In the 1990s and before, 4th Claremont was a thriving Scout group, and also our nearest neighbour, about 1km away in a hall they built in the 1960s in Almond Street, Fernwood. Bruce McIntyre, a former 1st Claremont Scout and Rover, was their Troop Scouter, and they had two strong Cub Packs led by Gill Farquharson as Akela. Sadly the group declined and after the Akela and assistant retired, the group closed.
As the 1st Claremont waiting list grew over recent years, we realised that the renewed demand for Scouting meant it was time to re-open 4th Claremont. We started to put feelers out at the same time as the Regional team including Paddy Milner, Aussie Raad and Peter Otzen were concluding discussions with the Lions Club who had been using the hall while the group was closed. Through the neighbourhood WhatsApp groups, we found that there was a lot of interest from the community, and we quickly recruited a number of potential Cub and Meerkat leaders who attended IAL training and started planning the programme for the first term, arranging a totem, tiger skin, scarves and badges, and buying stationery and some basic equipment. Two of the 1st Claremont APSs, Elton le Roux and Barry Staak, decided to move to the new Pack, and Barry agreed to become the Akela. Finally we were able to launch Cubs and Meerkats in the 4th term. Both branches are already thriving and already have a waiting list of their own.
We are hoping to open a Scout Troop in the second term of 2022, so keep watching this space!
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[…] department of adult leadership has also enabled 1st Claremont to take a leading role in the re-establishment of 4th Claremont Cub Pack in addition to playing a greater role in the Liesbeek District after the untimely passing of our […]
[…] past term was even busier (and more rewarding) than usual as I was also involved in the relaunch of the 4th Claremont Fernwood Cubs and Meerkats. Two of the 1st Claremont APSs, Elton le Roux and Barry Staak, decided to move to the new Fernwood […]