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Robert Lavers
24/6/2020 I have been researching the website for information regarding Assegai Competitions at Gordon Park around 1950-1955. My 14th Bulawayo Patrol won the competition at that time and I would love to get a photograph or the names of all the Scouts in my Patrol. I will need more time to carefully go through everything on the website but can tell you that on one of the Assegai pages there is a list of the Judges with their Camp nick-names and yes, Chas Martin was Bok. I think the 14th must have won the Assegai between 1950 and 1953. The 2nd Raylton won twice while Gordon Caw was a scout there and once when he was the Troop Scoutmaster.

I am in regular contact with Gordon Caw and shared your information with him. It has brought back so many memories for both of us who thank Scouting for the successful lives we have enjoyed. He started in the 2nd Bulawayo (Raylton) group and were our rivals at 14th North End but we joined together in the first Senior Patrol after leaving Milton School in 1954. Gordon was involved in all activities relating to Scouts and held positions right up to Assistant Provincial Commissioner. Wherever scouts were working, Gordon could be found and he was a stalwart member of Skipper Knapman's Work Team who built up Gordon park over the years.

Volunteering at the Bulawayo Show, at Garden Parties for Royal Visitors, at Sports Events, Motor Cross races, Bob a Job, you name it... we were at them all. We also attended Anniversary Dinners and functions like when Lord Rowallan, the Chief Scout, visited Rhodesia as well as Lady Baden Powell. So many doors were opened to us... Stan O'Donnell even got me a job.

In 1955 I represented the Federation at the 8th World Jamboree in Canada and although that Jamboree is in your list I notice that you have no information or photos of that event. I still have my Camp-fire Blanket and various souvenirs from that event.

With regard to the 8th World Jamboree, I was the only one travelling from the Federation so it was decided that I should join up with the South African Contingent for all purposes. I met up with them all in Cape Town and they made me very welcome. After sailing from C.T for UK they even appointed me Patrol Leader of the Contingent. Wherever we went there was great interest and our pictures appeared in the press worldwide. If you want me to write a short note on the Jamboree for your files or can think of any particular photographs just let me know and I will be happy to oblige. Gerry Stephens was the P.C at that time and was most helpful ( both his sons were at Milton with me.)Two other Rhodesians joined us at the Jamboree site. Robertson was at Varsity in Canada and John Landau was living in London (Video "Part 1" - from when John was later Chief Scout).

Click on a thumbnail to see the full sized picture

1955 8th World Jamboree Mondial Canada	Back from 1955 Jamboree	1955 8th Scout Jamboree	1955 Mondial Canada	1955 8th Scout Jamboree
1955 8th Scout Jamboree	1955 8th Scout Jamboree	1955 8th Scout Jamboree	1955 8th World Jamboree	1955 8th Scout Jamboree
Telegram to Rob Lavers on Arunde Castle
Robert Lavers (July 2020)	Central African Jamboree Ruwa Park 1959	Southern Rhodesia	Rhodesia	Boy Scouts Be Prepared
Matabeleland Rhodesia badges	14th Bulawayo North End Scout Troop	Chief Scout Visit	South Staffordshire Surrey Scouting
Southern Rhodesia Scout Test Card	Southern Rhodesia Scout Card	Cub Card Bulawayo Southern Rhodesia	Wolf Cub Card Southern Rhodesia

You mention the 1937 Jamboree and as a matter of interest in 1955 my Scoutmaster at the 14th was Shorty Shaw and he attended that Jamboree so was able to brief me fully on what to expect. In The History of Matabeleland Scouting Skipper Knapman paid tribute to Shorty as the Rover Scout who discovered the site of Gordon Park when he and two other Rovers were on a hike.

When I joined the 14th as a Cub, the Pack was run by MRS. Wayne and her husband was the Scoutmaster. The GSM was Richard Summers and the ASM was Derek Mc Lean the Photographer at Robal Studio in Selborne Avenue. There was another ASM by name of Mitchell from Mitchell's Engineering. Other scouts at the 14th were Glyn Pinchen(who later went back to Baines as a teacher and has since passed on), Bill Ebben, Graham & Paul Hatty whose father was the MP for Finance, Clive Mountford and Willie Schneeberger. Unfortunately we didn't take many snaps in those days to jog our memories.

