Royal Rangers Australia, affiliated to Royal Rangers International[6] refers to its activities as "scouting"
Salvation Army Guards and Legion Activities (SAGALA), are programmes for young people between 5 and 18[7][8] and includes "scouting" programmes.
International and ethnic Scout and Guide organisations operating in Australia
British Scouts – The Scout Association of Australia and its state branches are each branch corporations of The Scout Association of the United Kingdom[9] and, until 1976, admitted only British Subjects to membership and programs and other nationalities only on special conditions and approval.[10] After 1976 British subjects continued to be automatically admitted to membership while foreign subjects including residents were still subject to special conditions and approval.[11]
A number of scout organisations for non-British subjects, including "Scouts-in-exile" from Ukraine, Baltic States, Russia, Hungary and Poland, were formed in the 1940s. Other exile associations were formed in the 1950s. Groups from the Hellenic Scouts and the Maltese Scouts organizations also formed during the 1950s.
Scouting started in Australia with some informal troops in Western Australia and Victoria in 1907.[27] Scouting was established in Australia in 1908,[28] the year the first Boy Scout training handbook Scouting for Boys was published in England. CHUMS Scout Patrols started forming in Australia in 1908 due to the circulation of CHUMS publication there. R.C. Packer and the Sunday Times in 1908 supported the formation of the League of Boy Scouts.[29] St. Enoch's Presbyterian Church, Mount Morgan, Queensland formed its unit on 23 November 1908.[30]
The Boy's Brigade launched their Scout program in 1909. Troops under the British Boy Scouts (BBS) program began Australian operations in 1909. Other Scouting organizations formed in 1909 were: Imperial Boy Scouts (IBS), Church Scout Patrols program of the Anglican Church Lads' Brigade, Australian League of Boy Scouts Queensland, Girl Peace Scouts (Australia) and YMCA Scouts.[29]
In 1910 the CHUMS Scout Patrols merged with the BBS. Also in July 1910, the Australian League of Boy Scouts Queensland affiliated to the United Kingdom's Boy Scouts Association and changes names to League of Baden-Powell Boy Scouts, Queensland Section. St. Enoch's affiliated their company with the Boy's Brigade Scouts in 1910.[29] The IBS Victoria Section requested in September 1911 that the Minister of Defence allow IBS troops to undergo military cadet training under the military supervision, but were denied as being a voluntary association.[31]
The Australian Boy Scouts founded in 1910 had merged with the Imperial Boy Scouts to become Australian Imperial Boy Scouts (AIBS) by 1912. In 1912, the Gippsland Boy Scout Association was formed and affiliated with the AIBS. The Church Scout Patrols ceased activities by 1912 while the League of Boy Scouts had stopped operating around 1914. Some of the Girl Peace Scouts joined the Voluntary Aid Detachments during World War I.[29]
Baden-Powell's scouting organisation finally extended itself to Australia almost five years after founding, known as the Baden-Powell Boy Scouts in 1914 later rename to the Boy Scouts Association. Its New South Wales Section formed that year. While the League of Baden-Powell Boy Scouts, Queensland Section changes names again to Boy Scouts Association, Queensland Section.[29]
Most of the remainders of the Girl Peace Scouts joined the Girl Guides in the 1920s. The Tasmanian, South Australia and West Australia Sections of the Boy Scout Association (BSA) are set up in 1920 and 1921. The Salvation Army's Life Saving Scouts start up in 1921. Norfolk Island Boy Scouts formed in 1922. A BSA Section for Victoria is set up in 1923. The Methodist Boy Scouts (WA) associated with Boy Scouts Association after 1924. Boy Scout's Association, Queensland Section merges with the rest of the BSA. The Boys' Brigade (BB) Scouts program ended in 1927 while the Catholic Boy Scouts' Association is formed the same year by the Society of St Vincent de Paul in New South Wales and Queensland. With the end of the BB Scouts, St. Enoch's unit becomes a BSA unit.[29] Girl Guides under Australia administration were started on Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and the Cocos Islands in 1927.[36]
The Boy Scout Association wanted their branches to receive monopoly status from the governments so as to control the Scouting movement. The BSA sent Overseas Commissioners in the 1920s and 1930s, along with Baden-Powell in 1931 and 1934, to Australia in support of this effort. In 1934, the BSA began a move to centralise control over its units by insisting on property being registered in the BSA's name instead of the local Scout Group. Also that year, the BSA's Queensland branch constitution was changed to remove State Council's elected local representatives. Scout Groups resisted but the BSA used World War II to further the centralisation.[30]
