Gilwell Gazette, Issue 1

Highlights Is Anyone Listening? Day BSA Founders Critter Tales Today’s Schedule TTHHEE GILWELL GILWELL GGAAZZEETTTTEE South Texas Council—SR 1004 Volume V, Issue 3 January 18, 2009 S outh Is Anyone Listening? MORNING America has better means of communication than any nation on earth. 7:15 Gilwell Field Assembly We are constantly developing splendid new techniques for the 8:00 Breakfast and dissemination of sound, pictures and print. The only problem is that on Patrol Self-Assessment the most basic level of communication—person-to-person, live, mouth- to-ear, low-frequency conversation – we’re still in the dark ages; for Interfaith Worship 8:30 everyone sends well enough, but very few of us are receiving. Service (Instructional) 9:20 Break Last week in the elevator of my mother’s apartment house, a man 9:30 Troop Meeting asked her, “How are you?” 10:50 Break TM Since Mother had just spent three hours with a tax collector, she The Leading Edge / TM smiled graciously and said, “Lousy, thank you.” 11:00 The Teaching Edge (Troop Presentation) The man returned the smile and said, “That’s nice.” 11:50 Break Mother suspected that he either had misunderstood her or was simply Noon Lunch a sadist. However, later the same day, she passed a woman who said, AFTERNOON “How are you?” Patrol Leaders’ Council 1:00 Meeting “Suicidally distraught,” said Mother. Conservation Project “Fine,” said the woman. “Hope the family’s well too.” Planning 1:30 (Troop Presentation This second exchange gave Mother the kind of revelation that only and Activity) scientists have known when discovering great truths. Because that 2:20 Break man and woman weren’t people who would have wanted to see Mother 2:30 out of the way (neither is in her will), she reached a profound October Sky (Troop Activity) conclusion: If you are well enough to be talking, people consider your 4:30 condition superb, even if you colorfully describe an internal Closing Gilwell Field hemorrhage. Assembly 5:00 Patrol Meeting and Mother’s pioneering experimentation in the amenities has so inspired Departure me that I have dedicated myself to continuing her work. Yesterday, I made real progress. “How are you?” asked a man in front of my house. You know you’re a Scouter if— “I’ll be dead in a week.” I said. You raise your hand in the scout sign “Glad to hear it. Take care now.” at a heated business meeting. There is no known way to shake the composure of the man who makes a perfunctory inquiry about your health; he loves his lines so well that the grimmest truth can’t make him revise them. Never is human Plan your work-work your plan. ~~Lord Baden-Powell Listening continued p. 2 The Wolf Cub’s Handbook BSA Founders incorporated the Boy Scouts of America on February 8, 1910. He Robert S. S. Baden-Powell also created the Lone Scouts, which merged with the Boy Scouts As a youth, Robert Baden-Powell of America in 1924. greatly enjoyed the outdoors, learning about nature and how to Bill Hillcourt live in the wilderness. After In 1936, William “Bill” Hillcourt returning as a military hero from participated in the first Wood service in Africa, Baden-Powell Badge course held in the United discovered that English boys were States (which was run by the reading the manual on stalking and British). He earned his Wood Badge survival in the wilderness he had beads in 1939. Hillcourt became written for the Scoutmaster of the first two his military BSA Wood Badge courses, which regiment. were held at Gathering Philmont Scout ideas from Ranch in 1948. Ernest As National Thompson Director of Seton, Training, he Daniel Carter was the only Listening continued— Beard, and American ever communication so defeated as when others, he to earn the someone asks casually about your rewrote the right to wear condition. manual as a non-military nature five Wood skill book and called it Scouting for Badge beads. Some day, perhaps, when I’m under Boys. To test his ideas, Baden- a bus getting the last rites, I expect Hillcourt also Powell brought together 22 boys to such a man to throw me a breezy, authored camp at Brownsea Island, off the “How are you?” coast of England. This historic campout was a success and numerous Hillcourt & Baden-Powell “As well as can be expected,” I’ll Boy Scout say. resulted in the advent of Scouting. Thus, the imagination and manuals. After the abysmal failure of the “Good and the kids?” inspiration of Baden-Powell brought New Improved Scouting of the “The older one goes to the chair Scouting to youth the world over. 1970s, Hillcourt tomorrow. The little one was lost on Ernest Thompson Seton came out of retirement to revamp a Scout hike.” the program with a new Boy Scout Born in Scotland, Ernest Thompson “Swell. The wife okay?” Seton immigrated to America as a Handbook, returning the focus of the program “She just ran off with the milkman.” youth in the 1880s. His fascination to the outdoors. with the wilderness led him to “Glad to hear it. You’ll have to bring become a naturalist, an artist and (Hillcourt information taken from Wikipedia, the whole family over one night an author. Through his works he the Free Encyclopedia soon. influenced both youth and adults. