Some Akelas of the Pack have been David Smith¤ (from 1954), Jean Lane (from 1961), Mildred Holman (from 1962), Mr Kent (from 1963), Renee (Ron) Knights (from 1964), Mildred Holman (from 1973), Kathleen Palmer (from 1974), John Stephens (from 1976), Brian Engert (from 1981), Sue Bamford (from 1989) and Ros Bickford (from 1994).

In 1964 Mr Kent left the Group and Mrs Knights, who had previously been a Girl Guide Leader, took over the Pack on the proviso that another Leader was found. The Group didn't provide another Leader and Mrs Knights stayed on as Akela until 1973. During that time she gained her Wood Badge (the pinnacle of Leadership training). When Mr Kent left there were 50 boys in the Pack. They were sorted into age order by Mr Albert "Rocky" Knights¤ and Mrs Renne "Ron" Knights. The split resulted in 20 of the 50 going up to Scouts (under the Leadership of Mr Knights). The remaining 30 stayed in Cubs and were joined by Michael Campbell, Ashley Knights, Scott Rappeneker and Peter Shaw from 1st Brooklyn Scout Group which had been formed in 1963.

During the nine years Mrs Knight was Akela she never had fewer than 36 Cubs in the Pack. She was assisted by John "Bagheera" Winigee and Ian "Baloo" Lawrence. However prior to these Leaders Stephen Alison, Rolf De Heer and Peter de Ruyter were often called upon to help on outings. The Pack had many such outings as well as Pack Holidays. The following activities are worth noting:

On one outing John "Bagheera" Winigee pretended to steal Akela's gold pen. The Cubs gave chase and Bagheera climbed a tree to escape. The Sixes were always kept together for all activities in order to teach them to co-operate with each other and thereby build their team spirit. The boys, so trained by Mrs Knights, decided the best way to reach Bagheera was to form a human pyramid. They quickly did so and Marcel de Ruyter, the tallest Cub, climbed on top. He was able to reach Bagheera but only managed to grab hold of Bagheera's trousers. Bagheera had to run all the way back to camp in his underpants much to his embarrassment and everyone else's amusement.

1967 - An Open Day with athletic activities at which, amongst other triumphs, Jip de Heer won his sack race closely followed by David Semple, and Billy Jones and Peter Shaw came first and second in another sack race.

1968 - Oberon (2-4 February) where the Pack stayed at 1st Oberon Scout Hall and participated in games with 1st Oberon Pack. They also visited a sheep station to watch a sheep shearing demonstration.

1969 - An outing to Schnapper Island (off Drummoyne) where the Navy took the boys out in whaling boats. The oars were so big and heavy it took three Cubs per oar to row the boats. The boys who attended were, Leslie Anderson, Kyle Callaghan, Kevin Christensen, Clive Deakin, Mark Fisher, Bruce Hume, Phillip Kennedy, Ashley Knights, Matthew Leach, Stephen Lowe, Malcolm McGranger (Scout), Anthony Quinn, Gary Robb, Walter de Ruyter, Robin Sneddon, Michael Waitzer and Christopher Wilson.

1969 - Muogamarra District Scout Rally at Arcadia Park which was won by 1st Berowra. John and Colleen Stephens assisted the Leaders at the Rally.

1969 - Queen Scout presentations to Rolf De Heer, Peter de Ruyter and Beric Sneddon, which was attended by many visitors together with almost the whole Group.

1970 - Pack Holiday to Sawtell, Urunga, Bellingen, Bellingen Falls and Ebor Falls in May, attended by Greg Addison, Kyle Callaghan, Kevin Christensen, Jeffrey Collins, Clinton Davies, Glen Day, Clive Deakin, Mark Fisher, Kevin Hardiman, Bruce King, Steven Langhorn, Charles Lassak, Graham Lawrence, Darryl Lees, Steven Low, Stephen Maloney, Malcolm McGranger, Christopher McNichol, Warwick Phelps, Gary Robb, Clifford Roger, Jeffrey Rogers, Marcel de Ruyter, David Semple, Robin Sneddon, David Stephen, Iain Steven, Peter Stevenson, Rod Stevenson, Glen Swain, Rod Unicomb, Jonathan Walker, Gregory West and Christopher Wilson. The Cubs and Leaders travelled by train to Sawtell and had a carriage all to themselves. The train guard complimented Akela and her Cubs on tidying the carriage and said it was the cleanest carriage he had seen. The Cubs stayed three nights at Sawtell Scout Hall and went on days trips to Urunga, Bellingen and Ebor.

1970 - Picnic Outing to Muogamarra Reserve attended by Leslie Anderson, Neil Anderson, Kyle Callaghan, Glen Day, Clive Deakin, Mark Fisher, Ashley "Kaa" Knights, Renee "Akela" Knights, Christopher McNichols, Gary Robb, Robin Sneddon, Peter Stevenson, Rodney Stevenson, Glen Swain, Jonathan Walker, William Walker, Christopher Wilson and John "Bagheera" Winigee.

