Tag Archives: Queen’s Scout

History is all around us – we just have to open our eyes

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Queen Adelaide (from the publication: The story of Adelaide)

Queen Adelaide
(from the publication: The story of Adelaide)

It is four weeks since I last posted anything on my blog.  It is not because I haven’t done anything interesting, but I like to keep my posts different to the mundane activities of daily life.  My PhD writing is in the final stages – I know I keep saying that – with my new supervisor reading the thesis for the first time.  While there are suggestions and recommendations to ‘tighten up’ some of the language and add a few more references in a few places, overall he seems satisfied.  I’m treating his review as the independent examination before it goes out to the two official independent examiners – one in Australia and one overseas.

I have a couple of other projects running concurrently as well – in addition to teaching one undergraduate class (of 30 students) and stepping in for a Graduate Diploma subject whilst a colleague is overseas.  A few weeks ago I commenced the oral history research of my mother-in-law, Vida Liebelt.  The project is titled: Vida – a pastor’s wife.  So far there have been ten interviews and about eleven hours or recorded material.  Approximately six hours have been transcribed and I’m gradually undertaking the painstakingly detailed challenge of checking and correcting the transcripts against the voice.  I expect that there will be another two interviews, but I will conduct them once I have all the transcripts up to date and I can look for any gaps in the narrative.  More of this will evolve over the coming weeks and months.

About five weeks back I wrote a piece titled: Where are they now?  It was about discovering a 1965 order of service and dinner menue for 92 Queen’s Scout recipients – of whom I was one.  The research is slowly progressing.  I have met with two other Queen’s Scouts from that year and later this week I will be having lunch with one of the official party from the dinner.  While I am still unsure whether this will develop into a project or not, I’m certainly enjoying meeting with some of my fellow recipients.  There will be further updates on this as well.

During the week I heard a presentation from the Queen Adelaide Society Inc. and then on Friday (last) I visited the West Terrace Cemetary.  Both were interesting and offered some  opportunities for research community involvement as well.

Where are they now?

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I posted an extract of this on the Adelaide Remember When FB page earlier today. Fifty years ago this month (April 1965) 92 teenage boys were presented the Queen’s Scout award by the then Governor Sir Edric Bastyan.  On April 3 (1965) the Queen’s Scout dinner was held at the Top of the Town Restaurant, in Cox Foys, Rundle Street, Adelaide. Back in the ’60s Adelaide did not have many restaurants, especially ones that could cater for a hundred or more guests.  Also the liquor licensing laws were significantly different to those of today (2015), and the legal drinking age was still 21 years of age – so that excluded a hotel venue. In fifty years my detailed memory of the evening has dimmed somewhat.  However, I recall being a little over-whelmed by the occasion – I was 17.  My father had driven me into the city as the event was seen as a significant ocassion by my family.  I caught the bus home afterwards.  The Chief Commissioner (for Scouts) was Henry Rymill, CBE. The 1965 Queen's Scout presentation dinner menu The program for the evening’s events included the Loyal Toast List to Her Majesty The Queen, and a toast to the 1965 Queen’s Scouts.  The response to the Queen’s Scouts Toast was given by Peter Balan, who has since become a successful academic at UniSA.  I remember the film called: ‘The Senior Way’ being screened, but I have no recollection of what it contained other than it showed many images of Scouts doing scouting ‘stuff’. The Queen’s Scout Award is an achievement from my teenage years of which I am still proud and pleased to to include in my resume.  However, what has happened to the other 90 eager young boys – the stories of their lives, their children and grand children?

Presentation of Queen's Scout Award to David Sweet, Government House, Adelaide by the then Governor, Sir Edric Bastyan. (April 1965)

Presentation of Queen’s Scout Award to David Sweet, Government House, Adelaide by the then Governor, Sir Edric Bastyan. (April 1965)

Howard Hamon is the brother-in-law of my mate’s sister (a small world) David Jansen and I went to Glen Osmond Primary School together, but I lost touch with him many years ago, David Rattray (if he is the same person) and I were at Unley High and a number of other names from the ‘Menu’ may have been police officers. Is your name or the name of someone you know on the back of the menu (above)?  Maybe through my blog and Adelaide Remember When. the question can be answered.?