©©My involvement with Scouting started early 90's when my children became members of the 15th Essendon Sea Scouts. I have never been a Scout before. My first contact with Scouts was during the mid 60's when a Scout Jamboree was held in Penang, Malaysia. My family provided billet for a Scout from Sarawak. It was a brief encounter and nothing significant resulted from it. I am ashamed to say that I don't even remember his name. If you know him please e-mail me. It could be interesting to catch up!
All my three children were members of the 15th Essendon Sea Scouts. In fact my daughter, Sue Peng was the first female Sea Cub in the Essendon District, now called the Moonee Valley District. All my three children have benefited significantly from Scouting, particularly Sue Peng. Sue Peng started as a Cub. Then she moved on to enjoy the adventurous Scout activities. During her Venturer years she achieved the prestigious Queen's Scout Award. Then she became a member of the Keith Farquhar Rover Crew. My eldest son, Paul finished Scouting when he was 15 years old. As there was no Venturer Unit in the 15th Essendon Group at the time, he decided to give it away and pursuit a theatrical interest. My youngest son Gary also started as a Cub, he gone through Scout and Venturer and made many life-long friends in the process.
My first direct involvement with Scouting was during early 1992 when I became an Assistant Scout Leader (ASL) of the 15th Essendon Scout Troop. I didn't know much about Scouting at the time. But what kept me going was my enthusiasm, my willingness to learn, to help our youth and my love of adventure and the outdoor. With the help and encouragement of my Scout Leader (SL), my Group Leader (GL) and all the parents I was able to overcome the initial 'shock' and difficulties. I became Scout Leader of the 15th Essendon Scout Troop early 1994.
If you are interested in basic Scout Knotting have a look at the 42nd Brighton Scout Group's "Animated Knots"
For general Scouting information refer to Scouts Australia
