By Corey Everitt
Emerald has been the first to celebrate reaching a centenary as many scout groups reach their hundred year this decade.
Emerald Scout Group held their hundred-year-celebration on Saturday 18 November at the Scout Hall seeing their group from joeys to rovers joined with the community to commemorate the triple digit achievement.
The hundred years has had its ups and downs, but to Group Leader Jeff Latter it reflects the continued strength of the Emerald scouts.
“Emerald has been a strong scout group largely for that whole time,” Jeff said.
“Everything suggests that is going to continue, we are just at a bit of a low point at the moment out of covid and that will start to catch up to normalities.”
The group’s formation dating back to 1923 is an achievement itself, yet scouting seems inextricably linked to Emerald as recorded date scouts passing through well before.
“We’ve gone back and actually searched out scouts, we can talk about the history of the Emerald Scout group from 1923 to now, but the first scouts in Emerald was in 1909,” Jeff said.
“Three scout groups came up, camped somewhere, and went to Saint Marks on Sunday.
“Scouts only started two years earlier in the UK, so it’s really amazing that scouting went from a concept on Brownsea Island to little Emerald on Puffing Billy line in just two years.”
Jeff started as cub scout for Emerald in the first half of it’s century in 1964, even though so much has changed in that time, its value still stands strong.
“It’s very very different now, obviously from uniforms changing to programs changing, the hall has changed from being just the one room to now this complex and abseiling towers and so on, that’s just amazing,” Jeff said.
“It’s about developing youth through their participation and increasing their self-leadership, it is about building their resilience.”
While the time may have passed, it’s still important to acknowledge those who have made such changes through history.
During the celebrations the Scout Hall’s fireplace was formally named the Legge Fireplace after the Legge family who have contributed immensely to the Emerald Scout Group and are all decorated members of the Scout movement in general.
The abseiling tower had a sign unveiled to finalise its name, which is in acknowledgement of former Group Leader David Wilson and Venturer Leader Colin Nunn who were leaders in getting the tower constructed to promote the group’s abseiling activities.
Various activities and celebrations were held over the course of the day, as now Emerald Scout Group looks to another hundred years more.
Special thanks were giving to Federal La Trobe MP Jason Wood, State Monbulk MP Daniela De Martino, Cardinia Shire Council Mayor Jack Kowarzik and Councillor Jeff Springfield for attending.
