The Scout Badge

Welcome to the Scout Section of Kirikiriroa & St Peter’s Scout Group.

Before you are invested as a Scout you will need to complete the requirements for your Scout Section badge. This introduces you to Scouting. Work with your Team (or Patrol) Leader to complete all of the following and earn your badge.

The development of Scouting

The Scout Movement was founded by Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden–Powell, or B-P as we call him.

B-P was born in London, England on February 22, 1857. His father died when he was only three years old.

As a school pupil he was very good at acting, singing, orchestra, sports, and art. He was particularly very good at drawing and could draw equally well with either right or left hand.

During School holidays, B-P and his older brothers enjoyed travelling far and wide on camping and boating trips.

As the youngest he learnt much about the outdoors and looking after himself on these trips.

At Charterhouse School where he was a boarder he also learned how to trap animals and cook them over open fires in an area of bush nearby.

He also learned how to evade capture by his teachers, as this area was out of bounds.

After school B-P joined the army as an officer in the 13 Hussars (a cavalry regiment) and was sent to India in 1876. B-P proved to be an outstanding soldier and served in India, Afghanistan, South Africa and several other countries.

In 1897 B-P was given command of his own regiment, the 5th Dragoon Guards. He introduced new training methods to make life more interesting for the men in the regiment and presented a badge to those that successfully completed the course. The badge was in the form of an arrowhead: the north point of the compass. We use a version of it today as a symbol of our Scout Movement.

B-P wrote a book about his training methods called, “Aids to Scouting”. In 1889 B-P was posted to South Africa to fight in the Boer War. He was in the town of Mafeking with 1,000 men when it was surrounded by 9,000 Boers.

B-P used all sorts of tricks to defend the town for seven months until help came. Some of his tricks were using candles and biscuit tins as searchlights which he moved from place to place to make the Boers think there were many searchlights guarding the town. He also made grenades from old tin cans, put up imaginary barbed wire and buried dummy mines. He also used the young boys of the town to carry messages to the men fighting. When Mafeking was rescued B-P found himself a national hero and at 43 was promoted to Major–General: the youngest Major–General in the British Army.

B-P was surprised on returning to England to find his book ‘Aids to Scouting” was being read by many people and was being used in schools. He thought that his ideas might be useful to youth organisations and began rewriting it for boys.

To test his ideas he held a camp on Brownsea Island for 20 boys from different backgrounds. The boys were placed in four groups or Patrols and learned about camping, hiking, stalking, boating and many other things.

The camp was a great success and B-P went on to write his book, “Scouting for Boys”.

When the book appeared, patrols of Scouts formed of their own accord all over Britain and soon around the world. King Edward VII influenced B-P into leaving the army and working full time to organise the Scout Movement in 1909.

At that time he was knighted and became Sir Robert Baden–Powell.

Copies of ‘Scouting for Boys’ had already reached New Zealand and patrols of Scouts were beginning to be formed. The first patrol to be officially part of the Scout Movement in New Zealand was formed in early 1908 in Kaiapoi by Mr T Mallasch. It consisted of four boys plus the Scout Leader, Mr Mallasch. The patrol was officially sworn in by Major David Cossgrove on July 3, 1908. By 1909, there were 500 troops registered in New Zealand.

The first Scout Jamboree was held in London in 1920. Scouts from around the world proclaimed B-P “Chief Scout of the World”.

In 1929 B-P received a peerage for his work for Scouting. He took the title Lord Baden–Powell of Gilwell, which was taken from Gilwell Park, the international Scout training centre near London.

In 1938, suffering from ill–health, B–P returned to Africa, which had meant so much in his life, to live in semi–retirement in Nyeri, Kenya. On January 8, 1941, B-P died at the age of 83.

He is buried in a simple grave at Nyeri within sight of Mt Kenya. On his headstone are the words, ‘Robert Baden–Powell, Chief Scout of the World’.

Today his life is celebrated every year by Scouts around the world on Founder’s Day, the 22nd February.

The Scout Promise

On my honour, I promise to do my best,
To develop my spiritual beliefs,
To contribute to my community, country and world
To help other people
And live by the Scout Law

The Scout Law

HAVE RESPECT.
• For yourself and others
• For the environment

DO WHAT IS RIGHT
• Be trustworthy and tolerant
• Have integrity

BE POSITIVE
• Accept challenges
• Be a friend to all

The Scout motto

The Scout salute

A salute is a special way of greeting a person.

Scouts and other members of the Scout family have their own salute.

On your right hand, bend your little finger over your palm and hold it down with your thumb.

Hold your other three fingers straight up and close together.

To salute, bring your fingertips up to the side of your eyebrow, with your palm facing forward.

Remember— “Up the long way, down the short way.”

For Scouts, the three fingers remind you of the three parts of the Scout promise:

To do my best,
to help other people,
to live by the Scout law.

The Scout sign

When you make your Scout promise, you make the Scout sign. This is like the salute, except that your hand is only about shoulder height.

The Scout Sign reminds you that it is the promise which makes you a Scout. It is important to keep the promise so that it grows with you and becomes part of your life.