Going Up Ceremonies at Brooklyn Dam where the Cub said his last Promise as a Cub in front of Akela and was taken across the water to the other side to make his Promise as a Scout. These were followed by a sausage sizzle (sometimes a sausage burn). On one of these occasions the boys were asked to bring a sausage to barbecue, but most brought about half a kilogram. One Cub opened his bag containing a large string of sausages whereupon a kookaburra swooped down and took the lot when he momentarily left them unguarded. In 1967 Stephen Towler, Ashley Knights, Steven Skinner and Phillip Deakin went up to Scouts in this way at Brooklyn Dam.

The last Pack holiday with Mrs Knights as Akela was to Redhead, Newcastle. Each Pack holiday had a theme and this one's was the Vikings. A raft made of wood with a head on its bow was made in such a way that smoke came out the nose. Ian Wightman was dressed up as a Viking and tried to capture the Cubs. The only one to fall victim to the Viking raider was a Cub who didn't follow instructions.

Each year, as a fund raising event a winter concert was presented by the Group to the parents and members of the public. Cubs were expected to produce their own skit or item and do all their own singing (no tape recorded singing etc. was permitted). The Cubs and their audiences enjoyed themselves immensely on all these occasions.

The Cubs were very fond of Mrs Knight and one wrote to her after she had left and asked her to come back.
Thank you very much for the kiwi and the Sixer Badge. I wish you would come back to the Pack. ... If you can would you please come to the concert and bring Kaa. I will let you know when the concert is. I will try and get a picture of the Pack for you. Tell Number One I am not forgetting him and how good he was. (Number One was the Group Scout Master Albert (Rocky) Knights).

In 1971 the following boys were in the Pack:
Wayne Barnett Jeffrey Henderson Timothy Morris
Mark Davidson Kent Holman Craig Pennig
Glen Day Anthony Jobses Robert Plumley
Marcel de Ruyter Stephen Langhorn John Schmit
Trevor Dirckze Greg Lytton Robert Schuck
Andrew Doughty Barry MacAllister Rodney Stevenson
David Fife Christopher McNichols Gordon Todd
Glen Gilbert William Miller Jonathan Walker
Stephen Hanscomb Graham Morris Stephen West
Martin Healy Stephen Moon Stephen Williams
Greg Henderson 

The Leaders were Ron "Akela" Knights, John "Baghera" Winigee and Ian "Baloo" Lawrence.

Bill "Shih" Stevenson (a Leader in different Sections from 1971-79) recounts the following way in which he was recruited by Akela as a Leader:

Mrs Knights (Akela) one evening invited me to remain and view the Cub activities. I accepted her invitation then quietly sat on one of the benches as a very interested spectator.

I was quite impressed with the way that Akela had things organised.

The meeting went like a well oiled machine and the Cubs obviously enjoyed themselves during standard ceremonies, such as saluting the flag, Oath of Allegiance to Queen and country, games and learning sessions.

After they had played a few quiet games there came a time when it was "discovered" that they were one Cub short of the required number needed to play the particular game.

Yours truly found himself in the unusual and undignified position of cavorting around the Cub den floor in what proved to be a pretty rough game and enjoying it.

"Shih" also recalls that on 8 October 1972 he took two Cub Scouts and five Scouts to Taronga Zoo. That day Stephen Maloney showed some initiative in hiring a zoo trolley so that everyone could place their baggage (including lunches) on it. Unfortunately Stephen also decided to take a downhill ride in the trolley. He, all the luggage and the food went into Sydney Harbour. Stephen was not too popular with the hungry boys. "Shih" also remembers that he and Roy "Brumus" Brown often held meetings over the Christmas break for those boys who did not go away on holidays.

Some of the numerous activities "Shih" and the Cub Scouts enjoyed included kite flying at Mills Park, Hobby and Craft days, Walk-a-thons, Billy Cart races, hikes, campfires, weekend camps, progressive dinners, film nights, badge testing and Group concerts to name but a few.

I am indebted to Kathleen Palmer for the following recollections:

I transferred to 1st Berowra Pack from 1st Turramurra Pack in 1973 as ACM (Assistant Cub Mistress) at the time 1st Berowra had only one Cub pack. The Knights (Rocky and Ron) were retiring from the Cub section of the Berowra Scout movement and I came in as the warranted Leader to help, while Mildred "Akela" Holman and Christine Todd continued with Cubs and also completed their training.

John and I had just moved to Berowra Heights and had a daughter Lisa then aged 2 years. I remember thinking at the time boys 8-12 years old will think a 2 year old girl is a little pest. But after my first camp to Budgewoi on Lake Munmorah (with Lisa in attendance), and with the Cubs spending a lot of their time building castles, dams and finding things on the lake shore to show to Lisa, to my amazement, I thought I should have had quads, 1 child for each Six to keep them happy.