I was just one of many who were proud of the 14th and determined to put it on the map alongside the then famous 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 8th Bulawayo senior groups. We put on Film Shows at Baines Hall one night a month to raise the funds to build our own scout hall and followed the Scout Promise and Law to the T. (To this day I try to practice those ideals) The 14th Scout Hall was completed and officially opened shortly before I went to Canada- probably early 1955, We got married at St. Margarets Church, and there was no North End shopping centre in those days. Even Baines school gets a mention in your email - I, and my family, watched the school being built and I was one of the first intake of pupils to attend. Miss Brooks was our KG1 teacher. In my day it was also the best junior school in Bulawayo !

10/7/2020 My Wife, Lynne nee Holmwood, is also from Byo and started her schooling at Baines. When she entered the classroom she took one look and decided that wasn't for her, belted out and ran down the road with Mrs. Brooks after her! It wasn't the Teacher that frightened her because she remembers Mrs. Brooks as very nice. Gordon Caw has added that his Parents were very friendly with Mr. Norman and Mrs. Marge Brooks (THE teacher) who lived in 15th Avenue whom he called Uncle & Aunt.
Moving on to Willie (Bill) Ebben and his wife Glenys - they had a South African address when I was last in touch in 2005 so Im catching up with info from his son Steve on the website and enjoying all the photographs... so many memories but also learning so much. And that as you know I am living in Queensland, Australia. Once again the website highlights how Rhodesians have spread around the world. I came across one chap who lives a few suburbs away from me in Brisbane and another who lives only a few k's away from my brother Norman in Klerksdorp, RSA. All these chaps have benifitted from Scouting.
I do remember your Garriock Grandparents house in Baden Powell Rd - I went house to house along there working Bob-a-Job each year.

Gary Charsley's post told me that Mike George had died taking so much knowledge about Bushman paintings with him. Mike's parents were friends of his parents so we grew up as youngsters together.
Well done to Simon Miller-Cranko for being Head Boy at Milton. I believe we played tennis with his parents Guy & Jill when we lived in Bryanston, Johannesburg. In some of Simon's photos we found shots of our nephew Wayne Traill ( My sister's eldest son) who now lives in Perth, Australia. We phoned him and had a useful discussion about Scouting in Bulawayo and the Assegai in which he also participated.
For some reason I have two Scout Cards so will email both as well as the Cub Card. I refer to them occasionally to remind me to comply with the promises I made.
8/7/2020 I see the 1st Byo. Golden Jubilee Magazine of 1959 actually contains Skipper's reference to Cyril (Shorty) Shaw locating the site for GP in the first paragraph in his article.
I did pull out all my school reports and must correct some of what I told you originally. I forgot that when I started school in 1944 Baines was still under construction so I had to attend Sauerstown Public School until the latter part of 1945 when I moved into the new Bulawayo North Junior School which was only named after the great Explorer Thomas Baines in 1947.
I think the formation of the 14th followed the opening of Baines. I joined the Cubs in June 1946 (8 yrs) and we met on the netball pitch which in those days was outside the entrance to the bicycle entrance on the west side of the school. My scout card shows I moved up in October 1949 and we used to meet on Friday nights in the School Hall. The 14th Scarf was Green with a White border and I wore it proudly for nearly 4 months travelling overseas.

I have remembered the name of our GSM - it was Richard Summers and his two sons were Robert and Ricky. Robert was probably in my winning Assegai patrol as also Glyn Pinchen. The Summers also lived in Walter Howard but over Rudd Road. Robert joined Favard & Co after school.
I notice from your website that John Landau went on to be Chief Scout of Rhodesia. He owned Landau Trading Co. and joined us in camp at the 8th Jamboree in Canada. The other one who joined us in the South African camp was the son of well known Dr. Olive Robertson of Bulawayo.
I have taken a picture of my Basutu campfire blanket and will send it to you. It contains the scout County badges of all the UK counties we visited after the Jamboree as well as a lot of badges, pendants and name tags swapped (Traded) at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Anything else I think could interest you I will send as and when I come across them.
You have certainly jogged my memory of so many happy events and I am enjoying the trip down memory lane. I am going to copy this to Gordon Caw so that he and his dear Wife can share the journey. Five of the snaps attached are taken at Niagara on the lake camp and the sixth was taken at Gilwell Park where we camped for a while too.
12/7/2020 When I was ASM at 14th Bulawayo in early 1960 at age 22 I was transferred to Umtali as the Revenue Officer (my predecessor was gaoled for fraud) and was immediately cajoled into taking over the 2nd Umtali Scout troop. I knew the more I put into this the more I would reap but the odds were against me. I desperately wanted to prove I could handle my job which also held the title of District Housing Officer. I was responsible for the maintenance and letting of Government factories and two large residential estates. I was courting Lynne so would nip back to Bulawayo as often as I could and we eventually got married in the November. This all meant that I became a Friday night scout whereas the appeal had always been camping, hiking and the great outdoors. Even when I did take the troop out for weekends it just wasn't like GP. I guess I was to blame really and my loyalty had switched to my wife who needed my company. After a few years I was promoted to the Treasury in Salisbury and we had three Daughters. No sons! How could I go back to scouts? Well I didn't and have always harboured a regret that I didn't GIVE BACK to the Movement to which I owed so much.

