Article in the December 2021 Issue of Revierview Park Review Newspaper
https://riverviewparkreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/RPR-FINAL-FOR-WEB-Dec-2021.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2WXlES2u9ykVYYDE4AYHwycCYAYEVKoQNAuOzFrZNFNGw011hc8rl4GG8
101st Ottawa Scouting Group celebrates 60 years
Rain or shine Scouts are prepared
by Dan McCarthy, 101st OttawaScouter, (www.101ottawa.com)
If it’s raining, it must be camp weekend. And so it was in October for all four sections of the 101st Ottawa (St. Aidan’s)Scouting Group. Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Venturers packed their camping gear and set o to Apple Hills campground, near Cornwall, prepared for a wet weekend of wild weather. But no one minded as it was the first camp weekend since spring 2020. Covid forced Scouting to adapt to public health restrictions that had sharply lim- ited in-person meetings. Scouting moved on-line and outdoors.
And adapt we did – just as the101st has done since our founding 60 years ago in 1961. At that time,Riverview Alternative (then Public School) was six years old, and the largest residential expansion in Riverview Park’s history was well underway. The broader neighbourhood down Alta Vista Drive, and east on Smyth Road, was alive with children of all ages, and existing scouting groups were bulging beyond capacity.
The Brotherhood of Anglican Churchmen at St. Aidan’s established the 101st in February 1961, with 36 boys equally divided between the Cub Pack and Scout Troop. These numbers would double by the fall of that year.
Scouting was different then: theuniforms were itchy wool blends; summer camp fees were $15 for tendays; scouts sported the famous Stetson hats, and membership was open only to boys. The Beaver program did not exist until 1986 and scouting for girls became an option in the early 1990s.
Spirited mix
Today all the youth sections area spirited mix of boys and girls. Adult leadership has been equal-ly split between women and men for years now. For the past 60 years, the parish community at St. Aidan’s Anglican Church on Hamlet Road has provided free meeting space for all four sections. We take over the church halls on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.
This is a bounce back year forScouting; for example, the Beaver Colony had doubled in size and with restrictions being loosened indoor meetings are now possible. The essence of Scouting though is experiencing the natural world and this year has been re-affirming the‘out’ in Scouts by getting outdoors as often as possible with a wide va- riety of youth-led activities.
Scouting has evolved from the individual badges of yesterday. Cub scouts can still earn their Pet Care Badge and at the same time take a deeper dive into issues of national and international concern. For example, the eight-week Around theWorld in 60 Days Challenge includes modules such as discovering our indigenous past, our present and climate change.
Scouting is also giving back through community and volunteer service. A few weeks ago, the Beaver Colony conducted theirsemi-annual clean up and play-ground inspection at Canterbury Park. In October, the Scouts did a shoreline cleanup along the Rideau River across from Billings Bridge Mall and below Vincent Massey Park. This winter, the Scouts willorganize the camp re at the annual Balena Park winter carnival hosted by the Riverview Park Community Association. Scouts also volunteer for food drives on behalf of the Ottawa Food Bank. Remembrance Week is always special and, once Covid is behind us, we look for-ward to our regular evenings with the veterans and residents of the Perley.
One thing that hasn’t changed over the past 60 years is an emphasis on fun. The 101st Group Commissioner and Scouter Francois Marier is pleased with the start to this Scouting year, “It’s great to be back with many adventurous years to come.”
Friendships formed
Halloween 2021 was celebrated with parties and costumes for the Beavers and, for the Cubs, an evening on the Haunted Walk of Ottawa! The Venturers recently spent an adventurous day at the Arbraska aerial park and zip line. Both the Venturers and the Scouts look forward to winter camping in the months to come. And, of course, there were canoe outings through-out this summer and fall.
Sixty years on Scouting re-mains an activity where memories are made and friendships forgedthrough countless campfires, hikes, and overnight camps. We expect it will be the same for the next 60 years. We’ll continue to keep ourngers crossed for sunshine on camp weekends.
Rain or shine Scouts are prepared
by Dan McCarthy, 101st OttawaScouter, (www.101ottawa.com)
If it’s raining, it must be camp weekend. And so it was in October for all four sections of the 101st Ottawa (St. Aidan’s)Scouting Group. Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Venturers packed their camping gear and set o to Apple Hills campground, near Cornwall, prepared for a wet weekend of wild weather. But no one minded as it was the first camp weekend since spring 2020. Covid forced Scouting to adapt to public health restrictions that had sharply lim- ited in-person meetings. Scouting moved on-line and outdoors.