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_%22Gr The power of the combined efforts of individuals working together. working individuals of efforts the combined of power The Seton established a youth een_Bar_Bill%22_Hillcourt ) ~~Ralph Schoenstein — organization called the Woodcraft Time Lurches On James E. West – James E. West Indians. His background of outdoor skills and interest in youth made was appointed the first Chief Scout him a logical choice for the position Executive of the Boy Scouts of of first Chief Scout of the BSA in America in 1911. Although Teamwork 1910. His many volumes of orphaned and physically Scoutcraft became an integral part handicapped, he had the of Scouting, and his intelligence perseverance to graduate from law and enthusiasm helped turn an school and become a successful idea into reality. attorney. This same determination provided the impetus to help build Scouting into the largest and most William D. Boyce – In 1909, effective youth organization in the Chicago publisher, William D. world. When he retired in 1943, Boyce, lost his way in a dense Dr. West was recognized London fog. A boy came to his aid throughout the country as the true and after guiding the man refused architect of the Boy Scouts of a tip, explaining that as a Scout he America. would not take a tip for doing a Good Turn. This gesture by an unknown Scout inspired a meeting by the Chronicle Publishing Company From The Far Side by Gary Larson; 1982, with Robert Baden-Powell, the British founder of the Boy Scouts. As a result, William Boyce 2 The “Guess Who Staffer Is” Game Drum Roll please… and the Winner is… the Big-Eyed Owl Patrol!!! They correctly identified the mystery Staffer wearing the floppy hat and cop-shades as Lt. Col. Roy Griffin. Uh… Hello!!! He’s their Troop Guide!!! Duh!!! Anyway, Roy claims that he didn’t tell them, though. Good job! Some interesting but incorrect guesses were: Gunny Soliz , Lloyd Towers and Meredith Jordan (what the?) Guess they were fooled by the mustache. Critter Tales Bionic Beaver News The Bionic Beavers made it through Day One of Wood Badge. Day Two started off at dawn for us, so we had to practice the flag ceremony before we had to do it this morning. Today, we are the proud caretakers of the program beads, and we are being very careful to pass them back in perfect but altered condition. Yell—We are the beavers, the great Bionic Leaders! Song—Bionic Beavers were here today. We fear no task that’s in our way. No stream to wide, no tree to tall We take them on one and all. High Flying Eagle News Our first night we were visited by ghost of scouting past, present and Scouting yet to come. We heard an inspirational talk by the Ghost of Baden Powell. The songs, stories and skits enthused us in our program. We went to bed with thoughts and schemes for future Scouting activities. Day two of our training we found we could quickly master keeping several objects in the air. A bad omen befell our morning when our camp stove would not turn off. We also discovered we were not NBA material. We are learning about each other as a team and appreciating our diversity. Bear Abby’s Advice Column Bear Abby, I’m sleeping in a dormitory for a Boy Scout training weekend. I’m enjoying myself, but there are a lot of snorers in the dormitory, and I’m loosing a lot of sleep. I want to tell them to stifle it; however, that’s not very Scout-like. What should I do? Sleepless in Camp Zephyr Dear Sleepless, Earplugs might work, or you could just bear with it. 3 Fire Fox News Fire Fox Patrol is developing TEAM work! Their individual skills are standing out and each person’s strength is helping to accomplish the project goal. We would like to thank all of the staff here for helping us broaden our leadership skills. The food is good and the staff is great~~all this adds up to an excellent training experience! We would also like to thank the staff for ordering the warmer weather for Saturday.

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