CELEBRATIONS will be held this year to mark 100 years of Scouting in Kerang.
Festivities will be held during the Queen’s Birthday weekend in June with a dinner, a gathering at the Boundary Street hall and a Scout’s Own at the Kerang Uniting Church planned.
Formed nine years after Lord Robert Baden Powell formed the organisation globally, and eight years after the movement reached Australia, Scouts has grown to cater for boys and girls from as young as six to men and women aged 25.
1st Kerang’s current acting in charge, Carmel Tyers said the group’s 27 youth members are looking forward to the milestone.
The group has 10 Cub Scouts, which caters for children between seven and 10 years; 12 Scouts aged between 11 and 14; and five Venturer Scouts aged 15 to 17.
The group does not have any leaders to accommodate a Joey Scouts program, which caters for children aged six and seven, with the nearest Rover Scouts crew, which provides program for adults aged 18 to 25, located in Bendigo.
“If we had leaders we would have Joeys at Kerang, but we usually let Cubs in at 7.5 years,” Ms Tyers said.
This year also marks 35 years since Ms Tyers began her time as a leader, with Scout leader, Mark Wilson to chalk up four decades with the group.
“My two boys, Dennis and Paul, were Cub Scouts, and there would be a half-hour break between Guides and Scouts,” she said.
“I went on a pack holiday (Cub Scout camp) as a parent helper, and I became hooked.”
Since then Ms Tyers has attended three Scout Jamborees – which attract more than 10,000 people nationally for a 10-day camp – and six out of eight Cuborees – the Victorian Cub Scout version of a jamboree, but runs for four days.
As well as being 1st Kerang’s Cub Scout leader, Ms Tyers helps out at other groups around the region and is the Northern Rivers district commissioner.
“The best part of being a leader is watching the children try to achieve goals and become better citizens,” she said.
A number of changes have occurred during Ms Tyers’ time as a leader, with the largest being the change of uniform from the iconic khaki to the current navy blue close to a decade ago.
“Another big change occurring at the moment relates to the law and promise, especially plans to ditch references to the Queen,” she said.
Ms Tyers’ dedication to the movement resulted in being awarded Scouts Australia’s highest long-service honour, the Silver Kangaroo in 2014, as well as Gannawarra Shire Council’s Senior Citizen of the Year in 2015.
“I have really enjoyed being a part of Scouting; it’s reached a point where I am in charge of children whose fathers were part of groups I was a leader of,” she said.
“Even though I am leader in charge, I still have kept my Cub Scout leader name of Baloo, and people see me down the street and call me Baloo.”
