Scouts of the Past
“It is great to hear that it is all going so well still. I remember great times in both cubs and scouts before the lure of airplanes dragged me away… I’m working with Airplane Engines up at Rolls-Royce Derby. I am now Cheif Engineer for the Trent 900. That is the engine that powers that big double decker A380 aircraft… Best wishes to you and all the troop.”
– Paul Cotton
“I was born in 1934, the year the Shipley Scout Troup was formed and I fondly recall Mr and Mrs Sandy Lees and their tireless dedication to Scouting and the Cubs… I would walk or bicycle to the old Scout Hut where I was a very proud member of the Curlew Patrol in about 1948 or 49 but left just prior to the opening of the new Scout hut. The Vicar was a Scouter and a great character. I recall a show that the troup put on in the village hall when he dressed up as a ‘fairy’, short white flared skirt, gold wand with a star on top and all, with big hairy legs, bare to at least halfway up his thighs… I sincerely hope you have a wonderful celebration and that the troup continues to flourish. Scouting is possibly the finest activity in which any young boy can participate and I take my hat off to all those men who have continued to take part and to demonstrate, by example, just what scouting is all about. Since coming to Newfoundland I have become a member of another great world wide orgainisation and am honoured to have been made the historian… we too try to make good men better… I am so happy to know that the 1st Shipley Scout Troup is in good hands.”
– John E. E. Warren, Canada
“I have lived in New Zealand for the past 51 years but well remember both Sandy and Mrs Lees. My first encounter with Mrs Lees was on a Cub camp held on their farm ‘Jendens’ in about 1936. I belonged to the 1st Horsham Scouts and as a Wolf Cub spent about 7 days camping at Shipley. The weather was appalling and because of the incessant rain we abandoned our tents and moved over to the adjacent ‘piggeries’… Subsequent to the Cub camp, as a Scout and later as a Rover Scout, I enjoyed a number of week-end camps on Jendens when we usually slept in the large wooden barn.”
– Jim Partridge, New Zealand
“My family and I are now living on Bogota, Colombia… I’m glad to know that the group is still active… I have many fond memories of the years I participated.”
– James Cotton, (Senior Explorer, Offshore Exploration) BP Colombia