The Scout Association of Hong Kong (香港童軍總會) is the Scouting organisation in Hong Kong, founded between 1914 and 1915, and 111th member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement since 1977.
The Scout association runs two major campsites, and its headquarters is at the Hong Kong Scout Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui. Per 2004, the association had approximately 90 thousand members, with approximately 2500 Scout groups, and thus is the largest uniformed youth organisation in Hong Kong.
History
The early history of Scouting in Hong Kong is hard to trace because documents and other archived materials were largely destroyed during the Battle of Hong Kong and the subsequent Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong. Part of the documents were recovered from the copies and publications in the Scout Association of United Kingdom.
Founding of Hong Kong Scouting movement
Scout activities were first brought to Hong Kong in 1909, only two year after the very beginning of the Scout Movement in the United Kingdom. In 1911, British merchants and military personnel started to organise Scout groups. At 1912-04-16, 6:00 AM, general Baden-Powell arrived in Hong Kong by the G.M.S. Lutzou. He was a guest in the Government House and discussed with officials of the Hong Kong Government about the establishment of a branch and the planning of a Boy Scout Movement in the city.
Between 1912 and 1913, many enthusiasts and organisations, including Queen's College and St. Joseph's College, sent requests to the Boy Scout Association on organising a Scout Group in Hong Kong. On 1913-09-11, the 1st Hong Kong Scout Group of St. Joseph's College was established. It was registered at The Scout Association of the United Kingdom on 1914-05-01. Baden-Powell sent a letter congratulating the establishment. At the time, the Chief Scout was Major F.J. Bowen and the Scoutmaster is Mr Albert Edwards. At the same year, the 2nd Hong Kong Scout Group of St. Andrew's Church was registered on 1914-11-25.
Major Alexander Anderson McHardy was appointed Colony Commissioner on 1914-05-01. Membership was strictly confined to members of European descent. Vice Admiral Robert Hamilton Anstruther, succeeded Major McHardy as Colony Commissioner in 1915-05-01. The Hong Kong Branch of The Boy Scout Association was set up in July 1915, and responsible for scout training and activities. At the end of September 1915, there were in total 155 members in the first census.
First growth in the 1920s and 1930s
During the World War I, most leaders were called up for war service and the Scout Movement in Hong Kong was at its ebb. One of the founders of the 1st Hong Kong Group, Lieutenant-Colonel F.J. Bowen returned to Hong Kong after the end of the Great War and actively participated in the Movement in Hong Kong. Because of his contribution, Bowen became the Colony Commissioner in July 1920 and reorganised The Boy Scouts Association, Hong Kong Branch. At the end of 1920, membership was approximately 140 members.
The reorganised association held its first Scout Rally at the Murray Parade Ground at Garden Road (now Cheung Kong Center) on 8th January, 1921. In September 1921, the Reverend George Turner Waldegrave succeeded the Commissionership and the Scout Movement was firmly established in the Hong Kong though it was still small at 384 members. Sea Scout training had been started in May 1921 with the kind assistance of the staff of H.M.S. Tamar: four members from each of the existing Troops at the time were selected and a beginning was made. It was left to Waldegrave however to start the first Sea Scout Troop which he registered and became Scoutmaster, (and eventually Group Scoutmaster) of in October 1923.
During his visit to Hong Kong on 6 April 1922, the Prince of Wales presented his Banner bearing his own Coat of Arms to the Hong Kong Scouts as trophy for the winner of Colony-wide scout competition. The first 'Prince of Wales Banner Competition' was held in 1923. Rover Scouts were established as early as 1922 in Hong Kong for young men of 18 and above.
In order to protect the Scouting activity and institute its constitution of the organisation, it was incorporated in the Boys Scouts Association Ordinance, nr 22 of 1927 of the Law of Hong Kong in 1927-12-02. After several amendments in 1939, 1950, 1975 and 1997, the ordinance has become chapter 1005 in the Law of Hong Kong.
The Rev. Waldegrave returned to England in August 1934 and in recognition of his tireless work for the Branch was awarded the Civil Membership of the British Empire by His Majesty the King. A year or two prior to his retirement, the late Chief Scout had awarded him the highest Scout award, the Order of the Silver Wolf. At the time, the number of members grew to 682.
The Reverend Nelson Victor Halward, became Colony Commissioner, on 1935-05-11, after the retirement of Rev. Waldegrave. Shortly before he took over the Commissionership, at the request of the Chinese Government in Kwangtung, Rev. Halward had spent many weekends directing a training course for Scouters of the Boy Scouts of China in Canton. So marked were the results of his efforts, a great improvement taking place in the relations between the Boy Scouts Association and the Boy Scouts of China, and also the Hong Kong Branch and Canton section of the Boy Scouts of China that he was also awarded the Order of the Silver Wolf for his great services to the movement.
