January 1985
SOME HISTORICAL NOTES ON SCOUTING AT ELMDALE
Scouting in Canada has celebrated its 75th year. At Elmdale, the Scouting group was organized in 1930 and our Charter was presented to “a group of citizens of Elmdale, Ottawa, Ontario" on November 4, 1935 (Charter No. 160). Formal records exist for the Group at Scout House on Baseline Road which date back to 1936. And stickers on our Charter are appended from 1937 to 1984. That is quite a record!
To mark the occasion of 50 years' support of scouting by Elmdale Public School, a special plaque was presented to Mr. Hugh Henderson, then Chairman of Elmdale's Sponsor Group, the Parent Teacher's Association, in February of 1982. Elmdale was the only school of the 17 groups honoured, as many of the other groups were churches.
With these data in mind, it behooves us to recall some of the early and later leaders of Scouting at Elmdale. Mr. Gerry Erichsen was our first group leader and he began with the Cub Pack. He lived in Aylmer, Quebec, and is considered the Founder of Elmdale Scouting. He is now in his early 70s. Mr. J.F. McCracken's leadership was shared with Gerry Erichsen's, and their work in founding Scouts begins in the early 1930s. Mr. McCracken's early work in Elmdale was good experience for his later work, as, by 1980, he was President of the National Capital Region Scouts.
Following World War II, Mr. Dick Cowan helped revive the Group (1962) and Ken Young, an Ottawa lawyer, kept the Group together in the mid-1960s and early 1970s. Dave Day was a Scouter and much honoured Cub leader who played a major role in Cubs from 1975-1982. In Scouts, Tom Pierce has been serving since 1975, and is one of our longest, active, leading scouters. Don Stalker is his assistant and has also served 10 years.
In more recent years, several women have played prominent roles in the Group, although not as Scout leaders. Among these women were Judy Billingsley on Group Committee, Kathy Stevenson and Peggy Jordan in Cubs, and Wendy German who with Deryck Ross, started the Elmdale Beaver Colony in 1978. Beavers has now grown to include over 25 boys, although the first colony had only 9 members.
The Cub leadership has been passed from Gordon Hutchison (1980) to Leo King, and then to Gerry Mason in 1984. During Gordon's time, Keith Brooke was serving his last of 10 years on Group Committee, and passed the torch to Deryck Ross in 1980.
Unfortunately, names alone do not tell the whole story - they must be associated with events if true scouting history is to be revealed. What follows are some of the more common scouting events which have taken place during this time period.
On the international scene, Canadian Scouts hosted the XV World Jamboree in 1983 at Kananaskis Country in Alberta. Among the 13,500 young men and women scouts from around the world were two Elmdale scouts - Rob Billingsley and Mark Molnar - as well as their leader, Tom Pierce. They were supported in part by an Elmdale "Garage Sale" in June of 1983 which raised over $300.00. A beautiful framed plaque commemorating the Jamboree was presented to Mr. Gale Smyth, Elmdale Principal, in February, 1984, and it now hangs in the front hall of Elmdale School.
The Group Committee also supports other scouts attending Canadian Jamborees such as CJ81 at Kananaskis, and CJ85 at Guelph, Ontario.
Every year, our chance to see Elmdale's Cubs, Scouts, and Beavers together with parents and leaders, is at the Annual Baden Powell Banquet, held during Baden Powell week in February. A camp fire and sing-song traditionally close this festive event.
In the Autumn, Apply Day is held about the 15th October. The three groups with leaders brazen the cooler weather and are fortified with hot chocolate for their efforts to raise money for scouting.
Trees for Canada, where each scouter plants 20 trees, in an appropriately clear area of Ottawa, occurs in May. The revenue from pledges is split between individual Group Committees and the National Capital Region HQ.
Also in February, it is the custom to go skating on the Rideau Canal during one of the Cub or Scout meetings.
In April, the Cubs have a Kub Kar rally at Uplands Airport, whereby the best of several thousand Kub Kars race away winners. For Scouts, there are Fall and Winter camps to teach the older boys about the outdoors.
During the year, there are occasional bottle drives or paper drives to raise money, and the Beavers have the opportunity to come to a Spring Picnic in May at the Governor General's residence, Rideau Hall.
More information is available from your leaders, and our historical file is available for researchers at Scout House.
Group Committee Chairman: Barry Weatherdon 729-8251
Rosemary Spendlove 729-8019
Gerry Mason
Tom Pierce 729-7698