit.ered as the Scouting exhibit waslearned the Cubs were meeting justAdventure and responsibilityNinth Line, with rulers and mea-Today, more than 28 millioncompiled.down the street. were on their list of aspirations suring tapes, to put themselves in youths and adults, boys and girls, One was that the long used sym-take part in Scouting programs inbol of good, rooted in culture in 155 countries and territories world-India, the swastika, was first used as wide.a symbol of good deeds in theNearly 1,000 are here in Scouts. That changed after theOakville.symbol was co-opted and forever And, since 1998, all Scouts tarnished by the Nazis.Canada groups are for both boysAnother surprise for Cross was a and girls.flying lion badge that scouts could The local exhibit opened com-once earn for aviation endeavoursplete with camp-inspired snacks, toward achieving their pilots dogsled races, Kub Kar racing,licence.outdoor camping demonstrationsToday, there are modern badgesand campfire stories.such as that of a computer for elec-It was followed by the annualtronic achievement, noted VanKub Kar Fun Day held in early Driel.March at Sheridan College.Still, it seemed like yesterday to This year, the museum will offer97-year-old, lifelong Oakville resi-camps that take their lead from dent Roy Kelley, who recalled his Scout camps.young years as a cub and then For information about Scouting scout when Cross interviewed him in Oakville visit wwwoakvillescout-in 2009 for the video Memories of MICHAEL IVANIN / OAKVILLE BEAVERer.ca or www.scouts.ca or call 905-Scouting in Oakville. It is at the338-9135.museum and can also be viewed on HELPING HANDS:The people behind the Oakville Museum exhibitScout's Honour: 100 Years of Adventure in The Oakville Museum is located www.towntv.com.Oakville include (l-r) Oakville Museum carpenter, Tony Szelei, left, Scouts Canada community development Bob Van Driel, at 8 Navy St. or visit www.oakville-Cross and Kelley take the viewerScouts Canada area commissioner Denise Powell, Oakville Museum curator assistant Susan Semeczko, Oakville Museum museum.ca.back to the 1920s in Oakville as volunteer Andrew Douglas, and Oakville Museum curator of collections Carolyn Cross.13 Friday, March 18, 2011 OAKVILLE BEAVER www.insideHALTON.com