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Happy centennial
EXETER
SPICER'S
BAKERY
Exeter's Home of Good Baking
Verlyn , Ed and Arnie Lindenfield
Serving Exeter for the
past 38 years.
LINDENFIELD HARDWARE
MAIN ST. EXETER
Section. 1, Page 31 THE' EXETER TIMES-ADVOCATE JUNE 28, 1973
Baden-Powell once Exeter Scout
The following account of the
history of the Boy Scouts in
Exeter was taken from the
February 21, 1957 edition of the
Times-Advocate, at the time of
the golden anniversary of the
world-wide Scout movement,
We were unable to get anyone
to update this history.
Baden Powell was once a
member of the First Exeter Boy
Scout Troop.
He wasn't the Baden-Powell,
however. Not the Lord Baden-
Powell who founded the largest
and most respected youth
movement history has ever
known,
Nevertheless, Exeter's Baden
Powell did become a celebrity —
for a short time at least. Being a
Scout with the namesake of the
movement's founder, he was
featured in Toronto papers in 1921
when he attended a model camp
at the Toronto Exhibition. He was
one of a patrol of Boy Scouts from
Exeter who were complimented
as being the neatest and smartest
Scouts in the camp.
The following account of the
history of the Girl Guides and
Brownies in Exeter was clipped
from a February, 1959 copy of the
Times-Advocate.
We were not able to get anyone
to update it.
+
By CAPTAIN LUXTON
The First Exeter Company of
Girl Guides was organized in 1946
under the leadership of Mrs.
Douglas Knowles, Mrs. Bob
Dinney and Miss Mary Easton.
The following year, Mary
Easton, Anne (Brock) Rowcliffe
and Helen Sweet carried on the
leadership of the company.
Helen Sweet was the first Guide
in Exeter to obtain her first class
badge and Bobbie (Kirby)
Luxton, after transferring to the
Exeter company from Windsor,
Exeter's Baden Powell, who is
now living in Sarnia, was a
member of the troop which
received the first Scout charter in
Ontario - a distinction prized by
former members of the troop,
many of whom are now com-
munity leaders here and
elsewhere in North America.
History of the local troop is not
recorded in detail but fragments
of the story have been collected.
Preliminary investigation
reveals the first attempt to
organize a troop here was in 1915-
16, although some reports in-
dicate it was earlier than that.
R.G. Seldon, one of the promoters
of the first group, recalls the
organization at that time was not
very successful.
Troop Active in 1921
Times-Advocate records show,
however, that the troop was quite
active by 1921, Thomas Pryde,
Huron MPP, was Scoutmaster;
J.M. Harvey, was his assistant;
and W. Stuart Stanbury, who has
since gained eminence in the
Canadian Red Cross, was troop
was the second Guide in town to
earn the first class badge in 1948.
During the past five years, four
Exeter Guides have received
their Gold Cord, Guiding's
highest award. Rena Murray,
Norma Keller, Alice Carter and
Margaret Sanders have brought
honor to the company by
achieving this goal.
Rena Murray became
Lieutenant of the company in 1955
and received her Warrant. In
January of 1956 Guides moved to
the Scout House and changed the
meetings to Thursday evenings.
When Rena left the company to
go to London Alice Carter and
Doreen Pearce became, the
Lieutenants and will soon receive
their Warrants.
In the summer of 1957,
Margaret Sanders was chosen to
attend the first World Camp ever
held in Canada at the Ontario
Provincial Training Camp at Doe
Lake, Ont. Margaret was chosen
to attend as a Camper.
During the past few years,
some of the Guides' activities
have been so popular that they
have become annual events.
Some of the leaders of the
Brownies during the years have
been Isabel Ganton and Mrs. Own
Service.
Over the past few years an
increasing number of local
Guides have attended the area
camp Keewaydin. Last year 15
out of 18 girls went to camp, the
largest percentage to date.
After many years of Guiding in
Exeter, we are still striving
toward Lord Baden-Powell's
definition of Guiding and
Scouting: "A game, an
education, a fellowship and a
faith".
