Were any of you ever in the Beaver, Cubs or Scouts?

[SexyGreyFox]

I was in the 22nd Cub Scout Troop from 1966 until I had to leave.
My best mate was the footballer Garth Crooks and we were both Sixers.
We also appeared in Screamline as twin babies and I was blacked up, you could do that back then and nobody was offended.

 

[Deleted member 651465]

I went to Cubs for as long as I was eligible along with half the boys from my primary school. It was a good laugh; we did lots of outdoor stuff like camping, walking and building fires etc.

Went to scouts but didn’t enjoy it as much and left after a year. Found it a bit too pretentious.

 

[Noxia]

I did Air Cadets and would genuinely recommend it to this day.

Getting to learn and fly planes and gliders (and do aerobatics if you were brave enough), week camps abroad and in the Uk, shooting training and competitions and all the other usual stuff like sports etc at either the MOD's expense or at least very very subsidised.

Some of my best experiences and really helped me when going through a pretty difficult time.

Yes had some great experiences, got to fly in the Bulldogs and the pilot did a lot of aerobatics. Got to fire shotgun, .22 and the L98 and had some cool trips around the uk. Last memory is the summer camp to RAF Coltishall, the Jaguars used to wake us up most morning.

 

[Malevolence]

Anyone else remember this place?

 

[SexyGreyFox]

Anyone else remember this place?

Ooh, I wonder.
I always thought it was a 1000 miles away when I was a kid.

 

[GreatAuk]

That's the first time I've heard of Rainbows. Wasn't it Girl Guides though? I remember a primary-aged girl would be in Brownies, then around secondary age they'd become a Girl Guide. The same progression from Cubs to Scouts for boys.

Maybe don't have it everywhere but the rainbows age range was equivalent to beavers I think. Trying to think back I think my mum may have been a helper there briefly when my sister went, but don't think she did it for very long.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

Maybe don't have it everywhere but the rainbows age range was equivalent to beavers I think.

5 to 7

 

[OpenToSuggestions]

Same as my son. He loved Beavers and then Cubs but hated Scouts, I think he couldn't get his head around the crap behaviour of a lot of the other kids.

Same tbh.
Kids can be evil to each other.

 

[inogen]

skipped cubs/scouts ended up straight with the air cadets, as mentioned above it's good fun with plenty of interesting opportunities.

the flying is fun, upside down at 3000ft next to the most stereotypical handlebar-mustached retired raf officer you've ever met (seriously dude was straight out of a biggles comic) is a hell of a way to see blackpool.

ha. I once had a flight in a chipmunk with a tornado pilot. He took a copy of the daily mirror with him and just let me fly it the whole time. Take off to landing. I’d done about 5 hours if that and was 14.

He had some unconventional views about how safe it is to fly through clouds too.

I showed him a good stall turn.

 

[adolf hamster]

ha. I once had a flight in a chipmunk with a tornado pilot. He took a copy of the daily mirror with him and just let me fly it the whole time. Take off to landing. I’d done about 5 hours if that and was 14.

He had some unconventional views about how safe it is to fly through clouds too.

I showed him a good stall turn.

They are very quick to hand over controls, first time i was ever up in a motor glider we were barely off the ground before the fella handed over.

Was sitting there thinking "how the hell are you so sure i can fly a plane? I dont even know if i can fly a plane!?"

The flight i mentioned originally was fun on the prep room, usual boiler suit, parachute etc except they hand me a life jacket. Needless to say my mates were as worried about not getting one as i was about having it.

Turns out it was because they were gonna fly only over land whereas i was for flying over the sea.

 

[Edinho]

Cubs and Scouts through the late 70's and into the 80s. I think a lot depends on the group I remember moving away for a bit and the new scout group was horrible and quit.

I still maintain to this day that I learned far more about myself and independence in scouts than I ever did at school. Only thing lacking was the opposite sex pretty much why I left at 16.

 

[Malevolence]

Ooh, I wonder.
I always thought it was a 1000 miles away when I was a kid.

Same here, seemed to be a way longer journey back when I was kid. I lived with a bird in Stone for a while, right on the edge of the Downsbanks by Meaford, and it was strange to have Kibblestone within such a short walking distance when it felt like it took ages to get there with the scouts.

 

[AS_Platinum]

Went to cubs for a while, can't remember much from it, maybe played a bit of British Bulldog and the likes. Got a few badges then onto scouts. 1st Camping trip - was chopping some wood and being as green as I was somehow managed to chop my ankle with an hand axe (down to the bone). Hobbled along to the main tent and they gave me a plaster, hobbled back to my tent and went to sleep for the rest of the day.

 

[Robdav]

I was a cub, a scout, a venture scout, and a cub leader. This was all in the 1970's and 1980's. Had a fantastic time, and really enjoyed it. My kids have shown absolutely no interest in any type of clubs, scouts or otherwise.

 

[BigT]

Was in the cubs and scouts in the 80s. Really enjoyed the social aspects of it and learned lots of useful things like basic mechanics, how to light a good fire, put up a tent and knots I still use to this day. Can't say I've ever had to shoot and skin a rabbit since though - guessing that's not in the 'curriculum' these days! Never went to ventures because I discovered driving, girls and going to pubs.

 

[pepp77]

I must have been around 11 or 12 when I joined the scouts. I do remember I was in the 5th Royal Eltham Brigade. My only real memories are being the flag bearer once for some march thing and then also doing the Gang Show one year, where we actually ended up doing the shows finale at the Royal Festival Hall as part of some event. I cant remember what the finale was, but I do remember one of the parts of that Gang Show was a Bugsy skit and I had to put on a blonde wig, a pink mini dress and be a chorus girl type thing.

 

[Pawnless Endgame]

Was in the cubs and scouts in the 80s. Really enjoyed the social aspects of it and learned lots of useful things like basic mechanics, how to light a good fire, put up a tent and knots I still use to this day. Can't say I've ever had to shoot and skin a rabbit since though - guessing that's not in the 'curriculum' these days! Never went to ventures because I discovered driving, girls and going to pubs.

Indeed, the killing of rabbits wouldn't be compatible with Scout Law!

6. A Scout is kind to animals.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Boy_Scouts_and_British_Girl_Scouts_Association

 

[BigT]

Indeed, the killing of rabbits wouldn't be compatible with Scout Law! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Boy_Scouts_and_British_Girl_Scouts_Association

Looks like it's been wrong since 1909 so we were breaking the rules even in the 80s. Without wishing to ignite a debate about the wider context of going meat free we did at least humanely kill them quickly and eat them as it was a survival weekend - their lives were not 'wasted' in that respect.

 

[Chojin]

Was in beavers and cubs but there was a long waiting list for scouts and I never got in. So it all kinda fizzled out. Tried army cadets but it was full of chavs so left after a couple of months.

 

[Haggisman]

Indeed, the killing of rabbits wouldn't be compatible with Scout Law!



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Boy_Scouts_and_British_Girl_Scouts_Association

That interpretation suggests all Scouts should be vegetarian, which I doubt is the intention. I read it more as not engaging in needless animal cruelty - killing something for food is (IMO at least) completely different to hurting an animal "for the lols".

Now whether killing a rabbit to eat purely to teach someone how to kill a rabbit to eat is needless is a matter of opinion, and I can see arguments for both sides