REUNION 2009
If you count 1st West Heidelberg from the first meeting of its predecessor 1st Baynesville in 1954, this was the 55th Birthday Reunion. If you prefer to count from the reformation of the Group as 1st West Heidelberg in 1959, it was the 50th Reunion.
But whatever you like, it was a great day out for the large bunch of old and bolds (and some not so old but still just as bold) who came together at Kookaburra Lodge, the Group's Scout Hall, on November 1st.
We all owe a special vote of thanks to Brian Smith, who did so much to get us all together, and to Tony Hickey, who again was a great chef on the day. And thanks, of course, to the current members of the Group for letting us use the Hall.
Below are several photographs taken of the fun day (just scroll down).
David "Crush" Hoare
I'm taking the liberty (well it's my website!) of making a special mention here of David Hoare (you'll have to ask him about the "Crush" bit!). David is Fred and Betty Webster's Grandson, the son of Lynne Hoare (Webster). Lynne and her whole family have been in Scouting - Lynne still a very active District Leader. They all attended the Reunion, but most significantly for me, after the event, David wrote a short article that was published in Australian Scout. I found it a wonderful and moving piece, and for those of us who have remainded active in this great Movement of ours over the years, it was a strong affirmation. If you follow this link, I'm sure you'll enjoy David's words as much as I did.
David received his Queen Scout Award at a special ceremony in December 2009 and a number of us were pleased to be able to attend. It gave me great personal pleasure to be able to speak as one of those privileged to know three generations of Scouts in the Webster family.
What's Next?
Some of us had dinner after the reunion. We all agreed that we should try to catch up more informally for dinner on a kind of irregular basis. That might happen this year and if so we'll try to keep you posted.
In the meantime, if you want to make something extra happen, feel free to do so! We all remain, "the very best", and we'll sure as goodness go on, "beating the rest".
And please - if you know someone who's not on our mailing list and who would be interested (see the Home Page here), let us know and we'll add them to the mailing list.
The Pictures
Scroll down and enjoy! Credits? Most of the pics are Brian Smith's. A few of mine at the end. The one of David Hoare and me at the end I think came from someone else - but if so, I'm not sure!!
