1st Hornsby Heights Scout Group

The inaugural meeting of 1st Hornsby Heights Scout group was held at Hornsby Heights Public School on the 20th August, 1965.  During this public meeting, Mr Ticehurst moved that the 1st Hornsby Heights Boy Scouts Group be formed.  This was seconded by Mr M. Howard and the motion was carried unanimously.

Mr. S Ticehurst was voted as our first President with the following leaders:

Mr. J Ryan - GSM

Mr. M Howard - SM

Mrs. Van Pearce - CM

The colours chosen for the 1st Hornsby Heights scarf was maroon with an emerald green stripe.

The first Cub meeting was held at 7:00pm on the 16th September, 1965 where they met in a small shed-like building at Rofe Park.  

When the Group was advised in June, 1966 by Hornsby Shire Council that this building  was to be demolished, the search for new and more permanent meeting hall was on.  Cub and Scout meetings were then held at the Hornsby Heights Community Hall on Galston Road while the Group started the huge task of obtaining some land where they would be able to build their own hall.

The Hall

Hornsby council gave the group land near Koala Place, off Somerville Rd, on which to build a Scout Hall.

In November, 1971 the Group committee decided to purchase one of the huts from Bradfield Park, West Lindfield, as a temporary Scout Hall until funds were available to build a new hall.  The Bradfield Park complex was built for the R.A.A.F. in the 1940's.  It was a later used to house British immigrants.  The purchase price for the hut was a very low $10.

The hut was dismantled into sections by members of the committee and then it was transported to its new site where the job of remembering what went where to reassemble it began.

After having many fund-raising activities, such as bottle and paper drives and yearly progressive dinners, at which four courses were served to one hundred people, it was decided to hold a house brick drive.  This was very successful, with enough bricks collected to build the foundations of the hall.

Money was then raised to put in a brand new floor.  With help from fathers, mothers Scouts and Cubs, the hall was completed with the Cubs and Scouts moving their meetings to the hall in September, 1973.

The hall is still the home of 1st Hornsby Heights Scouts in its peaceful setting.

By Brian Englert - Past 1st Hornsby Heights Scout Leader

The Canoes

Hornsby Heights Cubs, Scouts Venturers, Leaders and Parents gave Chief Commissioner Ron Pate a very warm welcome when he called to present his Commissioner's Appreciation Certificate for a very real job well done in topping the Branch in Scout Job Weeks, 1978.

According to the Group's Public Relations Officer in 1978, Mrs P. Beazley, the results did not come easily - it was two weeks of hard labour and real effort by all members.  Job Co-ordinator Denis Teys dug into the abilities of the boys.

The variety of jobs was amazing.  The wish of the Local Council to eradicate privet from the area brought a number of hard efforts.  Weeding, window cleaning, mowing, yard sweeping, painting, transplanting goods were an example of the activities.

Everyone needs a goal and the Hornsby Heights Group were aiming to secure two canoes for water activities.  In the sweat and heat of each difficult job, the thought of paddling those canoes through cool, cool water must have been uppermost in their minds.  The final results meant not two - but three canoes were purchased!

Hornsby Advocate, 1978