Back to the seventies

 

Memories from the past include seeing and knowing Cubs know at the time as Cub Scouts at church at various services looking smart like these two posed ones did, common place in many suburban and country districts .

Skiing in the snow

 

We were supposed to have had a a major deluge of snow here but you know what?

It only showed up for a few hours and melted completely away but Winter doesn't mean in Cubs you cannot take part in sports as there's winter sports such as skiing that nearby we do have a ski centre for and that is what these cubs from Lancashire are doing, clearly enjoying the experience.

Memories

 

Things you loved: Gathering leaves at camp either for arts and crafts like making a Leafman with arms and legs or maybe lighting a fire (but do take care!)

Run!

 

More fun at camp this time in 1985, obviously having a great time and looking just right.

2,000th post

When I started writing this piece temperatures had started to climb so we'll be keeping cool, drinking much and with the fans running but there is something really special about today that we're marking.

The blog started out of a tumblr during the period of great tumblr purges of 2018-20 when I discovered that I was increasing blogging around scouting and related topics and felt that really it needed a focus so a tumblr was launched with a blog elsewhere that would have more extended posts on as with tumblr you tend to eith make original posts or you reblog perhaps with a extra bit.

That went in suspicious circumstances in 2020 but that did leave a legacy issue of posts whose images were "hyperlinked" that either went or for various reasons blocked.

It was never just a blog about past scouting or heaven's above just uniforms although past connections to Scouts, knowing those who were in GirlGuiding too were a part of but about how we take that on be that formal involvement fundraising, helping your local group or perhaps doing more of those activities seeing yourself as that eternal scout.

We also look at interests such as hiking, camping, visiting places and places that I remember in that context as a young boy and what they mean to me, the things I learned.

Obviously things in my lifetime have changed, the rebranding of and creation of new scouts programs open to girls and boys, the changes in the programs and perodic changes in Guide uniforms which you, like me may have opinions on but nonetheless we must focus on what their achievements and the amount of effort they put in have done for them.

Scouting in its differing forms is above a program, a way of life that helps you be the best you learning things that will help you throughout your life it's the adventure of life we joined.

What I learned picking up from where things were parked have helped me immeasurably in recent years deal with many challenging situations. Being the eternal cub is good for me.

Here's to the next set of posts.

Achievements

 

After a medical incident on Friday we're back with what might be seen as new-old Cubs look from a formal presentation so while the socks may be short and the necker plain, much of the spirit of the pre 1967 wolf Cub is here and by modern standards fairly smart.

Given the many award badges gained, he's on his way to not only being a great scout but a real asset to the community.

Activities indoors

 Activities at Cubs have always varied a bit over the decades depending on the interests of the indviduals in the pack but a common one involves a variety of different makes some using tools.

Here we are making pyramids using plastic extrusions that are coupled together with leaders present.

Back to the 90's

Today we'll continue a little with a theme.

The 1990's, for some a lost decade from a scouting point of view as they lost contact with uni and work, for others in that uber-cool era of Cool Britannia, boy bands, brit pop and gaming it may of felt really something out of the past and yet despite a drop in membership scouting did continue with many gainig awards and moving up.

The annual was still very much a thing, a more jazzed up to hold your attention but with similar content to past editions cos cubs (and for that matter Brownies) is a children's thing and deep down they're the same  whatever decade we're in.

As a cub you still did the same sort of things at your weekly meetings and at camp plus you'd of helped out raising funds an awareness by things such as bag packing at the local supermarket such as these cubs in northern England in 1997.

Whatever the doomsters said, scouting did continue on into the next century.

1990's Cub badges

 

The 1990's may to some be a lost decade at least as far as anything to do with Scouting was involved although it was to see both a more co-ed approach being taken across the board and by the end of the decade some changes within cub uniform.

As with other decades the Awards were changed reflecting changed emphasis and attempts to interest eight to ten year olds even if the basis for many remained the same.

Included in that set of 1990's cubs badges is the Local Historian one, something that within a ten mile radius of here any cub would be able complete with much local history preserved and indeed artifacts that go back a thousand years.

Gaining Awards

 

The world of scouting changes over time be they for good reason or just a briefly popular trend that itself gets changed and in Cubs Awards had tended to change over time.

Here six 10-year-old Cubs from the 6th Holme Valley pack have been awarded the movements highest honour in March 1992. The boys - who are the first from Honleys Atlas pack to achieve the Adventure Crest award, that had has replaced the Gold Arrow. To earn the award they took part in a range of activities, these included tackling an assault course, abseiling and night hikes. The boys also had to display leadership qualities.

Those boys certainly deserved it but it is interesting to note from from the late 1980's little else had changed and so they very much the Cubs we knew.

