BE PREPARED! The Scout Motto that the good Doctor epitomizes!
Introduction
We have been “scouting” around for a scout to give an account of the Scout movement in Naval Base, but to no avail till Dr Muthiar Singh Sidhu responded with his memories which he hopes will trigger others to add to the narrative and for which we are very appreciative.
BE PREPARED! The Scout Motto that the good Doctor epitomizes!
“Yes, I remember my three adventurous years from 1951 to 1953 with the27th Scout Troop in Naval Base.
This was the best experience I had as a teen and I strongly recommend all youngsters to take up Scouting. Regrettably, I had to give it up to concentrate on my Senior Cambridge Exams in 1954.
Although today, youth serve National Service, which is essentially military service, scouting builds at an early age life-skills,” impressed Dr Sidhu who lived in Block 86 H.M. Naval Base before migrating to Brisbane. (Do read B2B article: “From Bargadi to Brisbane” to know more about him in thenavalbase.blogspot.com
According to Wikipedia the Boy Scouts organization was originally for boys from 11 years of age. To become a scout, a boy would promise
to be loyal to his country, help other people, and in general obey the scout law,
a simple code of chivalrous behavior easily understood by the boy.
The Boy Scout movement was founded in Great Britain in 1908 by Lieutenant General Lord Baden-Powell
Dr Sidhu recalls that the 27thTroop was led by Sam Castle
and Tong Shui Shee.
Cultivating independent skills
We were generally taught how to survive independently in the outdoors. As part of our training, we learnt to set up tents and shovel a narrow ditch around it to prevent rainwater seeping into the tent. We were also taught camping skills and learnt how to make tables and chairs and other items necessary for camping from readily available material like bamboo.
Each one of us had to learn
specific tasks such as, how:
- · to read a compass,
- · to tie different knots with ropes
- · to climb trees safely with ropes
- · to apply first aid
- · start a fire and cook basic survival food. Needless to say, most boys hardly cooked at home.
·
At the end of
the training, we were rewarded with badges.
Health Safety & Environment
HSE was fundamental to everything we
did. Like when felling trees, we ensured that it didn’t damage surrounding
structures such as roofs, lampposts, roadside
signs and other flora and fauna. We were taught the importance of caring for nature
long before the world realized the need to safeguard the environment.
We also ventured to Pulau Tekong where we were exposed to real-life situations in the jungle and learnt more skills. We also met groups from the city with whom we carried out joint exercises.
Every morning there was camp inspection which included our attire and uniforms. We also attended Rifle shooting at the Police Academy, shooting range.
There were about 25 -30 of us, and we were also taught to march army style. There was one chap whom I fondly remember, found difficulty distinguishing between his right and left arms and legs during the marching! It was hilarious, but he soon became adept in it.
Some
of the highlights that we looked forward was Job Week and the annual Christmas Camp.
Our scout masters divided Naval Base into areas and
each was allocated one. This was very useful especially during Job Week, as it ensured that no two went to the same place.
The annual Christmas party around a camp-fire where we sang carols and paraded in a fancy dress competition. The moonlight and unspoilt countryside created a very special allure.
I was invited to join the Scouting Board at Sands House when I was
working at KK Hospital but was too busy preparing for my specialist
training then. I lost track of the Scout movement
after I left Singapore in 1976. But I have fond memories of my colleagues Alan Kok, Joy Thomas,
Parameswaran, Woon Tat Sun and his brother Woon Hong Sun who can elaborate much
more” concluded Dr Muthiar Singh Sidhu.
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