Twilight, speaker Colin Allum

A LIFETIME OF SCOUTING

At last week’s twilight meeting, the club welcomed a well-known local face, Colin Allum, whose late partner in business, Lawrie Scott-Watson, had been a founder member of the club, as well as having been president in 1964.

He told the Rotarians of his lifetime in Scouting, having joined the 1^st Henley Scouts when he was 10, at the time that the group scoutmaster was the late Phil Sutton, who had been instrumental in forming the group, one of the first in the country, in 1908.

Mr Allum gave a comprehensive account of how Robert Baden Powell, a British Army officer instrumental in defending Mafeking during the Boer War, had written various pamphlets entitled Scouting for Boys, which were incorporated into a book and became the fore-runner of the formation of the movement in 1907, which was entitled the Boy Scout Association by 1912 (later known as the Scout Association when girls were admitted)..

During his early days as a 10-year old member of the 1^st Henley Scouts, Mr Allum recalled how Phil Sutton had obtained the sole use of a campsite in Eastbourne for many years, which the group visited regularly. During his first year (in 1956), he had also visited the World Jamboree. He then explained how he had progressed through the various stages such as Beaver Scout, Cub Scout, Explorer Scout and Network (adult) Scout, gained various proficiency badges on the way and eventually becoming troop leader.

At that time the headquarters were in a small dilapidated hut near the old football ground in Reading Road, but a new building was erected in Greys Road which is still the headquarters. He explained that, with a current membership of 465,000 in the U.K., every village had a scout group and, when he moved to Stoke Row, he became a group leader there.

After a stint as assistant district commissioner, he served as district commissioner of the South Chiltern District for ten years, and now holds various posts in the new Thames and Chiltern District as local training manager, training adviser and panellist on the appointments advisory committee.

His talk demonstrated his enthusiasm and love for the movement, which he described as continually evolving but keeping to its principles. The vote of thanks was given by Denis Craggs, who recalled camping in a wet Lake District on a number of occasions.