And adapt we did – just as the101st has done since our founding 60 years ago in 1961. At that time,Riverview Alternative (then Public School) was six years old, and the largest residential expansion in Riverview Park’s history was well underway. The broader neighbourhood down Alta Vista Drive, and east on Smyth Road, was alive with children of all ages, and existing scouting groups were bulging beyond capacity.
The Brotherhood of Anglican Churchmen at St. Aidan’s established the 101st in February 1961, with 36 boys equally divided between the Cub Pack and Scout Troop. These numbers would double by the fall of that year.
Scouting was different then: theuniforms were itchy wool blends; summer camp fees were $15 for tendays; scouts sported the famous Stetson hats, and membership was open only to boys. The Beaver program did not exist until 1986 and scouting for girls became an option in the early 1990s.
Spirited mix
Today all the youth sections area spirited mix of boys and girls. Adult leadership has been equal-ly split between women and men for years now. For the past 60 years, the parish community at St. Aidan’s Anglican Church on Hamlet Road has provided free meeting space for all four sections. We take over the church halls on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.
This is a bounce back year forScouting; for example, the Beaver Colony had doubled in size and with restrictions being loosened indoor meetings are now possible. The essence of Scouting though is experiencing the natural world and this year has been re-affirming the‘out’ in Scouts by getting outdoors as often as possible with a wide va- riety of youth-led activities.
Scouting has evolved from the individual badges of yesterday. Cub scouts can still earn their Pet Care Badge and at the same time take a deeper dive into issues of national and international concern. For example, the eight-week Around theWorld in 60 Days Challenge includes modules such as discovering our indigenous past, our present and climate change.
Scouting is also giving back through community and volunteer service. A few weeks ago, the Beaver Colony conducted theirsemi-annual clean up and play-ground inspection at Canterbury Park. In October, the Scouts did a shoreline cleanup along the Rideau River across from Billings Bridge Mall and below Vincent Massey Park. This winter, the Scouts willorganize the camp re at the annual Balena Park winter carnival hosted by the Riverview Park Community Association. Scouts also volunteer for food drives on behalf of the Ottawa Food Bank. Remembrance Week is always special and, once Covid is behind us, we look for-ward to our regular evenings with the veterans and residents of the Perley.
One thing that hasn’t changed over the past 60 years is an emphasis on fun. The 101st Group Commissioner and Scouter Francois Marier is pleased with the start to this Scouting year, “It’s great to be back with many adventurous years to come.”
Friendships formed
Halloween 2021 was celebrated with parties and costumes for the Beavers and, for the Cubs, an evening on the Haunted Walk of Ottawa! The Venturers recently spent an adventurous day at the Arbraska aerial park and zip line. Both the Venturers and the Scouts look forward to winter camping in the months to come. And, of course, there were canoe outings through-out this summer and fall.
Sixty years on Scouting re-mains an activity where memories are made and friendships forgedthrough countless campfires, hikes, and overnight camps. We expect it will be the same for the next 60 years. We’ll continue to keep ourngers crossed for sunshine on camp weekends.
Article in the June 2021 Issue of Vistas Newspaper
http://vistas-news.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/VISTAS-June-2021-final-small-1-1.pdf
Celebrating 60 Years of Scouting at the 101st Ottawa
By Dan McCarthy: Dan is an Alta Vista resident and Scouter at the 101st Ottawa (http:/www.101ottawa.com)
Sixty years ago, the new St. Aidan’s Anglican Church sat at the opposite end of Hamlet Road from Hillcrest High School which was still under construction. Elmvale Acres was full of young boys and similarly, Scout groups on Alta Vista Drive were full. So, the Brotherhood of Anglican Churchmen at St. Aidan’s decided to start their own group, and in February 1961, the 101st Ottawa was established with 36 boys divided between the Cub pack and the Scout Troop. Group colours of gold and brown were introduced with the crest of the ‘sitting stag’, the symbol of St. Aidan. By fall 1961, these registration numbers would double.
Scouting was different then - it was Boy Scouts, with Tenderfoots and Queen’s Scouts. Registration cost $1, and summer camp in 1961 at Lac Phillippe was $15 for 10 days! Uniforms were made of itchy green wool, and Scouts sported the famous Stetsons. Beavers – the program for the youngest children – would not be established for another 20 years!