Numbers were still increasing yearly and in 1938 Halward appointed District Commissioners either side of the harbour, viz., Quah Chow Cheung and Chan, who amply justified their appointment and a large step in membership showed to approximately 1200 in 1942.
During and after second World War
After 1937, China was at war with the Japanese army. There was a large influx of refugees pouring into Hong Kong. Several Troops of the Boy Scouts of China came to Hong Kong and have been incorporated into the Hong Kong Branch. Hong Kong Scouts were in the forefront of services and aids to war refugees. During the World War II, a number of Scoutmasters and adult members performed civic duties in the Special Constabulary, Police and Volunteer Defence Corps.
After the war, Hong Kong was repossessed by British forces. For the reconstruction of Scouting, the Imperial Headquarters of The Boy Scouts Association in the United Kingdom dispatched a five member Scout International Relief Service Team to revive the Hong Kong Scout Movement. A post-war St. George's Day Parade was held on 1946-04-28 at the Botanical Garden with the participation of 672 scouts and leaders. The salute was taken by the General Officer Commanding, Major General Francis Wogan Festing.
The Hong Kong Training Team was set up in 1951. It was responsible for leader training. The Handicapped Scout Section (which was renamed as Extension Scout in 1967) was formally set up on 1 August 1956.
Hong Kong Branch
From 1967, the name The Boy Scouts Association, Hong Kong Branch was changed to The Scout Association, Hong Kong Branch. A subsidiary the Friends of Scouting was established in 1969 for service to youths who are not uniform members of The Scout Association, Hong Kong Branch. In 1969, Wolf Cub Section was changed to Cub Scout Section; Boy Scout Section was changed to Scout Section (age was changed to 11-16) and Senior Scout Section was changed to Venture Scout Section (age changed to 16-20). Queen's Scout Award was exclusive for Venture Scouts. The Rover Scout Section was cancelled under the new system.
The 60th Anniversary of Hong Kong Scouting was celebrated by the Diamond Jubilee Jamboree held between 22 and 28 July 1971 at the present Tai Hing Housing estate in Castle Peak with the theme World Harmony. This Jamboree was attended by more than 5,000 Scouts. Immediately following the Diamond Jubilee Jamboree, the 2nd World Scout Public Relations Seminar and the 5th Commonwealth Scout Conference were held.
A Mixed Unit of boys and girls Venture Scout members was set up in 1975. Since July 1978, girl members were accepted in the Venture Scout Section.
In 1976, East Kowloon Region was set up and became the 4th Region in Hong Kong.
As full member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement
The Commonwealth Commissioner, Sir Marc Noble visited Hong Kong on 17 March 1975. He suggested to The Scout Association of the United Kingdom that the Hong Kong Branch could stand on its own and should become a full member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). Hong Kong was accepted by WOSM as its 111th full members on 16 April 1977 with its name formally change to Scout Association of Hong Kong.
International activities
Hong Kong hosted the 11th Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Conference with the theme Scouting for the 80's in 1978. It was the first international event held by the Scout Association of Hong Kong since her becoming a full member of WOSM. It was attended by over 300 delegates and observers from 19 members' countries.
The 1st Administration Conference for Commissioners was held on 25 May 1980 for reviewing Scouting in Hong Kong to plan for the future development of the next decade. Also in 1980, Henry C. Ma 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.
In March 1982, an experimental Rainbow Project began with the establishment of a working group and control experimental groups. The aim was to facilitate acceptance of female members in the Scout and Cub Scout Sections, as well as children under eight years of age. On the basis of the experimental results and the recommendation of the Working Group, the Association formally introduced the Project in October 1984. A new Grasshopper Scout Section was introduced in 1985 for boys and girls aged between 6 and 8. Cub Scout Packs were allowed to admit girls if they met the stipulated requirements. But the experiment in Scout Troops was extended for one more year.
The Scout Association of Hong Kong has organized a number of activities to echo the International Youth Year in 1985. She was awarded with the Award for An Outstanding Year-long International Youth Year Programme at the 30th World Scout Conference held in Munich, Germany in July 1985 for her achievement in community development.
To commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Scouting in Hong Kong, a group of over 250 new and old Scouts attended the plaque-unveiling ceremony held at the former Chai Wan Campsite in 1986.
