Information for Parents
History of Scouts
Scouting began in Western Australia in 1908, less than a year after the publication of Lord Robert Baden-Powell’s wildly popular and influential book, “Scouting for Boys” and the founding of the Boy Scout Movement following the successful “experimental” camp for boys on Brownsea Island in 1907.
“Scouting for Boys” was based upon Baden-Powell’s love of the outdoors and his many years of training and leading soldiers as an officer in the British Army. Scouting For Boys was an immediate best seller and provided the catalyst for the rapid growth of scouting throughout the British Empire and the world.
In Western Australia, as in many other parts of the world, the first Boy Scout groups were started by local boys who sought out trusted and respected adults to act as their Leaders. These early Groups had little or no resources and had to make their own uniforms. In 1908, eighteen year old Frank Roche from Spearwood established the first scout patrol in Western Australia.
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