The Boy Scouts Association of Zimbabwe
This article is about the youth movement. For the defunct Rhodesian military units, see Selous Scouts or Grey Scouts. |
Logo of The Boy Scouts Association of Zimbabwe |
Scouting in
Zimbabwe shares history with
Malaŵi and
Zambia, with which it was linked for decades. The
Boy Scouts Association of Zimbabwe is a member of the
World Organization of the Scout Movement.
History of Scouting in RhodesiaScouting in the former
Rhodesia and Nyasaland started in 1909 when the first Boy Scout troop was registered. Scouting grew quickly and in 1924 Rhodesia and Nyasaland sent a large contingent to the second
World Scout Jamboree in Ermelunden, Denmark.
A detailed history of this very early period was written in
Burnham: King of Scouts, a biographical novel by
Peter van Wyk.
Frederick Russell Burnham (1861-1947), an American from
California, taught Scouting to
Robert Baden-Powell, inspiring Baden-Powell to eventually found the Boy Scouts. Burnham went to
Africa in
1893 to scout for
Cecil Rhodes on the
Cape-to-Cairo Railway. He was a scout in the
Matabele War and gained fame when he survived the British equivalent of
Custer's Last Stand. During a rebellion in 1896, Burnham took Colonel Baden-Powell into the African hills and taught him
scoutcraft. Baden-Powell's very life was changed, and forever after that he promoted Scouting at every opportunity.
The great popularity of the Boy Scout movement in Rhodesia was due to its outdoor program such as hiking, camping, cooking and pioneering, which was unusual in the protectorate. Additionally, the training and progressive badge system was targeted towards helping others, leading to responsible citizenship.
Because of the prevailing circumstances earlier in the
20th century, a separate movement was established for
black Africans called "Pathfinders". By the
1950s the time was considered to merge both movements into one Scout Association, as was done with the
South African Scout Association.
Rhodesia hosted the Central African Jamboree in 1959 at
Ruwa.
During this period, the highest earned Scout rank bore a
sable antelope, the
heraldic supporter of the Rhodesian
coat-of-arms.
Scouting in Zimbabwe RhodesiaInterestingly, in the 10 months the nation's name changed to
Zimbabwe Rhodesia, from
June 1,
1979 to
April 18,
1980, a photo was taken of a group of Scouts from around the world. This photo, which features a Scout wearing a uniform emblazoned with a large Zimbabwe Rhodesia badge over the right pocket, was used for the cover of
250 Million Scouts by World Chief Scout Executive Dr.
László Nagy in 1985.
Present Scouting in Zimbabwe
In 1983, Mr. Charles A. Martin was awarded the
Bronze Wolf, the only distinction of the
World Organization of the Scout Movement, awarded by the World Scout Committee for exceptional services to world Scouting.
Girls in Zimbabwe are served by the
Girl Guides Association of Zimbabwe, with 15,267 members (as of 2003). Founded in 1912, the girls-only organization became a full member of the
World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1969.
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Frederick Russell Burnham*
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