Hong Kong Diamond Jubilee Jamboree was held at the Kohima Camp (now Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) from 27 December 1986 to 1 January 1987 with the theme March On. There were a total of 5,143 campers and overseas contingents from 13 countries.
In 1987, the Scout of the Year Selection was first launched to give formal recognition to those Scout members who had set good examples to their contemporaries in terms of their scouting achievements, academic performance, community involvement and contribution and family affiliation.
With effect from 1 April 1988, the Rover Scout Section has officially become the fifth training section. With its aims to develop young adults to serve the community, this section is to continue and complete the progressive training of the four youth training sections of the Association; viz Grasshopper Scouts, Cub Scouts, Scouts and Venture Scouts.
A target was set in 1991 to increase the Scout members from 56,172 in 1991 to 83,000 in 2002. In June 1995, Continuing Education Centre was established to provide informal education opportunities to those in need.
The year 1996 marked the 85th Anniversary of the Scout Movement in Hong Kong. Scout Association of Hong Kong made use of the opportunity to raise more than one million dollars to provide assistance to youth members to attend World Jamborees. The 19th Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Conference with the theme Scouting Beyond 2000 was successfully held in 1998 at Hong Kong Scout Centre. This was the first Scout Conference held completely on Scout premises.
John Hui, succeeded Chau Cham-son as the Chief Commissioner on 1 January 1997. Chau led the Association into a new era by having planned and completed the 25-storey Hong Kong Scout Centre, providing the Association with a meaningful foundation for its development to be financially self-sufficient. Hui has planned a number of development projects to achieve the target of reaching 83 000 Scout members in 2002.
His Majesty the King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf, Honorary President of World Scout Foundation paid a private visit to Hong Kong for the 45th Baden-Powell World Fellowship Event hosted by Scout Association of Hong Kong from 26 to 28 April 2002 at the Hong Kong Scout Centre. The event which has raised US$385,000 for the World Scout Foundation was highly appreciated by the King of Sweden.
In the new millennium
Herman HUI Chung-shing, the Deputy Chief Commissioner (Support) was elected to be one of the committee members of the World Scout Committee at the 36th World Scout Conference which was held in Greece from 15 to 19 July 2002. He is the second Hong Kong Scout Leader to be elected to such leading position in World Scouting. In the 37th World Scout Conference conducted in Tunisia in 2005, Hui was elected as the Chairman of the World Scout Committee for a term of 3 years.
Hong Kong Scout Millennium Jamboree was held at Wan Tsai Peninsula, Sai Kung West Country Park with the theme Live the Nature's Way from 28 December 1999 to 2 January 2000 to enjoy the historical moment of welcoming the birth of a new century. There were a total of 3,350 participants. In order to further develop the Scout Movement in Hong Kong and to heighten our output quality, Scout Association of Hong Kong, Into the 21st Century was published in 1999. A series of development plans included strengthening of internal communication, improvement of management efficiency and effectiveness, support for frontline operational units, projection of good scout image and membership growth were introduced.
The Scout membership and the number of Scout Groups in the New Territories Region have been increasing tremendously. In order to cope with the future development in the New Territories, the New Territories Region has been expanded into two distinct regions namely: New Territories Region and New Territories East Region on 1 April 2000. New Territories East Region became the 5th Region in Hong Kong.
In order to meet the societies' need for more such activities for the pupils as part of quality education, the captioned project was launched targeting at all schools in 2000. The objective of this project is to set up or expand Scout Groups in all schools, hopefully within 2 years, so that more students can be benefited.
The Vision, Mission and Values (VMV) of the Scout Association of Hong Kong was launched in October 2000 to provide a clear direction for over 70,000 scout members and the other who will join the Movement.
Continued Education Centre was renamed as Scout Association of Hong Kong - Education Centre on 1 September 2001 and changed to registered school on 1 March 2004.
The 90th Anniversary of Hong Kong Scouting Jamboree was successfully held from 23 to 26 December 2001 at Wan Tsai, Sai Kung with the theme Do My Best. There were a total of 5,800 participants.
The target set in 1991 to increase Scout members to 83,000 in 2002 has been achieved and the membership has grown to 89,925 at the end of 2002. The next target of membership growth is 100,000 in 2004.
Pau Shiu-hung was appointed Chief Commissioner by Tung Chee-hwa, Chief Scout of Hong Kong and Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. He commenced his official duties as Chief Commissioner on 1st January 2004.
In addition, there are American Boy Scouts in Hong Kong proper and at Repulse Bay, linked to the Direct Service branch of the Boy Scouts of America, which supports units around the world.
