The Sooke Region Museum has curated a temporary exhibit in honour of the Pacific Jamboree for Boy Scouts hosted by Camp Barnard this July. The exhibit was researched by Miranda Siklenka, a summer collections student, and will be on display until the end of this month. On display is information on the origins of scouting, activity in the Sooke region, and several artifacts.
The Boy Scouts and Girl Guides organizations were founded by Lord Baden-Powell in the early 1900s. After he held his first camp for boys on Brownsea Island in England in 1907, the scouting movement quickly became an international phenomenon that included girls too. The Pacific Jamboree is hosted by the BC Yukon Councils and is held every four years. Camp Barnard has accommodated the Jamboree numerous times, the last time it was held here was in 1987.
Starting as Beaver Scouts, children from the ages 5-7 years are integrated into an environment intended to nurture spirituality, self-awareness, appreciation of nature, caring, and sharing. At 8-10 years old, the children continue as Cub Scouts (previously Wolf Cubs). In this period, facing challenges is encouraged as indicated by their motto, “Do Your Best.” Upon reaching Scout level the youths, aged 11-14 years, follow the Scouts motto, “Be Prepared.” This entails a focus on citizenship, leadership, personal development, and outdoor skills, all of which can be awarded with a variety of merit-based badges.
The largest artifact on display was donated by Mae Linell and is a wooden totem from the 1st Sooke Cub Pack (2002.017.015). The totem is a wolf’s head on a stand. The entire object is painted brown, white and red. Mae played an influential role in the progress of scouting in Sooke. She was a Cub leader for 40 years and was awarded the Governor-General’s Medal of Merit for distinguished service to scouting. Mae’s size 7 wool Stetson hat that she wore as a leader is also in the exhibit (2009.030.001a-c).
Additionally, this exhibit showcases instructional booklets for Scouts. One booklet tells the life story of founder Lord Baden-Powell of Gilwell (1987.055.027). The 48-page sepia tone booklet was published by the Canadian General Council of the Boy Scouts Association in Ottawa, Canada. Another booklet on display is called The Scout’s Reciter and Elocutionary Instructor (2015.FIC.509) and was printed and bound in Glasgow by James Brown and Son Ltd in 1925. This 42-page resource shares information on how scouts should present themselves (eg. breathing and stance) and has verses, speeches and mottos that should be memorised. Other artifacts on display include badges and uniform attire.
The Sooke Region Museum would also like to extend a huge thank you to the Royal B.C. Museum, The Maritime Museum of B.C. and the Gap Factory Store (Westshore Mall) for the loan of several mannequins and dress forms that have been used in our summer exhibit titled Fashion Files: Dressing Sooke.
