The 1st Berowra Scout Group was initially registered on 19th September 1929 with Evan Hughes of Allan Road as the first Scoutmaster. The registration papers show the Troop was initially unattached to any District. When registered, the Troop consisted of 6 invested Scouts and 8 recruits and met Tuesday nights at 8.00pm at Mr Hughes' parents house, although meetings were occasionally held at the Group Treasurer Mrs Stoyle's house, 20 Berowra Waters Road. Amongst the first intake of Scouts were Bill Foster, Jack Foster, Harry Heazlett, Jack Heazlett¤, Ernie Huett¤, Trevor Huett¤, Ken Johns, Jack Overton¤, Frank Partridge and Alan Woof¤. These were joined in 1930 by Jim Hardman, Dudley Heazlett, Colin Huett, Sid Towers and Les Wall¤. The Patrol Leaders' names were Jack Heazlett (Thrush Patrol), Alan Woof (Dove Patrol) and Bill Foster (Kingfisher Patrol).

Bill Foster, one of Evan Hughes' Scouts, recalls that they met at Evan's parents' house to study Scouting and to get help with their badge work. They also acted small plays, and had discussions and singsongs. One Saturday a month they'd go bush and do the practical side to what they'd learned. Each Scout had his own hand carved hiking staff. On several occasions they went on long weekend camps.

The Scouts had a Christmas camp at Crosslands in 1929. In those days Berowra Creek was deep and very clean and boats had no trouble going up or down at any time of the day. That same year saw the holding of a Scout rally in Hornsby Park where the swimming pool is today. The Scouts camped in the park and although it rained for one day, it was very successful. Bill Foster remembers he won the hop, step and jump and the long jump competitions.

Their 1930 Christmas camp was held near Bar Island at an old orchard owned by a Mr Vicars. The Troop had just settled in and had collected a bag of oysters when Mr Vicars arrived and made them throw them back (however some survived to be eaten later). Mr Vicars was a member of the Vicars Woollen Mills family.

Bill Foster also recalls attending a Scout event at Randwick Racecourse in 1931 at which Lord Baden-Powell attended. On this occasion the Scouts camped in a hall in Saber Street, Woollahra and travelled to and around Sydney in steam trains, trams, buses and ferries. They were always on the move, and in between saw much of Sydney. These activities tired them out so much they had no trouble sleeping on the hall's hard wooden floor.

In the 1930s the bush was full of birds and all sorts of animals. When going on a bush hike or a camp the Scouts always took some plaster of Paris to make casts of flowers and the footprints left by wallabies, kangaroos, birds, lizards, foxes, hares, rabbits, possums etc.

Evan Hughes was the only Warranted Leader for the Troop. Dudley Heazlett recalls that Evan was about 23 or 24 at the time and that he was a Public Servant working in, what was then he thinks, the Department of Labour and Industry. Part of Evan's work was to hand out ration tickets to the unemployed during the Great Depression. These tickets were exchanged for food, clothing etc. Dudley also remembers that, although he was only about 11 years old at the time, Evan let him tag along because his two brothers Jack and Harry were Scouts. At the time Cubs were 9-12 years old, Scouts 12-18 and Rovers over 17.

Evan built a canoe from wood and canvas in his parents' lounge room and this was used whenever the Troop went on outings along the river. The Troop often went on hikes to Joe Crafts Creek where they camped and practised bushcraft, including cooking and first aid. There was plenty of running water (which was pure in those days), flat ground to pitch tents, good swimming and clean sand. They carried their gear and food along Turner Road and then down the side of the gully to the spot at Joe Crafts Creek. In 1932 Evan Hughes and the Scouts walked to Berowra Creek and Rex Jones lent them two skiffs. They used these to row up to Peats Bight where they camped, for four days over Easter, at George and Frances Peat's farm. The Troop was disbanded after about 3 years due to Evan's other commitments.

Walter Rhodes remembers when he was a Scout (from about 1948) having chariot races on Berowra Oval. The chariots were made from three wooden staves tied together. They also had regular flour fights with the Leaders. He also recalls the time a Leader was showing them how to tie knots - as practice the Scouts grabbed the hapless Leader, tied him up and left him suspended from the hall roof. At one camp a large moth flew into a pot of stew which was cooking over a fire. In an attempt to scoop the moth out it somehow became lost in the stew. The Scouts never did find out who ended up eating the extra protein. Walter also recalls carting a heavy bag of cement through the bush in order to build a monument to a Scout who had died. The monument was built by the Scouts somewhere between Eleanor Bluff and Fisherman's Bend on the Hawkesbury River - perhaps the monument is still there.

