HUNDREDS of scouts from all across the country on Sunday, in celebration of Founder’s Day, assembled at Cornelia Ida on the West Coast of Demerara for a grand parade that concluded at the Uitvlugt Community Centre Ground. The scouts who are members of the Scout Association of Guyana (SAG) then enjoyed a fun-filled day of games and excitement that even periodic rainfall failed to bring to an end. Founder’s Day marked the 156th birth anniversary of Robert Baden Powell, also known as BP, founder of the global Scout Movement. Powell was born on February 22, 1857.

In brief remarks to the scouts prior to the start of the fun-day activities, Chief Scout Ramsay Ali thanked the scouts for coming out in large numbers to celebrate the occasion. “As I stood there taking the salute, I was very proud of all of you in the way you displayed yourselves. It is very good when we can capture these moments and display to the rest of the country, what scouting is all about.”

Ali said a wide range of activities have been planned for the association over the coming months which will provide an opportunity for scouts to have more exposure, training and experience. These include a trip to Suriname later this year as well as a trip to Tokyo, Japan, in 2014. Additionally, the SAG will soon be opening a library and computer room at Scout’s Headquarters in Woolford Avenue on Friday, February 22.

Chief Commissioner, Zaida Joaquin, in her remarks, reminded the scouts of the invaluable role and contribution Powell made to the growth and development of the movement. “Our organisation shares a strong commitment for peace. Bringing resolution to conflict and creating understanding between people from different nationalities, faiths and cultures are fundamentals to the promise that every girl and boy, every woman and man in our great movement will renew on this day.”

Joaquin noted also that as part of his farewell message, Powell said, “I believe that God put us in this jolly world to be happy and enjoy life. Happiness does not come from being rich, or merely being successful in your career, nor by self-indulgence… Be contented with what you have got and make the best of it. Look on the bright side of things instead of the gloomy one.”

On his return from Africa in 1903, Baden-Powell found that his military training manual, Aids to Scouting, had become a best-seller, and was being used by teachers and youth organisations in Britain. Following his involvement in the Boys’ Brigade as Brigade Secretary and Officer-in-charge of its scouting section, with encouragement from his friend, William Alexander Smith, Baden-Powell decided to re-write Aids to Scouting to suit a youth readership. Boys and girls spontaneously formed Scout troops and the Scouting Movement had inadvertently started, first as a national and soon an international phenomenon.