Norfolk Island Boy Scouts, previously independent, registered with The Boy Scouts Association in May 1930. The final Girl Peace Scouts troop in Lindasfarne Tasmania ceased operating in 1935. In 1939, St. Enoch's Church, Mount Morgan scouts ceased its registration with the BSA and became independent as the Blue Boy Scouts.[29] On 31 August 1932, the AIBS signed an agreement with the BSA of Australia to merge.[37] but the merger was incomplete. In June 1943, Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, the Governor of Queensland, resigned as The Boy Scouts Association Chief Scout of Queensland in opposition to a large portion of public donations going towards the many salaries of headquarters staff, making the Chief Commissioner a paid position and its failure to respond to his call for reforms to its centralisation efforts.[30][38] He felt it was contrary to the first principles of Scouting but would continue to support the movement.[citation needed] Several scouts-in-exile groups get started in the 1940s for eastern European countries with four just for Ukrainians.[29]
In the 1950s, the British Boy Scouts ceased being an active group but continued with members. The 1950s also see the Hellenic Scouts and Maltese Scouts formed. Several general scouts in exile groups also formed in this decade: Australian Association of Scouts in Exile (AASE) (NSW), Ethnic Scouts and Guides in Victoria (ESGAV) and Ethnic Scout and Guides of South Australia (ESGOSA). While the Blue Boy Scouts ceased operations in 1957. Australian sections created their own national Boy Scout Association in 1958.[29]
The Vietnamese Scouts are founded in the 1970s and end soon in 1972 along with the Hellenic Scouts ending activities but continued as an interest group. While the 1970s see the Salvation Army replaced the Life Saving Scouts with the Boys' Legion.[29]
The 1st Devonport Scouts went independent in 1981, ceasing affiliation with the BSA. Various Baden-Powell Scouts associations sprang up in 1985, which the Devonport Scouts affiliated with. In 1986, the Independent Scouts were formed.[29]
Baden-Powell Scouts in Australia
The Baden-Powell Scouts in Australia was established in Australia in May 1984. In January 1990 they became legally incorporated in South Australia under the name "Baden-Powell Association Inc". The Baden-Powell Scouts in Australia is independent of The Scout Association of Australia and, despite its name, has no legal connection with the organisation founded by Lt. Gen. Robert Baden-Powell. The Baden-Powell Scouts started in Australia in two separate places, each without the knowledge of the other. The first one was in Tasmania, the Baden-Powell Scouts' Association (Tasmania) Inc. which formed in 1982, and the other was in Adelaide. The Baden-Powell Scouts in South Australia now has about 500 members, comprising three groups in the metropolitan Adelaide area. The 1st Devonport Scouts in Tasmania affiliated with the Baden-Powell Scouts in 1985. The one group of about 40 in Tasmania is also part of the association. There are 6 groups in New South Wales and 1 in Queensland. The Baden-Powell Scouts in Australia has a number of sections catering for a wide age range. These are Koalas, Joeys, Cubs and Venturers.[39]
Independent Australian Scouts
Australia BBS activities continued until 1950, while members continue to exist in the organisation to present date.
The Independent Australian Scouts, also known as Scouts of Australia, is an organisation that was founded in 1986, becoming an affiliate and successor to British Boy Scouts in Australia.[29]
Related Research Articles
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth social movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking, and sports. Another widely recognized movement characteristic is the Scout uniform, by intent hiding all differences of social standing in a country and encouraging equality, with neckerchief and campaign hat or comparable headwear. Distinctive uniform insignia include the fleur-de-lis and the trefoil, as well as merit badges and other patches.
A Girl Guide or Girl Scout is a member of a section of some Guiding organisations who is between the ages of 10 and 14. Age limits are different in each organisation. The term Girl Scout is used in the United States and several East Asian countries. The two terms are used synonymously within this article.
The Baden-Powell Scouts' Association (B-PSA) is a worldwide youth organisation originating in the United Kingdom, with friendly relationships with similar traditional scouting organisations in various countries. Baden-Powell Scouting focuses on the importance of tradition in the scout movement.
Cub Scouts, Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with Scouting for young children usually between 7 and 12, depending on the organization to which they belong. A participant in the program is called a Cub. A group of Cubs is called a "Pack".
Scouts Australia is a trading name of The Scout Association of Australia, which is the largest scouting organisation in Australia, claiming 48,796 children and youths and 2,792 young adult participants in 2022, and is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. It was formed in 1958 and incorporated in 1967. It operates personal development programs for children and young adults from 5 to 25 years of age with programs successively opened to girls after 1971.
In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts and/or Girl Guides who rally at a national or international level.
Rover Scouts, Rovers, Rover Scouting or Rovering is a program associated with some Scouting organizations for adult men and women. A group of Rovers is called a 'Rover Crew'.