You also make the Scout sign when you hear someone else making their promise.

The Scout handshake

When your parents or other adults shake hands to greet someone, they normally use their right hands. However, members of the Scout movement have a special left–handed handshake.

In Africa, warriors once fought with spears, and carried shields in their left hands. If a warrior met a friend, however, he would not need his shield for protection, and would have his left hand free.

So if a man held out his left hand, it showed that he trusted you and wanted to be friendly.

Lord Baden–Powell once met an African chief who held out his left hand in greeting, showing that he wanted to be friendly.

This impressed Baden–Powell and he chose this special handshake for all Scouts. It shows trust, courage and friendship, and is a symbol of our membership of the Scouting family.

The Scout Group

The Scout family is made up of: Keas, Cubs, Scouts, Venturers, Rovers,  Kaiarahi and Adult Helpers.

The Group Leaders are the  head of the group to which all these Scouts belong. Each Scout group is part of Scouts Aotearoa (our National Body), which in turn is part of World Scouting.

A history of Scouting

1857: Robert Stevenson Smyth Baden–Powell was born on February 22 in Paddington, London, England.
1907: Baden–Powell’s experimental camp at Brownsea Island, England August 1st–9th. 1908 “Scouting For Boys” written.
Boy Scout Office opened.
First Scout camp in New Zealand held at Woodend.
1909: Sea Scouting started 1916 Cub Section started
1920: First World Jamboree, Olympia, London. Baden–Powell acclaimed “Chief Scout of the World”
1926: First New Zealand Jamboree held in Dunedin
1929: Baden–Powell given peerage; takes title Lord Baden–Powell of Gilwell 1941 Lord Baden–Powell died on January 8th. He was buried in Nyeri, Kenya. Air Scouts started.
1963: Venturer section started in New Zealand 1979 Kea Section started in New Zealand.
Girls admitted to Venturers in New Zealand
1987: Girls admitted to Scout section in New Zealand
1989: Girls admitted to Kea and Cub sections in New Zealand 2007 World centenary of Scouting
2008: New Zealand centenary of Scouting.

The New Zealand flag

The New Zealand flag is a blue flag with the Union flag in the top inner corner. It also has four stars in red outlined in white which represents the stars of the Southern Cross.

The New Zealand ensign was adopted by the New Zealand Parliament in 1901 and
gained the Royal Assent to its adoption in 1902.

The Union flag is the national flag of the United Kingdom. It is made up of the old national flags of the three former kingdoms, England, Scotland and Ireland.

In 1603 King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England and the flags of England and Scotland were combined. In 1801 the flag of Ireland was added to the other two, which then became the Union flag.

Flag break

Some Scout Sections have a special flag ceremony but generally follow this format.
Scouts are asked to fall in and form a horseshoe facing the flag and standing at ease: feet shoulder width apart, hands clasped behind the back, (any Kaiarahi present stand on either side of the flag).

The section is brought to the alert: feet together, hands by your sides, and all those not directly facing the flag (the Kaiarahi for example) should do so at this point.

Just as with the Scout Promise a prayer is said, then the flag is ‘broken’ by a Scout (briefed beforehand) who walks up to the flag and pulls on the halyard or ‘breaking’ rope to ‘break’ or let the flag unfold.

Once it has unfolded, the Scout Section salutes in time with the Scout. The Scout then returns to his or her team (or patrol) and the section is stood ‘at ease’.

Flag down

Flag down ceremony is undertaken in a similar way: the troop is assembled again in the horseshoe shape and brought to the ‘alert’.

Often, troops will sing ‘Taps’ as the flag is lowered instead of a final prayer:

Day is done, gone the sun,

From the sea, from the hills,

From the sky, all is well,

Safely rest, God is nigh.

A Scout walks to the flag, unties the rope holding it in position and lowers the flag slowly, ensuring that it does not touch the ground, which is considered disrespectful.

The Scout then stands back, still facing the flag, and at the alert for a few seconds.

No salute is given at this time.

He or she then returns to their team (or Patrol) before the section is dismissed.

Personal First Aid kit

You should make your own first aid kit and have it ready for an emergency. Your kit should be lightweight, compact and in a waterproof container. It should be easy to get at when you require it. Suggested items are:

• Crepe bandage (100 mm)
• Pain relief (e.g. Paracetamol)
• Triangular bandage cloth (sterile)
• Antihistamine tablets (3–6)
• Plastic strip dressing (6–10 bandaids)
• Sunscreen
• Large dressing strip
• Lip balm
• Non-adherent sterile dressings (2 or 3 of various sizes)
• Disposable CPR face shield
• Gauze dressings (2 or 3)
• Burn gel sachet
• Non–alcohol wipes
• Sticking tape (1 roll)
• Notebook or paper
• Pencil
• Safety pins
• Insect repellent
• Scissors
• Personal medication
• Disposable gloves
• Saline
• Card With your name, address, and telephone number and ICE contacts. List anything you may be allergic to, and any medicines you may take.