Members of the Scout Association of Guyana turned out in their numbers on Sunday to celebrate Founder’s Day with a grand parade on the West Coast Demerara, on the occasion of the 156th birth anniversary of Robert Baden Powell, founder of the global scout movement.
Scouts from across the country assembled at Cornelia Ida and, along with other members of the parade, marched to the Uitvlugt Community Centre Ground, a press release from the Association said. The scouts then enjoyed a fun-filled day of games and excitement, uninterrupted by sporadic rainfall, as they remembered Powell, who was also known as BP. Powell was born on February 22, 1857.
In brief remarks to the scouts prior to the start of the fun-day activities, Chief Scout, Ramsay Ali, thanked them for coming out in large numbers to celebrate the occasion.
“As I stood there taking the salute, I was very proud of all of you in the way you displayed yourselves. It is very good when we can capture these moments and display to the rest of the country, what scouting is all about,” he said.
Ali said a wide range of activities have been planned for the Association over the coming months which will provide an opportunity for the scouts to have more exposure, training and experience. These activities include a trip to Suriname later this year as well as a trip to Tokyo, Japan, in 2014. Additionally, the Association will be opening a library and computer room at the Scout’s Headquarters in Woolford Avenue today.
Chief Commissioner, Zaida Joaquin, in her charge, reminded the scouts of the invaluable role and contribution Powell made to the growth and development of the movement. “Our organization shares a strong commitment for Peace. Bringing resolution to conflict and creating understanding between people from different nationalities, faiths and cultures are fundamentals to the Promise that every girl and boy, every woman and man in our great Movement will renew on this day,” she said.
Joaquin reminded the scouts that as part of his farewell message, Powell said, “I believe that God put us in this jolly world to be happy and enjoy life. Happiness does not come from being rich, or merely being successful in your career, nor by self-indulgence… Be contented with what you have got and make the best of it. Look on the bright side of things instead of the gloomy one.”
According to the release, on his return from Africa in 1903, Powell found that his military training manual, Aids to Scouting, had become a best-seller, and was being used by teachers and youth organisations in Britain. Following his involvement in the Boys’ Brigade as Brigade Secretary and Officer in charge of its scouting section, with encouragement from his friend, William Alexander Smith, he decided to re-write Aids to Scouting to suit a youth readership. Boys and girls spontaneously formed Scout troops and the Scouting Movement had inadvertently started, first as a national, and soon an international phenomenon, the Association said.