Scouting and Guiding in mainland China was reported as banned with the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) by the Communist Party since 1949. Instead, the Young Pioneers of China and the Communist Youth League, led by the Communist Party, have become the dominant youth organization in mainland China for younger and older youth, respectively. However, China now has multiple and originally separate Scouting activities within its borders. In 2004, the Scout Club of Hainan (海南童子军俱乐部), borrowing heavily from Scouting in terms of emblems, uniforms and activities, was founded in Hainan Province; it is, however, not affiliated with worldwide Scouting. An attempt to organize a nationwide Scouting organization in Wuhan was ended by the government in 2004. The Scout Association of the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国童军总会), founded in 2008 serves Venture Scouts in both genders as well as Rover Scouts. The Rover Explorer Service Association operate groups in China.
Scouting started in Victoria, Australia, as early as 1907 and local Boy Scout patrols and troops formed independently. Several separate central organisations began operating including Boys' Brigade Scouts, Church Lads' Brigade Scouts, Chums Scouts, Imperial Boy Scouts, Girl Peace Scouts, Imperial Boy Scouts Victoria Section, Imperial Boy Scouts Victorian Section, Gippsland Boy Scouts Association, Australian Boy Scouts, Australian Imperial Boy Scouts, The Boy Scouts Association, Life-Saving Scouts of the Salvation Army and Methodist Boy Scouts.
Lone Scouts are members of the Scout movement who are in isolated areas or otherwise do not participate in a regular Scouting unit or organization. A Lone Scout must meet the membership requirements of the Scouting organization to which they belong and have an adult Scout leader or counselor who may be a parent, guardian, minister, teacher, or another adult. The leader or counselor instructs the boy and reviews all steps of Scouting advancement. Lone Scouts can be in the Scout Section or sections for older young people, and in some countries in the Cub section or sections for younger boys. They follow the same program as other Scouts and may advance in the same way as all other Scouts.
Scouting and Guiding in Queensland is represented by Scouts Australia, Girl Guides Australia, Plast Ukrainian Scouts, and the Australian Baden-Powell Scouts' Association.
Scouting in Tasmania began in 1908 with several separate associations operating in the early years including the Chums Scout Patrols, League of Boy Scouts, Girl Peace Scouts, British Boy Scouts and YMCA Scouts. These were later joined by The Boy Scouts Association, The Girl Guides Association and Life-Saving Scouts and Life Saving Guards of the Salvation Army. Some local groups of Scouts moved between associations. There has also been representation by the Baden-Powell Scouts' Association with a group of scouts in Devonport under Alan Richmond, OAM affiliating in May 1984.
Scouting in the United States is dominated by the 1.2 million-member Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts of the USA and other associations that are recognized by one of the international Scouting organizations. There are also a few smaller, independent groups that are considered to be "Scout-like" or otherwise Scouting related.
Religion in Scouting and Guiding is an aspect of the Scout method that has been practiced differently and given different interpretations in different parts of the world over the years.
Non-aligned Scouting organizations is a term used by the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) and their member national organizations to refer to Scouting organizations that are not affiliated with them. See List of non-aligned Scouting organizations.
National Scouting and Guiding organisations are divided into different age groups to deliver the Scouting and Guiding programmes for a full range of youth.
There are various controversies and conflicts that involve the Scouting movement. Scouting has sometimes become entangled in social controversies such as in nationalist resistance movements in India. Scouting was introduced to Africa by British officials as an instrument of colonial authority but became a subversive challenge to the legitimacy of British imperialism as Scouting fostered solidarity amongst African Scouts. There are also controversies and challenges within the Scout Movement itself such as current efforts to turn Scouts Canada into a democratic organization.
Scouting and Guiding in the United Kingdom is served by several different organisations:
The British Boy Scouts and British Girl Scouts Association is an early scouting organisation, having begun as the Battersea Boy Scouts in 1908. The organisation was renamed as the British Boy Scouts and launched as a national organisation on 24 May 1909. In association with other Scout organisations, the BBS formed the National Peace Scouts in 1910. The BBS instigated the first international Scouting organisation, the Order of World Scouts in 1911.
↑ Royal Charter of Incorporation of The Australian Boy Scouts Association, 1967|publisher=Australian Boy Scouts Association, 1969
↑ Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Boy Scouts Association, 1959 Rule 24; POR of The Australian Boy Scouts Association, 1969 Rules 2/3 & 2/4; POR of The Scout Association of Australia, 1976 Rules 2/3 & 2/4
↑ Policy, Organisation and Rules of The Scout Association of Australia 1981 Rules 2/3 & 2/4; POR of The Scout Association of Australia 1993 (in effect until 1996), Rules 2/3/& 2/4
↑ "Boy Scouts". The Queenslander. Queensland, Australia. 8 January 1931. p.52. Retrieved 19 August 2022– via National Library of Australia.
↑ "Scouts and world peace". The Age. No.24, 869. Victoria, Australia. 28 December 1934. p.7. Retrieved 19 August 2022– via National Library of Australia.
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