What hasn’t changed is an emphasis on outdoor adventures, citizenship, community service, and activities that allow boys and girls to gain leadership skills, and grow as individuals. As the 101st Ottawa celebrates its 60th Anniversary, it remains a vibrant group with nearly 100 boys, girls, and adult leaders, with four sections: Beavers (age 5-7); Cubs (age 8-10); Scouts (age 11-14); and Venturers (age 15-17). Half of our adult leaders are women, and 60 years on, St. Aidan’s continues to provide free meeting space for the four sections.
Community service is at the centre of 101st Ottawa activities, planting thousands of trees over the years in the Alta Vista greenspace among other locations in the neighbourhood, and regular park cleanups at the Canterbury Park playground. Scouts also volunteer for food drives for the Ottawa Foodbank, sort the food at their main depot, and run singsongs and Bingo games with veterans at the Perley Residence. In the winter, Scouts tend the campfire at the Balena Park February carnival.
Rev. Rosemary Parker, Incumbent of St. Aidan’s Anglican Church believes that Scouting, “offers our parish a wonderful way to serve the wider community, by providing a safe place for young people to learn and grow together”. With the 60th Anniversary in mind, she says, “We are proud and grateful for this shared legacy between St Aidan's and Scouts, and look forward to hearing the joyful sounds of the Scouts gathering at our church again soon!”
‘Be prepared’ is the Scout motto, and if Covid-19 has taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected; be prepared to change course and adjust to new circumstances. Pandemic closures resulted in all Scouting activities moving outdoors and during strict lockdowns, virtually online. The new Scouting at Home program encourages youth to keep developing well-rounded skills through fun activities while practicing physical distancing. Nationally, the Scouts partnered with Les Stroud, aka ‘Survivorman’, to launch the exciting Great 8 Challenge that involves fun challenges such as survival skills like shelter building, wilderness navigation and first aid. Youths do most of program planning themselves - however, adult volunteers are still required to get them rolling and on track, particularly among the younger groups.
Francois Marier, Group Commissioner and Beaver/Scout leader says that “the past year has been challenging but also has shown the resilience and commitment of our volunteers, youth members and their families. Despite the constant changes between in-person outdoor and virtual meetings, we have continued to pivot and offer a challenging and interesting program.”
The essence of Scouting is experiencing the natural world. In past winters, the Venturers have headed to Lake Placid to climb Adirondack Peaks on snowshoes, and Scouts have built and slept overnight in snow shelters called quinzes. With overnight winter camping not permitted this year, youth of the 101st have pursued both urban – downtown Ottawa provides a number of interesting destinations – and wilderness hikes, including day camps at Baxter Conservation Area, on the Rideau River. The outdoors is not just important for Scouts. As Rev. Parker points out, “for those of us struggling with the pandemic, just listen to the Scouts. Get outside. Nature is a gift to delight and restore us, especially when life gets tough.”
Over the years, Cubs, Scouts and Venturers from the 101st have travelled to jamborees in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Haliburton, the shores of Lake Erie and Prince Edward Island. They have paddled and portaged many of the lakes and rivers in eastern Ontario and western Quebec. For many, the first canoe trip through the Barron Canyon in Algonquin Park is an enduring memory; one trip concluded with a welcome at the river’s bank by a piper playing The Maple Leaf Forever!
With a 60-year legacy of youth adventures and leadership development, community service and of course, fun, the 101st Ottawa looks forward to the next 60, with a full re-opening this fall. As Francois Marier puts it: “our mission is to help shape today’s youth into tomorrow’s citizens – helpful, trustworthy, kind, cheerful, considerate, clean and wise in the use of all resources.”
By Dan McCarthy: Dan is an Alta Vista resident and Scouter at the 101st Ottawa (http:/www.101ottawa.com)
Sixty years ago, the new St. Aidan’s Anglican Church sat at the opposite end of Hamlet Road from Hillcrest High School which was still under construction. Elmvale Acres was full of young boys and similarly, Scout groups on Alta Vista Drive were full. So, the Brotherhood of Anglican Churchmen at St. Aidan’s decided to start their own group, and in February 1961, the 101st Ottawa was established with 36 boys divided between the Cub pack and the Scout Troop. Group colours of gold and brown were introduced with the crest of the ‘sitting stag’, the symbol of St. Aidan. By fall 1961, these registration numbers would double.
