The Top Ender Magazine October November 2020 Edition

1st Darwin Sea Scouts
Carrying on the Scouting Journey
This year, Scouts Australia celebrates
30 years of the ‘Joey mob’, designed
for children aged between 5 and 8
years. In honour of this, 1st Darwin Sea
Scouts had a beach day on 30 August
when scouts and their families came
together to celebrate with a morning
of beach games and challenges, ending
with an iconic Australian sausage
sizzle. As we focus on this milestone
it is important to reflect on the history
of the organisation in Darwin and the
meaning it holds for the children who
become members.
The Scouting movement itself was
established in 1908 when Lord Baden-
Powell, inspired by his experiences in the
Boer War in South Africa, published the
book Scouting for Boys. What started as a
guide for male youth in outdoor survival
skills has grown to become an international
organisation where males and females
can embark on a journey of growth that
is youth-led and adult supported.
In Darwin, the scouting journey began
in 1928 when Captain Leonard Robert
Samut established the Scouts as a means
of providing the boys of Darwin with a
chance to learn and develop skills that
would help shape them into future leaders.
Since the founding of 1st Darwin
Sea Scouts, the scouting movement has
evolved to become gender-inclusive and
includes Joeys (5–8 years), Cubs (8–11),
Scouts (11–15), Venturers (15–18), and
Rovers (18–25). Today the members of
1st Darwin Sea Scouts are continuing
in the scouting tradition by participating
in a range of adventurous activities that
include canoeing, bike riding, camping,
bushwalking and sailing. The success of
their efforts is recognised in the awarding
of badges for each new challenge they
embrace and conquer.
From the early days in the Northern
Territory, the scouting movement has
expanded to locations all around Darwin
and throughout the Territory, enabling
young people to be part of an organisation
where they can come together
with other youth and leaders and find a
sense of belonging. Furthermore, they
can learn new skills while developing a
strong sense of self and resiliency.
From the initial days of Scouting
until now, the Scouting movement has
remained an important institution for
young people. It is particularly important
today, as times have changed regarding
to family structure, social media, and
global pandemics. The Scouting organisation
may therefore provide a safe place
for youth to find comfort in their belonging
while establishing lifelong friendships.
For more information: admin@nt.scouts.
com.au or 8948 0994.
Denna Menz
Leader and Parent Helper
continued from page 37 | VP Day
1 April 1942 Allied troops in Borneo surrender.
21 April 1942 Japan pushes British troops west over the
Irrawaddy, to retreat to India.
27 April 1942 Strauss Airfield, near Noonamah, completed
by 808 Engineer Aviation Battalion.
7–8 May 1942 Battle of Coral Sea – a strategic victory for US
and Australian forces.
4–7 June 1942 Battle of Midway (decisive air–sea battle
defending Midway Islands, a coral atoll at the northern end of
the Hawaiian archipelago, 2,100km north-west of Honolulu),
the ‘tide of war’ starts to turn as Japanese Imperial Navy no
longer capable of mounting a serious offensive, allowing the
Allies to fight back.
21 July 1942 Japan invades Australian Territory of Papua, and
looks at advancing south along Kokoda Trail.
23 July 1942 First engagement on Kokoda Trail against Papuan
Infantry Battalion and the 39th Australian Infantry Battalion at
Awala.
24–25 August 1942 Battle of Eastern Solomons – the third
battle fought by aircraft based on aircraft carriers; although there
was no clear victory, Japanese losses were greater and the Allies
gained a tactical advantage.
1 December 1942 Ordinary Seaman Teddy Sheean VC killed
on HMAS Armidale sunk in the Arafura Sea.
18 February 1943 Death of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
(Commander in Chief of the Combined Fleet, a key figure in
the war in the Pacific, tactician behind the Japanese advance
through south-east Asia, attacks on Pearl Harbor and Darwin,
and Battle of Midway) – shot down over Bougainville (The Top
Ender June/July p.48) – a serious blow to Japan.
20 June 1943 Spitfires from NT intercept a formation of 42
60 The Top Ender | Tri-Services Magazine Incorporated