One hike I remember was a Hornsby District Cub outing to the Basin in April 1974. We got buses to Church Point, and a ferry which was supposed to drop us off at the bay before the Basin, to what was supposed to be a short walk just over the hill and down into the Basin. But of course they dropped us at the wrong bay, we had to bush bash our way up to the Commodore Heights Road, walk down the road to the Basin turn off and then down to the Basin. All up about 7 miles with all those Cubs and carrying a 3 year old, what a day!

During 1975-76 when I was on leave having Scott, Mildred and Christine left Cubs as their sons were now in the Scout Troop and we had two new Leaders - John Stephens and Brian Engert, we also had two assistants Jonathan (Jono) Walker and David (Corny) Cornford and had increased the number of Sixers. I returned from leave of absence to become known as an ALCM (Assistant Lady Cubmaster - the start of women's lib.).

I remember going on the last Cub outing organised by North Metropolitan Area before we separated into our own District of Muogamarra). A day at the Richmond RAAF Air Base in about 1978. All up I think there were about 150 bus loads of Cubs there. I think every Cub from North Sydney to Brooklyn and including all the Northern Beaches was there. There were model planes and boats, all sorts of activities and, as the boys thought best of all, a chance to walk through a Hercules transport plane and we didn't lose a single Cub.

Over my 14 enjoyable years (1973-1987) as a Cub Scout Leader with 1st Berowra, I have seen many changes. We went from one of the smallest Groups in the Area with only one Cub Scout Pack and one Scout Troop, to the largest with 4 Cub Packs, two Scout Troops, a Venturer Unit and a Rover Crew and still we had boys on the waiting list. I have attended many different outings including the Air Scouts at Camden; Scoutaramas at Waitara Oval; a combined camp between Emu Pack and Kangaroo Pack at Ingleside, where it didn't stop raining ALL WEEKEND (we didn't know we knew so many games); District Cub Camps; billy cart derbies; a camp to Canberra; two camps to Mt Seaview; Cub Soccer days; a tour over a submarine arranged by a father, Mr Cousins while he was serving in the Navy; the Cub Scout 70th Anniversary Celebration trip to Wonderland when the only people there were Cubs; and many more.

Mrs Christine Todd joined Mrs Holman in 1973 and together with Kathleen Palmer ran the Pack for a few years. Christine commenced her in-service training with John Stevens at Asquith on 29 March 1973 before he transferred to 1st Berowra. Sufficient numbers of boys existed to form a second Pack and on Wednesday 12 September 1973 1st Berowra "B" Cub Pack was formed. Mildred Holman continued as Akela of "A" Pack which was run on Thursday nights. Christine, as Akela, was assisted by Hal Maloney as Cub Instructor from October 1973. Akela remembers cooking with the Cub Scouts at a place in Joalah Crescent called Barbar's Pool (a natural rock pool where the local youngsters swam until, many years later, it became too polluted). Christine and her son Gordon were each, on separate occasions, invested by Christine's father-in-law who had been a Scouting Commissioner in the West Indies. The "B" Pack lasted until 28 May 1975 when a Leader shortage made its closure inevitable. It was to be another two years until a second Pack was again formed. Unfortunately it (Kangaroo Pack) was to suffer a similar fate. Christine then continued with Cubbing in the "A" Pack and recalls a rather rare occasion where a combined Brownies/Guide/Cub/Scout meeting was held on 6 December 1976.

The following extract from the Hornsby District Leaders' newsletter Pichi Malla of April 1981, about a Pack holiday, is rather humorous:

With Wedding Bells in the Autumn air, 1st Berowra Emu Pack took the opportunity at their recent Pack Holiday to have a Mock Wedding Breakfast for the ACL Sandra Bladon on the Saturday night.

When all the guests were assembled (including the parents of the Bride and Groom) Sandra and Cliff Batty (her fiance), arrived suitably dressed for the occasion in outlandish costumes provided by Mr and Mrs John Stephens. The hall decorated, wedding cake (rubber) on the Bridal table, the Master of Ceremonies, Brian Engert dressed in formal evening attire started the proceedings. While a delicious dinner was served "telegrams" were read and the Cubs each had a present for the bride and groom. All through the evening the "wedding cake" was being passed along the Bridal table, first in front of the Bride then to the other end of the table to the Groom. Then came the time to cut the cake and to the surprise of the happy couple the knife wouldn't cut. By this time Wyee (Joyce Black - Editor of Pichi Malla) and Wontolla (Clemency McRae - District Cub Scout Leader) decided they had better produce the cake they had made to save the Bride and Groom any further embarrassment. The evening ended with a sing song and a presentation of two "For Service Badges" to Bruce Johnson and Alan Scott both of whom have been assisting John "Akela" Stephens with Pack Holidays etc., since his days at 1st Asquith. To top off a most enjoyable evening, cake (real this time) and coffee were served.