Regions and districts
There are five regions (named areas from 1958 till 1967) and thirty-five districts in the Scout Association.
| Region | Districts |
|---|---|
| Hong Kong Island | Chai Wan, Northern, Sau Kei Wan, Southern, Victoria City, Wan Chai, Western |
| Kowloon | Ho Man Tin, Hung Hom, Kowloon City, Kowloon Tong, Mong Kok, Sham Mong, Sham Shui Po East, Sham Shui Po West, Yau Tsim |
| East Kowloon | Kowloon Bay, Kwun Tong, Lei Yue Mun, Sai Kung, Sau Mau Ping, Tseung Kwan O, Tsz Wan Shan, Wong Tai Sin |
| New Territories | Island, North Kwai Chung, Shep Pak Heung, South Kwai Chung, Tsing Yi, Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun East District, Tuen Mun West, Yuen Long East, Yuen Long West |
| New Territories East | Pik Fung, Shatin East, Shatin North, Shatin South, Shatin West, Sheung Yue, Tai Po South, Tai Po North |
| Special for English speaking people | Silver Jubilee |
| Special for family members of Nepalese Gurkha regiment in the British Army | Gurkha (until 1997) |
Sections
The youth members of the Scout Association in Hong Kong are currently divided into five Scout sections.
- Grasshopper Scouts, from 6 to 8 year
- Cub Scouts, from 7½ to 12 years
- Scouts, from 11 to 16 years
- Venture Scouts, from 15 to 20 years
- Rover Scouts, from 18 to 25 years
A special Extension Scout section was set up for disabled. It is not an independent section, but customizes the programmes of the five sections for specific needs of disabled people.
An adult is eligible to be a Scout Leader from 18 to 65 years. They can serve in all five sections, or work for districts, regions, or branches in the headquarters.
Motto, Promise, and Law
The localised versions of the Scout Motto, Scout Promise, and Scout Law for each section are inherited from those of the Scout Association. They are officially provided in Chinese and English. At investiture it can be in a Scout's own language. The Motto is the same for all sections: Be Prepared (準備)
| Section | Promise | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Grasshopper | I promise to be a Grasshopper Scout to love God, to love people and to love my Country (我願參加小童軍，愛神愛人愛國家) | A Grasshopper Scout does a good turn every day (小童軍日行一善) |
| Cub Scout | I promise that I will do my best to do my duty to God and to my Country to help other people and to keep the Cub Scout Law (我願盡所能；對神明，對國家，盡責任；對別人，要幫助；對規律，必遵行) | Cub Scouts always do their best, think of others before themselves and do a good turn every day (幼童軍，盡所能，先顧別人 才顧己，日行一善富精神) |
| Scout, Venture Scout, Rover Scout and Leader | On my honour, I promise that I will do my best to do my duty to God and to my Country to help other people and to keep the Scout Law (我願以信譽為誓，竭盡所能；對神明，對國家，盡責任；對別人，要幫助；對規律，必遵行 |
|
Headquarters
After the second World War, the British forces donated a piece of land near the Peak Tram Terminal in Garden Road. Here a new headquarters was erected and named Morse Hut (摩士小屋) after the President Sir Arthur Morse. Morse Hut was officially opened on 1949-11-12, and served as the headquarters until 1954. In this period, the headquarters of Wong Nai Chung District was also relocated to Morse Hut. And subsequently, Morse Hut was the headquarters of newly established Hong Kong Island Region from 1958 to 1978.
As the Hong Kong Scouting grew rapidly, after five years the Morse Hut was too small for the development. A new 3-story headquarter building in Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon was erected at No. 9 Cox's Road with donations and assistance from Sir Arthur Morse and the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, as well as subsidies from Hong Kong Government. It was opened officially in 1954. The house was named Morse House (摩士大廈), and served as the headquarters until the June 1994, when the premises were returned to the Hong Kong Government for redevelopment.[1] Morse House was handed back to the Government in July 1994, after completion of the new headquarters.
Since June 1994, the headquarters of the Scout association is in the Hong Kong Scout Centre (香港童軍中心). It is at the Austin Road, beside the Kowloon Park and The Victoria Towers (港景峰) of Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. The headquarters organization is housed on the 8th to 11th floor of the building, including Scout shops, meeting rooms, and a Scout exhibition of the history of the Hong Kong Scout organization on the 11th. Large part of the centre is B P International (龍堡國際賓館), a commercial hotel. Its profit is financing the building cost of the centre and the future development of Scouting in Hong Kong.