A mention is made in the 1st Hornsby Group Committee minutes of 20th April 1948 that ASM Maurice Brangwin was at present Acting Scout Master at Berowra for the new Troop. It seems that Scouting was pretty much alive from 1948. A further mention is made in the 1st Hornsby Group Committee minutes of 15 March 1949 that Mr Brangwin, SM of Berowra Troop, reported that the Troop was growing - there now being 21 boys. An old record card, supplied by NSW Branch, shows 13 Scouts in Berowra in 1950 and 1st Hornsby's newsletter "The Camp Fire" stated Maurice is in charge at Berowra. ... He will be assisted ... at Berowra by Ian Murray. Maurice transferred his Warrant to Scout Master at 1st Hornsby Group in late 1950 and resigned in April 1952. Beryl Cunningham believes that once the original Scout Hall was built, Scouting (whether Cubs, Scouts or Senior Scouts) continued without a break until the current day. In August 1951 there were only four Groups - 1st Hornsby, 1st Berowra, 1st Normanhurst and 2nd Wahroonga (Blind) in the Scout Association's Hornsby District.

Bill Kirk came to live in Berowra in the 1950s. He had been in the navy and was keen to pass on his knowledge of knotting to his three sons Andrew, Anthony, and Howard. Each Sunday he would teach knotting to his sons and some of their friends. Noel Pogue (Hornsby District Commissioner) got to hear about Bill's activities and called to see him saying he'd heard Bill had formed an unofficial Scout Group. Bill explained what he was doing was no more than a social gathering of the local boys. Noel then pressed Bill into becoming a Scout Leader.

Bill was subsequently elected Group President, a function he performed for a couple of years. He recalls David Smith¤ was Akela of the Wolf Cub Pack and his wife Betty Smith was Baloo. Bill Whiddon (see below) was Scout Master of the Troop for about four years. Over the years Bill Kirk was Group Scout Master (Group Leader in today's parlance), and also helped with Cubs and Scouts. "Rocky" Knights¤ and John Gresham¤ were Scout Leaders in Bill Kirk's time too.

Bill also recalls one Christmas, around 1958, visiting The Snowy Mountains Scheme with Noel Vidal. Noel carried all the gear and two Scouts in his Vanguard panel van, and Bill drove his 1938 Plymouth with six Scouts.

The Group also hosted several of the District Scout Competitions in the Hall grounds in the 1960s.

Whilst felling an iron bark tree, to clear land for the 1960 extension to the Scout Hall, Bill badly gashed his leg with an axe. He required six weeks off work for the wound to heal. He still bears the scar today.

Some of the activities Bill recalls are:

1.      District Camps at Brooklyn Dam - these were well attended and always very popular with the Scouts;

2.      A cross country hike from Camp Kariong (at Kariong near Gosford) to Rofe Park at Hornsby. The Army was involved and fired blank rounds at the Scouts as they tried to get over a river on a single strand rope bridge. The trip took 2 to 3 days and made the Scouts use their mapping and compass skills to maximum effect.

3.      Harold Harrison's 21st birthday. Bill's task on that day was to get Harold out of the way by taking him to town for the day. Cubs were strung all along the road leading back into Berowra. As Bill and Harold returned to Berowra their progress was relayed by Cubs giving signals. In this way their arrival was closely monitored and Harold was given a surprise birthday party at the Scout Hall. The Ladies Committee prepared the food and everyone had a great time. Bill remembers Harold was very popular with everyone - boys, parents and Leaders.

Bill Whiddon received his Warrant in January 1956 and re-opened the Scout Troop on 6th March 1956 with 6 boys who came up from the Wolf Cub Pack where David Smith¤ was Akela. The Troop was registered a few months later on 31st May 1956 (the year television was introduced to Australia and the Olympic Games were held in Melbourne). Meetings were held on Fridays commencing 7.30pm at the Scout Hall (described by Bill as a 5.4 x 5.4 metres tin shed situated at the end of a bush track and surrounded by bush). The six Scouts were Phillip Jackson, Ian McWhirter, Phillip Richardson, Leon Stalls, Frank Steffel and Rudy Steffel. Rodger Kirkpatrick joined three weeks later having transferred from 1st Sutherland Scout Group. Rodger was already a 2nd Class Scout, well on his way to Scout 1st Class. Later Rex Boag, Andrew Kirk, Howard Kirk, Neville Page, John Steffel and John Taylor were to join the Troop. At the time of the Troop's registration there were 24 Cub Scouts and 1 Cub Scout Leader and Oswald E Steffel of Waratah Road, Berowra was the Secretary of the Group Committee.