In 2000 we emigrated to Sydney for a year before settling on The Gold Coast for 15 years. Our Daughters, all living in Australia by then, persuaded us to move to a lovely Retirement Village in Brisbane to be close to them. We are now a big happy family with 6 grand-children and 5 Great Grandchildren - all doing our best to avoid Covid19!
14/7/2020 Reading some comments on the Leask reminded me that over what seemed a long period, when I joined the Work Party at GP we were always hauling building materials for that building. I could never make out why they chose that site for the building and why it wasn't made much bigger. A long term view for the design of the camp HQ seemed to be lacking. I suppose it was due to lack of funds and the labour of young boys. So much happened after I left Bulawayo in 1959 such as the Stables and Connoly Lodge, your damming of the river, sorely needed water tanks in 1980, etc. The photos of the Great Flood and the devastating fire in September 2011 must have been heart-breaking. Skipper Knapman must have turned in his grave.
I have had a wonderful life with all sorts of experiences and enjoy reliving all of it. Lynne and I travelled widely and are now contented Couch Travellers... not caused only by Covid 19. Many of the places we have been to and enjoyed so much have changed dramatically that we expect we would be disappointed to visit now. One of our memorable holidays was at Aviemore which you must know from your Inverness days. We used that as our base to explore Scotland. My Grandmother on my Father's side came from Aberdeenshire and I took Lynne to visit the little towns where the family lived including my Gt. Grandfather's house where I met him in 1955 after the Canadian Jamboree. On that occasion I was in Scout uniform when I attended Crathie Church near Balmoral with the Royal Family. The Queen saw my RHODESIA name badge and came over to tell me what she remembered of her visit with her Parents in 1947!
9/8/2020 On the subject of Names of Scouts at the 14th - I have remembered another possible member of my winning Assegai Competition patrol - he was Hilton Friend who actually spoke at our wedding in 1960. He also would have loved to attend the 8th Jamboree with me but never asked his Parents 'because he thought their business was suffering tough times'. What a pity because they were actually quite wealthy but their children had picked up the wrong message.

Rob's write-up of the 8th World Scout Jamboree of New Horizons held at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada 18-28 August 1955.

Yours in Scouting and a left hand handshake.
Robert Lavers

Rob Lottering
21/3/2021 I enjoyed reading your blog and reminiscing on my pleasure filled days and adventures being in this, the 14th Scout Group Northend.
My parents had passed within 4 years of each other and we were taken in by an Aunt and Uncle living in Northend, Kinlock Ave. The structure and togetherness of the troop truly helped with my personal loss, I started as a cub in 1979 and loved every minute of the traning and bush craft taught and practiced, tracking and survivial being my favorite - a typical Rhodie youngster at the time. I quickly completed and passed all my recommend tasks and profiencies, but was still considered too young to move up to the scouts in 1981 when we left as a family to SA. This ended my days as a scout. SA was not Rhodesia, sad very sad.
Our scout master at the time was a wonderful Lady and teacher from Baines were I was a pupil, we had the greatest respect and love for the lady, but names have never been my strong point. Our trips to the Matopos was always a high light. The scout hall with the wooden floors, the photos and plaques with the 14th Troops accomplishments.
Regards Rob Lottering

Dennis Willox
12/2/2021 I was looking through Bulawayo memorabilia and came across the 14th Bulawayo scout troop. I thought I might add a few things.
I am now 77 years old and reside in Still Bay, Western Cape. I was born in Bulawayo and went to Baines Junior and then Bulawayo Technical High school. I was a Cub in the 14th and went on to the 14th Scouts. These were the most happiest days of my life, what with the scouting activities and the camping at Rowellen Park. I eventually became Troop Leader, cant remember the dates, but Derek Maclean was in charge and I remember a Mr. Ogden was one of the tutors. Derek introduced pellet gun bisleys to the scouts and he was my mentor with small bore .22 target shooting. He supplied me with a Martini Henry target rifle and supplied me with all the ammunition. I cant remember the dates, but I eventually went on to win the Rhodesian Smallbore Junior Championships.
Brings back many many happy memories
Regard
Dennis