Exeter Times-Advocate
April 6, 1933
Loses eye
Friends of Mr. Harvey Pollen
will sympathize with him in the
loss of 1.13 left eye which was
removed by an operation in
Victoria Hospital on Saturday
last. Mr. Pollen was struck in the
eye with a puck while tending
goal at a hockey game in the local
rink on Feb. 10th, Since that time
he has been in the hospital un-
dergoing treatment. He returned
to his home on Friday, March
24th. He went to London on
Saturday for examination and the
doctor advised immediate
removal of the eye. Miss
Margaret Johns R.N. was in
attendance.
leader. The group appeared to be
sponsored by Caven
Presbyterian Church.
In July, 10 Boy Scouts enjoyed
an overnight camp at Kippen
under Troop Leader Stanbury,
and in August, 14 members of the
troop held a 10-day camp at
Bayfield, where they were visited
by a Strathroy troop.
It was in September of the
same year that the Exeter patrol
was among the contingent at the
Exhibition.
Reg. Beavers, of Beavers
Hardware, Exeter, was bugler of
the troop and he recalls that
among the members were his
brother George, Ted Taman,
Derry Boyle, and Harold Whyte
(who later became a Scout-
master himself).
Other names are mentioned in
an account of a banquet in Sep-
tember 1926. They included Bob
Gambrill, who was presented
with a life-saving certificate;
Herman Gower and Kenneth
Stanbury.
At the same banquet, Stuart
Stanbury received his King Scout
cord, the highest badge ob-
tainable.
Bob Gambrill received a gilt
cross for saving Clifford Lamport
from drowning in the river above
the town dam,
Rev. James Foote, minister of
Caven church, appeared to be
active in the troop.
Leaders Prominent
Leaders of the Exeter troop
were prominent among the
Scouting activities of the district'
Scoutmaster Tom Pryde was in
charge of a district Scout camp in
Bayfield in 1922. In 1924, Stuart
Stanbury led a provincial camp
in Muskoka.
It was sometime during the
1922-24 period that Exeter
received the first charter in
Ontario. Boy Scout headquarters
in Toronto reveal that Stuart
Stanbury was instrumental in
obtaining this charter since his
troop was known at the time as
being one of the most active in the
province.
J.M. Southcott succeeded Mr.
Pryde as Scoutmaster but it is not
known who took over after the
former resigned.
After a lapse of several years,
Scouting in Exeter was revived in
1939 by Harold Whyte. Mr. Whyte
led the troop until 1946, when he
moved to Lucan, and during that
time he had one of the better
troops in the province.
Mr. Whyte is respected as one
of the outstanding Scout leaders
in the province.
Since Mr. Whyte's departure,
there have been a number of men
in charge of the troop, These have
included Ted Buswell Alf
Andrus, Owen Atkinson, Harvey
Pfaff, Don Traquair, and Rene
Van der Neut.
Among the Cub leaders in the
past have been Dr. H.H. Cowen,
H.L. Sturgis, Margaret Melville
and Barbara Dinney, now both
married; Eric Sutherland,
Douglas Pryde, Mrs. Don South-
cott and Bill Batten.
Brownies
start in '47
By COMMISSIONER
L.G. SIEGN ER
The First Exeter Brownie Pack
was organized in Exeter in
December 1947 with Mrs. Dave
Sanderson, the former Lillian
Hunter-Duvar and Mrs. Robert
Luxton, the former Roberta
Kirkby in charge.
For some years the meetings
were held in the Legion Hall with
the Legion Ladies Auxiliary
acting as sponsors.
In 1957 it was found necessary
to form a second pack. Elly
Bakker was the First Brown Owl,
For a time Mrs. Gordon
McTavish assisted with the
Second Pack.
As Packies, Carol Gibbons,
Diane Delbridge, Donna Wells
and Margaret Sanders have
helped with the Brownies in
Exeter.
At present the leaders are First
Pack, Brown Owl, Mrs. Thomas
Kerr; Tawny Owl, Mrs. Joseph
Wooden; Second Pack Brown
Owl, Mrs. Jas. Wilson, Tawny
•, Owl, Mrs. Elmer Jones.
Highlights of the Brownies last
year were: church parade in
February; mother and daughter
banquet in May; Brownie Revel
in Hensall in June.
Brownies who successfully flew
up to Guides last year were:
Marion Bentley, Helen Campbell,
Sandra Hunter, Sharon Sanders
and Linda Hunter-Duvar,
Three local ladies
started Guide group