Riwaka Scouts celebrate the past, prepare for future

October 13th, 2014
[by Heather Adams]

Parents and youth from the Riwaka Scout Group gave their hall a tidy-up recently, in preparation for a special occasion. Although the Hall is only about 50 years old, the group itself was formed 100 years ago.

There is little information to be found about the early history of the group - formed during World War I, newspaper articles are scarce.

But from a photo held by the Nelson Provincial Museum, we do know that Keith Holyoake - Prime Minister and Governor General of New Zealand - was a member of the Group when it was formed. He was a 10 year old lad, living on Umukuri Rd.

Sir Keith Holyoake also donated a photo of himself to the Group during his political career - as a reminder, perhaps, of what we can achieve when we "do our best".

A celebration of the centennial will be held on Sunday 9 November at the Scout Hall in the Riwaka Recreation Reserve (behind the tennis courts), from 10.00am - 3.00pm.

There will be displays of memorabilia, Scouters to chat with and activities for all age groups (free). We hope people who have had an association with the Group at any time will come along to share their memories and rekindle their friendships.

Refreshments, and sausages from the barbecue will be available as a fundraiser to support upcoming renovations to the Hall.

Any past Scout (any section) or Leader from the local Groups who would like to contribute to the displays (eg. photos, campfire blankets, Jamboree newspapers, newspaper articles, uniforms or 'spinning a yarn') can do so, and are asked to phone Heather on .

This applies to past members of the Motueka and Lower Moutere Groups too, which have sadly discontinued.

The current Scout Group has about 45 youth members (Cubs and Scouts), supported by six leaders and a parent committee. The Group would love to hear from anyone interested in being a leader, as more support is needed as the sections grow in numbers and two other sections (age groups) could be run with dedicated leadership. Talk to us at the centennial.

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