Bank Holiday edition

The Bank Holiday is upon us before school resumes for autumn term and today is a day when I'll be exploring, getting very much in the undergrowth while many cubs leader will be planning the program for the next three months with group activities, a Christmas party and supporting individuals cubs in gaining their awards.

The great thing around this age is you're able to do more under your steam even if somethings will be supervised, you're phyiscally stronger but theirs nothing pulling you away like hours of homework from just enjoying enjoying life.
 

An adventure for the pack

 

"Is everybody here?"

You can easily imagine yourself in with this cub pack all together for a super day's worth of adventures and action packed fun with your leader on a bright summers day.

You'd follow him anywhere at that age cos he really understood just the right balence balence between learning something new, letting you let your boyish funny side out and being in control so you are and feel safe. 

1997 and all that

 

Have a guess what it's doing outside this morning?

Yes, that's right, raining hard and very dull so I raided the shelf and in among the annuals I found one from 1997.

Well most of mine are from the 70's, the period cubbery ought to had been on the horizon through the 1980's which were only marginally different.

1996 was at the tail end of interest in British popular culture, music and the arts plus for some of us at least Euro 1996 footy but things were starting to change a little within scouting as while Scouts and above had mainly gone to long often mushroom coloured trousers, cubs was mainly short trousers still and not co-ed like today.

What did come in was the "activity" trouser a kind of trouser with pockets down the legs rather like combat styled shorts and the old cap was being replaced.

The mainstays of the actual program remained the same - cubs always was a juvenile programe for juveniles - but it was an era where health and safety and being seen to had anticipated and planned for risks was coming in, not that in principal it was bad thing at all.

Plus Beavers had settled in creating a great path for younger children to get stuck in with the scouting family and transfer to cubs.

The move to allow not just the oldest guides to join Venture Scouts  but beavers, cubs and scouts was to come soon with all of its controversies.

The 80's

 We're going back today

The mid 1980's was an odd time as by this point I encountered cubs around the other adult settings I was moving in such as being involved in community projects and organizations, sometimes working with them.

Being an adult having to ask the scoutmaster for prompts and assistance was something else although it might be said grounded me a bit.

Structurally things were very similar to that of the seventies, in terms of uniform little happened and boys often wore shorts which of course post '67 went as they moved up to scouts so things were quite recognizable to me.

It is interesting that an actual Wolf Cub is on that annual cover with more of a conservation animal welfare feel, showing how cubs could make a difference while making a play on the pre '67 name of this group within scouting.

As ever badges and awards are reviewed so badges  for information technology came on as many boys learned the rudiments of programming.

Thoughts on two basics of Uniform

 

Although they are out of favour within Cubs being replaced by a baseball style cub with the words Cubs in the current stylized font, frankly I much prefer the traditional cap  which apart from being much smarter, will keep your head warmer on cooler days.

Safe for now at least, the traditional kneckerchief survives even if the woggle is usually plastic and that is mine.

Authenic new-old uniform looks II

Continuing on with the theme given how well the sweatshirt turned out I was looking at a number of contempary pictures and noticed there was a official polo shirt.

I first thought it just would not work as first example only went up to size 36 chest which would be a tight fit and, as thin as my arms are, there would not be enough room to comfortable pull it stretching under the arm.

Looking beyond just the regular polo shirt I noticed there was one with purple tipping contrast on collar and sleeves and that it did go up to 38 inches so allowing for the generous cut there was a good chance it would fit well.

It arrived and having tried it on it fits perfectly, indeed compared to many of my t shirts the arm is actually a good inch longer.

Perfect!

Getting from a to b

 

I seriously doubt we'd have him do this this very breezy morning but this is just the sort of great summer activity cubs and scouts would be undertaking most likely to be at a weekend session away from your hut, learning how to get across from one side of a stream to another.

In certain parts of the U.K. insect repellant is strongly recommended for keeping creapy things off you like Tics which are real issue for some of us as much as we love outdoor life.

St. Georges Day

 

As the great sogginess continues here one can only think about the things I loved to attend or join in with such as marching  with or without drummers on warmer sunnier days or St. Georges Day which is today and we celebrate?

Here Beavers parade holding the Standard in Worcester.

And cubs  parading in York with their official jerseys with all the badges present and correct.

Will you be marking our Patron Saints Day?

Outdoor games

 One wishes, as you sit and watch mainly attentively as the games course is being set out  before instructions for the forty minutes or of games, played more for the fun of it to start at your packs social event playing knock down the cans, bean bag target and obsitical course.

If you're like me this weekend you also got an hunt for objects with prizes!

Making a difference

 

While we all would think straight off about what we might get from Easter, these Cubs from Wrexham, North Wales decided to put things the other way around by sending Easter cards to residents of care home and spreading some good cheer.

They stopped off before attending their regular weekly meeting to make a detour aided by the Miss Teen  of this welsh town and in return they recieved cards and refreshments.