SOUVENIR-CHARTERS TOWERS, 1872 TO JULY.
1950
Page 63
Around The Campfire
A Story of the Doings of the Scouts and Cubs
THE tall white gums glistened as the glow from the campfire, burning
with intensity, lighted up the surrounding night like day.
Yes, folks, camped in that hollow is a Patrol of Scouts from this fair
city of ours, known to the old pioneers as "The World" and the new as
the City of Charters Towers.
Two score and eight years ago the first troop of scouts came into
being, As the years rolled on and war was declared and won, hundreds of
lads passed through its ranks as scouts and many a man as scouters.
I quote, "The world gets along' with three thing's-'Doing, 'Undoing and
Pretending.'" To-day and for some years now the scout-minded
citizens of the gold-mining city have been doing things. It is through
the efforts of these people that to-day we have here a large
expanding bank of young "Broom-stick warriors" as the people
wrongly call them, capable of looking after themselves in the home or
the field.
Bound together by the Laws and Promise, laid down by our founder, we
have now in our city something in scouting' and cubbing that will,
I think, live forever in the minds of our citizens.
Our undulating countrysides are indeed ideal for scouting
activities. A short hike and one is readily in a position to carry
out first class work, During the year, camps, both large and small
are held on the banks of our "River Jordan," the Burdekin. Indeed
these are looked forward to, both by the scouts and
scouters. There the sheep are herded from the goats as the work is both
strenuous and tiring and what is learnt is put to practice.
As the weeks pass on do our efforts to build up our strength
combined with thought, word and deed, so now today we have in our
midst, something in the vicinity of fifteen active scouters, eighty
scouts and one hundred and twenty-five cubs.
The citizens of to-morrow are the boys and girls of to-day. The future
and the peace of the world depends on its citizens, so by training
them, along these lines, training the young so they may be able to
think, work, and do for themselves, we may have a country
worthwhile living in. Training them along the lines of the scout
laws to be :
"Trusty,
loyal and helpful,
Brotherly, courteous, kind,
Obedient,
smiling, thrifty."
Pure in thought, word and deed, we may and should turn out the required
citizen.
With a fan mail covering the Empire, it shows we are on the map ill
this field of life. Scouting offers a tremendous lot to the one who
takes advantage of it:, so let's hope what is being done for the scouts
and cubs will still be with the little extra still being added.
At the present day, we have here now a grand organization governed by a
Local Association, the following:
3rd Charters Towers Group with Headquarters at Mill Street, Strength:
4 Scouters, 18 Scouts, 35 Cubs.
4th Charters Towers Group with Headquarters at Richmond Hill. Strength:
4 Scouters, 16 Scouts, 22 Cubs.
5th Charters Towers Group. Headquarters at Thornburgh College.
Strength: 4 Scouters, 41 Scouts, 30 Cubs.
6th Charters Towers Group. Headquarters at All Souls' College.
Strength: 2 Scouters, 31 Cubs.
All the above are under the control of the District Commissioner.
We are advancing rapidly in this field of citizenship, so may God, give
us help and protection.
