Re: Need Address Info
Ian Ford (ianford@DIRCON.CO.UK)
Sun, 10 Apr 1994 22:31:43 BST
> >I need mailing addresses for all the Councils in Indiana and the surround
> >states (Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio) and the names of the OA Lodge
> >(if they exist) in those councils. We are getting the runaround from
> >Council ("that's a restricted list") ...
Just curious, but why restrict an address list ? Or is it just the names of
OA lodges that is restricted ? I would have assumed that a directory of
local Councils was something that National or Regional Offices would churn
out as routine.
Here in GB the County Secretary's name is listed in the back of the " Scout
Campsites & Activity Centres " booklet which is available to anybody for a
nominal cost to cover printing and postage ... and updates are usually
published in " Scouting " each month. If you ring up Records Office at
Lancing they will give you just about anybody's address if you ask for it,
or they will redirect mail if you address it to " The District Commissioner
for Nonsuch " or " The Scout Leader, 22nd Barchester " or whatever c/o
Records Office, Scout Association, Lancing, Sussex BN15 8UG. They are
understandably a bit more cautious about home phone numbers, but if you are
a registered leader and they can find you on the computer they will usually
tell you what you want to know.
Perhaps one difference is that our PC Forms ( roughly the equivalent of Tour
Permits ) have to be sent to the District Commissioner for the locality of
the activity. Very often the home DC will sign the form and leave it to the
unit leader to send it off. Or if a troop is looking for a campsite in a
particular area the Secretary of the PLC should write to the County or
District Secretary asking for a list of campsites. We could not function if
addresses were not reasonably freely available. Of course, here in UK we
don't have many staffed Scout Offices, unless a district or county has a
campsite or activity centre with a paid warden, so it is assumed that one's
home address will be made available ... and in my experience this is rarely
abused.
I've found that most County Secretaries have information about bordering
districts if you happen to be a bit out with your geography, and if that
fails Headquarters are always helpful provided you, don't abuse the system
by ringing up too often. I probably call HQ for addresses three or four
times a year at most, mainly when the address in the book is out of date, as
sometimes happens towards the end of the year.
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Ian N Ford
Pack Helper, 25th Greenwich ( Our Lady of Grace) Scout Group
London, UK [ PHONE +44 81 244 6717 ]
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