Provost Clearie, Distinguished guests, Leaders, Parents, Scouts
It’s my great pleasure to support Eric’s thanks and appreciation to you and to south Lanarkshire council on behalf of all of the young people, leaders and supporters who are involved with the Scouts.
We have enjoyed excellent hospitality tonight and we appreciate the sincerity of the support given by you to local scouting.
It was with some trepidation that I came here tonight, not because I would be speaking to an audience of 140 people, but because last night when I picked my dad up from his night out at the Civic reception for Burnside Bowling Club, he told me that he had been a guest at your table. Who knew what stories and jokes he shared with you that I night have been using tonight!
Our thanks too to Stuart and the organising team from South Lanarkshire Council, to Kim and the caterers and all at the Town hall; to our own organising team – the centenary sub committee, the leaders and the parent volunteers, the pipers, the three photographers and Rev Tom Morton, our former Chaplain who led us in grace this evening.
Weren’t the young people all wonderful in their various displays? Which one of them would ever have dreamed of leading a presentation on a stage in Rutherglen Town hall? Well done to them all.
Eric presented Provost Clearie a short time ago with a book- a book written by Baden-Powell, the man who started Scouting, entitled “Play the Game”. That’s what you young people all demonstrated tonight. How to play the Game. In that book Baden-Powell said “ the movement is a jolly Fraternity, all the jollier because in the game of Scouting you are doing a big thing for others, you are combating the breeding of selfishness…….The business of the scout leader is to draw out each boy and find out what is in him, and then to catch hold of the good and develop it to the exclusion of the bad….. The patrol system has a great character-building if it is used aright. It leads each boy to see that he has some individual responsibility for the good of his patrol. It leads each patrol to see that it has definite responsibility for the good of the troop. “
Scouts, You all play the game for fun, friendship, adventure, excitement, camping and outdoor activities. We adults too play the game- for those same reasons but also because we wish to see you develop, mature, grow in confidence, try new things and accept tougher challenges. Together we play the game well.
Provost Clearie, The 113th and the local council (in its various guises) have played the game together over these past 100 years. Let me share one example with you. In the scout group Court of Honour minutes of 8th March 1935 the following is recorded: “It was announced that assistant scoutmaster Falconer and patrol Leader Bain had returned from their visit to the Australian jamboree. Provost Gilmour visited the hall on Thursday 7th March to receive the letter from Rutherglen Australia. This visit is recorded in the Reformer the following week. “At the scout hall last Thursday night an interesting ceremony took place when there was handed over to provost john Gilmour a letter from the Shire president of Rutherglen Australia acknowledging the greetings sent from our burgh in Scotland”
This story has its origins in 1911 when the schools of Rutherglen got together and sent a Union Flag over to Rutherglen Australia. On their visit the scouts noted that after 24 years this flag was now tattered. They returned fired up and encouraged the Scouts to club together to raise the funds to replace the flag in preparation for the celebration of the King’s Silver Jubilee in 1935
Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing if in our centenary year we were able to recreate that tripartite link between the 113th scouts, Rutherglen Australia and Rutherglen Scotland. I look forward to exploring possibilities further with the Council.
Provost Clearie, we have received a number of greetings in this our centenary year. I’d like to share two of them with everyone tonight. Firstly we have a dvd message from our Chief Scout. Young people, you may not know him but many of the adults will recognise him as a former presenter of Blue Peter- peter Duncan.
Well there’s a challenge from the Chief Scout. I look forward to us all being back here in 13 years time. (the chief scout had suggested we should celebrate 113 years of the 113th next)
Secondly, I’m delighted to share a letter we received a couple of weeks ago from her Majesty the Queen.
Earlier on tonight we recognised the achievements of Logan, the beaver who received his Bronze Chief scout’s award and Paul, Christopher and Sean who all received their Silver Chief Scout’s Award. With the permission of Provost Clearie, I’m delighted to recognise two adults who have both made great contributions to scouting in the 113th and in the district. I’m pleased to invite Carslaw Purdie to join me to present their awards, and Provost Clearie who will present their certificates. I will read their citations.
Congratulations to both. As I near the end of my remarks, I note that we are only one quarter of our way through our centenary year. We’ve all had a wonderful evening thanks to Provost Clearie and his colleagues.
From tonight we can all go away refreshed, recharged and raring to go. To prepare for the next part of our celebrations – a taste and try scouting day on 16th may and our family camp with over 120 people already booked up at the end of May.
Provost Clearie, many thanks
Find out more about our centenary celebrations.