Scouting was different then - it was Boy Scouts, with Tenderfoots and Queen’s Scouts. Registration cost $1, and summer camp in 1961 at Lac Phillippe was $15 for 10 days! Uniforms were made of itchy green wool, and Scouts sported the famous Stetsons. Beavers – the program for the youngest children – would not be established for another 20 years!
What hasn’t changed is an emphasis on outdoor adventures, citizenship, community service, and activities that allow boys and girls to gain leadership skills, and grow as individuals. As the 101st Ottawa celebrates its 60th Anniversary, it remains a vibrant group with nearly 100 boys, girls, and adult leaders, with four sections: Beavers (age 5-7); Cubs (age 8-10); Scouts (age 11-14); and Venturers (age 15-17). Half of our adult leaders are women, and 60 years on, St. Aidan’s continues to provide free meeting space for the four sections.
Community service is at the centre of 101st Ottawa activities, planting thousands of trees over the years in the Alta Vista greenspace among other locations in the neighbourhood, and regular park cleanups at the Canterbury Park playground. Scouts also volunteer for food drives for the Ottawa Foodbank, sort the food at their main depot, and run singsongs and Bingo games with veterans at the Perley Residence. In the winter, Scouts tend the campfire at the Balena Park February carnival.
Rev. Rosemary Parker, Incumbent of St. Aidan’s Anglican Church believes that Scouting, “offers our parish a wonderful way to serve the wider community, by providing a safe place for young people to learn and grow together”. With the 60th Anniversary in mind, she says, “We are proud and grateful for this shared legacy between St Aidan's and Scouts, and look forward to hearing the joyful sounds of the Scouts gathering at our church again soon!”
‘Be prepared’ is the Scout motto, and if Covid-19 has taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected; be prepared to change course and adjust to new circumstances. Pandemic closures resulted in all Scouting activities moving outdoors and during strict lockdowns, virtually online. The new Scouting at Home program encourages youth to keep developing well-rounded skills through fun activities while practicing physical distancing. Nationally, the Scouts partnered with Les Stroud, aka ‘Survivorman’, to launch the exciting Great 8 Challenge that involves fun challenges such as survival skills like shelter building, wilderness navigation and first aid. Youths do most of program planning themselves - however, adult volunteers are still required to get them rolling and on track, particularly among the younger groups.
Francois Marier, Group Commissioner and Beaver/Scout leader says that “the past year has been challenging but also has shown the resilience and commitment of our volunteers, youth members and their families. Despite the constant changes between in-person outdoor and virtual meetings, we have continued to pivot and offer a challenging and interesting program.”
The essence of Scouting is experiencing the natural world. In past winters, the Venturers have headed to Lake Placid to climb Adirondack Peaks on snowshoes, and Scouts have built and slept overnight in snow shelters called quinzes. With overnight winter camping not permitted this year, youth of the 101st have pursued both urban – downtown Ottawa provides a number of interesting destinations – and wilderness hikes, including day camps at Baxter Conservation Area, on the Rideau River. The outdoors is not just important for Scouts. As Rev. Parker points out, “for those of us struggling with the pandemic, just listen to the Scouts. Get outside. Nature is a gift to delight and restore us, especially when life gets tough.”
Over the years, Cubs, Scouts and Venturers from the 101st have travelled to jamborees in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Haliburton, the shores of Lake Erie and Prince Edward Island. They have paddled and portaged many of the lakes and rivers in eastern Ontario and western Quebec. For many, the first canoe trip through the Barron Canyon in Algonquin Park is an enduring memory; one trip concluded with a welcome at the river’s bank by a piper playing The Maple Leaf Forever!
With a 60-year legacy of youth adventures and leadership development, community service and of course, fun, the 101st Ottawa looks forward to the next 60, with a full re-opening this fall. As Francois Marier puts it: “our mission is to help shape today’s youth into tomorrow’s citizens – helpful, trustworthy, kind, cheerful, considerate, clean and wise in the use of all resources.”
Special Crest and T-Shirt Design
Congratulations to Beaver Tommy Lincoln for designing our special crest and for Venturers Indira Marier, Sofia Laconi, Luca Pepe and Chloe Rosenbloom for designing our special anniversary t-shirt.