Back to Gilwell
Carol Breuer (CBreuer@VINES.COLOSTATE.EDU)
Fri, 19 Sep 1997 10:28:25 -0600
Hi Gang,
I've been off the list a couple of weeks, and I just wanted to
let you all know where I've been.
Sept. 3rd, a group of 22 Scouters and adult family members from
Longs Peak Council left Denver for London to attend the Annual
Wood Badge Reunion at Gilwell Park. Included in the package was
a week's stay in London and tours of the main sights, with ample
free time for shopping and seeing other sights. No one had
anticipated Princess Diana's death, but it proved to be a VERY
interesting time to be in London.
We visited the Baden-Powell House first in hopes of seeing the
museum room there, but they are in the process of remodeling
right now. We did get to see some of the cases with a lot of
Baden-Powell's things that they have in the Scout Association
office right next door. And of course we had to buy souvenirs
at the B-P House shop.
Since most of the group were Wood Badgers we left London early
on Saturday to make the trip to Gilwell, taking the "tube" to
Liverpool Station, the rail to Chingford, and walking the mile
or so to Gilwell. We had a marvelous day! Of course, all
regular activities stopped during the Princess' funeral and
everyone observed a moment of silence in her honor. A large
screen TV was set up for those who wished to watch the
procedings and many did.
One of the best parts of being there was the Scouters we met
there and talked with. I remember particularly the Beaver
leaders from a nearby town that I began talking with and before
long the rest of my group and theirs had joined us and multiple
conversations were buzzing.
Then there was the German Scouter who stopped us when he saw our
council patches from Colorado, because he would be traveling to
Colorado with a Scouting group later in the month. Our people
were able to help him with some additional contacts, and offered
to line up a place to stay coming through Fort Collins. (Yes,
he and his group did show up Monday night, and they stayed the
night at Ben Delatour Scout Ranch west of town. We hope to see
them back on the 28th before they depart from Denver.)
One of the main reasons behind this trip was the Irish Scouter
who had served as International camp staff on Ben Delatour two
years ago and then attended our council Wood Badge course before
returning to Ireland. It was planned then that when she
completed her ticket that some of the staff would come and
present her beads at the Gilwell reunion this year. Two others
of our group had decided to wait and have their beads present
there as well.
It turned out that the U.S. Scouters from Transatlantic Council
had a bead presentation already scheduled, so we combined forces
with them. Scouts-L's Ian Ford was there and I now have a face
and a voice to put with his name. Our biggest surprise was that
Betty Clay, Baden-Powell's daughter, was there and wanted to
present the beads herself. It turned out to be a EXTRA special
time for all of us. The words she spoke to the whole group were
inspirational and a challenge to continue on. Afterwards,
several of us mentioned that she sounded a lot like the
recordings we have heard of Baden-Powell himself. She is an
exceptional lady, and meeting her was one of the high points of
my trip.
The last day of our visit we arranged a day trip to Stonehenge
and then south to Brownsea Island where B-P held his first
experimental scout camp in 1907. Much of the island is now a
wildlife refuge but there are many walking paths and a monument
to Baden-Powell overlooking the Scout and Guide camp site which
is still in use. It was a beautiful day, and we could just
imagine what a marvelous place it would have been for those 20
boys who came with B-P ninety years ago.
It was a great trip with a great bunch of people, and I would
love to go back again.
YiS,
Carol Breuer, Fort Collins, CO
Council BS Training Chair
. . . I used to be an eagle, NC-155
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