Scout Path (童軍徑) is a short road between the Hong Kong Scout Centre and the Victoria Towers. It became associated with Scouting in Hong Kong, probably on the suggestion of the Scout association. It connects the Austin Road and a terminal for Hong Kong-China cross-border buses under the Hong Kong Scout Centre.
Campsites
The Scout association runs several campsites in Hong Kong. The first permanent campsite, was Braker's Bungalow in Chaiwan. It was purchased by the Scout association at a cost of HK$16,000 in July 1929, and officially opened the same year as the Chai Wan Campsite. Here, the first Wood Badge training course was held in 1936. The site was returned to Hong Kong government in 1970 for urban development as the Chai Wan Park.
The 1960s saw the further expansion of the Scout Movement in Hong Kong. A 200,000 square metres site at Fei Ngor Shan (Kowloon Peak) was given by the government to the Scout association as a permanent campsite, which was named Gilwell Campsite (基維爾營地). It is used for camping and other Scouting activities. The site is located on the edge of Sai Kung District, five to ten minutes from Choi Hung. Nearby is the MacLehose Trail with road access through an unnamed road that joins with Fei Ngo Shan Road. The site is at an altitude of 430 m above sea level. A few minutes walk from the site, campers can see stunning views over Kowloon, the Harbour and Hong Kong Island. Unlike other campsites managed by the Scout association, the Gillwell Campsite does not provide catering services. The site has only a few buildings for offices, lectures and activities. The campsite is 45 minutes walk from the nearest bus stop of route 91, 91M, 92, 96R of KMB at Clear Water Bay Road near Anderson Road.
Another site located at Tsuen Wan west was also given by the government to develop a campsite named Ha Fa Shan Campsite. The site was returned to the government in December 1977 because of the unresolved problem in transportation and water source.
In the 1972, Tai Tam Scout Centre (大潭童軍中心) was granted to the Scout association in exchange for the Chai Wan Campsite. The site hosts a sea activities centre, officially opened in September of that year. It is located in Tai Tam Harbour at Tai Tam Tuk on the south shore of the Hong Kong Island. At the back of the site is a small hill, separating it from Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir. Along the shore is a path leading to the dam of the reservoir, with a re-sited indigenous village of Tai Tam Tuk. Mangroves gather at the muddy beach of the mouth rivers. The sites facilitates both a stay at the hostel and camping for training and leisure. While Scouts have priority to use the site, it is also open for public use. Sports on offer include games of rope, rock climbing, archery, pioneering, canoeing, orienteering. The campsite is reachable by public buses passing through Tai Tam Road near Tai Tam Reservoir Road. They are available in Shau Kei Wan Station and Chai Wan Station of the MTR.
Another piece of land in Tung Tsz, Tai Po in the New Territories, was also granted to the Scout association, and was developed into the Tung Tsz Scout Centre (洞梓童軍中心), formally opened for Scouts on 1975-03-09. Sea activities can be done in the nearby Tai Mei Tuk Sea Activity Centre in Tai Mei Tuk, Tai Po. The campsite has several bungalows for accommodation.
Scout activities
The 1st Colony Jamborette was held in Kam Chien Village, New Territories from 19 to 22 October 1957 which was attended by over 1,300 Scouts. A group of Wood Badge holders organized the 1st Gilwell Reunion in 1958 in order to share the joy and experience in Scouting.
The Scout Rally is a gathering of Hong Kong Scouts for getting awards and competing drills. Once every year, Scouts from all over Hong Kong and gather, usaully in the Hong Kong Stadium. There are award ceremonies for different honourable awards, like The Golden Bauhenia Award for Cub Scouts, Chief Scout Award for the Scout Section, SAR Award for Venture Scouts, and BP Award for Rover Scout, also distintive awards for Scout Leaders and Commissioners.
The Scout Rally was merged with former St. George's Day Parade. As the number of Scouts skyrocketed and the lack of spaces in Hong Kong owning to rapid urbanisation in past few decades, many traditions are simplified and only selected Scouts are allowed to actively participate the drill and activities in the rally and others remains speculators.
While Scout Rally is the only major Scouting gathering for all Hong Kong Scouts, individual regions organise their own events like the Fun Day of New Territories Region.
Golden Jubilee of Hong Kong Scouting was celebrated by the Hong Kong Golden Jubilee Jamborette at Kowloon Tsai (now Morse Park, Kowloon Tsai) from 1961-12-27 to 1962-01-02 with the theme One World. There were a total of 2,732 participants.
See also
References
- ↑ Patrick Ho Chi-Ping: A brief memoir in Morse House (in Chinese). (PDF) Abgerufen am 23. Juli 2006.