Soon after the re-formation of the Troop, Hornsby District, with Noel Pogue as District Commissioner, decided to re-establish competitive District Camps. The first of these camps was at Bent Basin, Wallacia over the October holiday weekend 1956. 1st Berowra finished first in this competition. The next District Camp was held at The Willows picnic ground at Cattai in October 1957 - again 1st Berowra won the competition. Bill Whiddon's last camp with the Troop was a 7 day camp at Fraser Park near Swansea in January 1960.

Noel Pogue later became District Commissioner of Muogamarra District when the District was created. A story told to me, which illustrates the conditions some Leaders worked under many years ago, relates to Noel when he decided to visit the Brooklyn Scout Group one night to see how they were going. The Scoutmaster at Brooklyn was also the Fisheries Inspector and meetings were held in a building where fish were stored prior to dispatch to the Sydney markets. When Noel got to the building the lights were on, but there was deadly silence. He thought they must have been having a Scouts Own and, so not to disturb them, quietly approached the building. He looked around the corner and saw the Scoutmaster sitting at a desk surrounded by crates of fish and on the desk were two loaded pistols. It turned out the Fisheries Inspector had caught a poacher and confiscated his catch with the intention of selling it at the markets the next day. A similar incident had occurred previously, but the poacher that time had purposely spoiled the catch of fish so they could not be sold. The Scoutmaster (come Fisheries Inspector) was determined that would not happen this time and was standing guard over his catch. The whereabouts of the Scouts was not told to me.

Arthur "Colonel" Ball (retired Hornsby District Commissioner) recalls that he was asked by Harold Harrison, a 1st Berowra Scoutmaster in 1968-71, to assist with a wide game. His job was to dress up as a highwayman and kidnap the Scoutmaster. Apparently he was very convincing in his slouch hat and army greatcoat, for when he picked up their Scoutmaster the Scouts attacked him. Mr Ball made good his escape by car to Berowra Railway station where he changed his clothes just in the nick of time. A short while later several breathless Scouts arrived on the station and carefully studied Mr Ball to see whether he was the kidnapper they had been chasing. He recalls that he was lucky to escape with his life and never used that wide game again!

Peter Plumley became a Leader around May 1971, at the time Rocky "Number One" Knights and Ron "Akela" Knights were Leaders. Peter recalls that Jan Schuit was Group Leader and gave all Leaders tremendous encouragement and support. At that time John Gresham¤ and Ian Wightman were the Leaders of a very small Senior Scout Unit (Venturers).

During Peter's time, as now, Leaders were in short supply and a recruitment drive was arranged. Six Leaders were required and a meeting of parents held. Supper was provided, but not until the Leaders were recruited - it took 20 minutes to get the volunteers. In this way the second Cub Scout Pack "Kangaroo" was formed. A similar recruitment drive

was held when Koala Pack was formed. However on that occasion it took fifty minutes for supper to be served. It takes more than a cup of tea or coffee and cake these days to get Leaders.

Peter Plumley further recalls that one Friday night, after he'd been with 1st Berowra about twelve months, just as he was staring the Opening Ceremony, the door burst open - almost crashing off its hinges. In stomped a lad demanding "I want to be a Scout." This was David Cornford, no Cubs for him "That's too sissy" (his own words). David was a powerpack of inexhaustible energy, many times almost consuming anything and anybody before him. He was just what the Troop needed at that time to pull itself up out of the gloom. Often referred to as "Super Scout", he was always to be found right up front in everything over and above normal Scout activities. Fund raising, car washes, special projects - you name it, he was into it. How he ever found the time, let alone the energy, to get involved with the Zig Zag railway in a big way as well, the Lord only knows. I say this not to overshadow the contributions of the other lads, merely to recognise an outstanding and memorable contribution to the Group as a whole.

It was indeed for Berowra a very proud moment on the lawns of Government House when David Cornford (Corny), with his three mates Craig Henderson (Hendo), Jonathan Walker (Wacky) and Robert Plumley (Plum) received their Queen Scout Awards. They were the only lads from Hornsby District that year, rather fortuitously the official photographer was also. He very kindly and proudly arranged a special group photograph of the four lads with the Chief Scout Sir Roden Cutler.