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5th Estevan
Scout and Cub Troop
Part of the Black and Gold District
The start of the 5th Estevan Scout Troop
I found in a newspaper article, dated June 20, 1959.
Turns out Mr. Murray Embery (alt
spelling Embry?) was the fellow
credited in the article with starting this Scout troop
securing the Estevan Lion Club as a sponsor.
In the article it states
Murray Embery started the Scout Troop in
November 1958.
He was the Scoutmaster for the troop
and had to attend an 8 day Scout Course in Prince Albert.
He had to pass the Wood Badge Course,
to remain as a Scoutmaster, and to take a troop camping.
The troop had 2 patrols, and a cub pack was being planned.
Feb 3, 1960 the start of the 5th Estevan Cub Pack
The Headquarters was in the Old Hillside School, on George St.
Richard Dacus, the Minister from the Church of Christ,
was the First Cub Master.
Don Wood was the Commissioner,
of
the Estevan and District Scout Council.
Mrs. Ruby Debacker, was the District Cub Master.
Feb 13, 1960 was
the First Annual,
Boy Scout Father and Son Banquet
held in the Legion Hall in Estevan.
Guest speakers:
Provincial Executive Commissioner, Tom Stark.
C. W. Pool, the newly named Provincial Commissioner.
Bud Sinclair, Vice-President of the Estevan District Scout Council
Scout Mervin Symons toasted the fathers.
Rev. Dunstan Pasterfield was master of ceremonies.
There was 4 scout troops in attendance.
Feb 25, 1961 was the Grand Opening
of the 5th Estevan Scout Hall
located on NE corner of Isabelle St. and Dufferin Ave.
Today a large 3 story apartment building sits there,
and the Kinsmen building on the corner across the street, is gone.
Opening Ceremony conducted by Mayor Harry Nicholson,
Speakers and Guests:
Rev. J. Haugen, President of the District Scout Council
John Bouthillier, Acting District Scout Commissioner.
Mrs. Ruby De Backer, District Cub Commissioner,
Harlow Rud, Chairman of the Group Committee.
A Group Scout Charter was given to the
sponsors
of the 5th Estevan Group, the Estevan Lions Club.
I know Mayor Harry Nicholson at the time
donated some wood to build the Scout Hall.
Part of World Wide Boy Scout Week,
an International Scouting Event took
place in Estevan.
Held on Saturday, Feb 19, 1966.
The Estevan Black Gold District, Estevan Lions Club,
and the Estevan Bruins,
all hosted the event.
Scouts, Cubs, and Leaders,
from Crosby, Williston, Tioga and Lignite, ND, USA, attended.
Plus Canadian Comrades from:
Estevan, Weyburn, Oxbow, Arcola, Alida, Carlyle, and Belgrade.
More than 400 attended at the Estevan Legion Memorial Hall.
They held a mass parade between intermissions
at the Bruins-Saskatoon game that evening.
The Bruins gave tickets to all attending.
Leading the parade was Districts Chief Scout, Harry Nicholson,
and the former Chief of the Carlyle White Bear Indian Reserve,
William Standing Ready.
Other officials attending:
Al Brewin, President of the District,
and Mrs. Ruby De Backer, Assistant Commissioner,
and Glen Ross, Boy Scout Commissioner from Weyburn.
Sunday, Feb 20, 1966, they held the Father and Son Banquet,
at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Estevan.
Not much mention of the 5th Estevan
Scout Troop in any Estevan History books,
which doesn't really surprise me,
since there wasn't much recorded of Hillside,
in any of the history books either.
My ambition is to not let this history disappear.
For all the Scouts and Cubs from Hillside,
that attended meetings, and had tons of fun,
I hope this page will trigger a long past memory,
of those good old days!
No Drugs, No Booze, No Bullying,
Just good, clean, disciplined fun!
In 1967 Andrew King mentioned the troop
in his "Estevan the Power Center"
"No. 5 with two cub packs and one scout troop
for a total of about 75 boys,
sponsored by the Lions Club.
This group has its own hall located in Hillside. "
Black and
Yellow were our Troops colors,
these were the colours of our Pack neckerchiefs,
visible in picture below.
I remember my Mom sewing a bunch of these up.
Engraved silver plate from 5th Estevan Group
presented to my Mom and Dad
From what I have been able to piece together,
William (Bill) & Dorothy Hinzman were one of the
early Scout and Cub Leaders, respectively,
of the 5th Estevan Troop.
When we moved to Estevan, they found out
my Dad and Mom were Cub leaders in Bienfait,
where we used to live.
They were then asked to join the 5th Estevan Troop.
My Dad was Akela, the Great Gray Lone Wolf
and Mrs Hinzman
was Baloo, the sleepy old grey Bear,
and my Mom was Bagheera, the Black Panther.
Lord Baden-Powell chose Rudyard Kipling's
(1894) "The Jungle Book" as a source of symbolism,
for the Cub movement.
A fellow by the name of Spenser Wood
was the fourth Cub assistant leader.
Bill Hinzman was a Scout Leader for many years.
and Dorothy his wife was Cub leader for many years also.
The Senior Group Scout leader was Jack Willis.
There was another Scout leader
named John Dornian.
He was an Assistant Scout Leader
per a nice letter, I received from his wife Jean, on Sept 22, 2009
Turns out Mrs. Jean Dornian was an Assistant Cub leader,
using the name "Rikky Tikky Tavi",
after the valiant young mongoose,
from "The Jungle Book"
Mrs. Jean Dornian goes on to tell me,
that with the help of Mrs. Jean
Miller,
they wrote a song for the new Hall opening,
to the melody of a Woody Guthrie song
called
"We Ain't Down Yet".
Mrs. Miller played the piano,
and Mrs. Dornian and the Cubs and Scouts,
performed the song at the opening of the
new hall.
Turns out the Dornian's owned a cabin down at Boundary Dam
where my Mom and Dad had a cabin.
The Dornian's moved to Liberty Saskatchewan, in 1988
after moving to Estevan, from a farm near Outram in 1948.
Sad to report, Mr. John Dornian passed away
Sept 17, 2007, at 85 years of age, at Imperial SK.
Born June 26, 1922
Mr. John Dornian was a member
of the South Saskatchewan Regiment
and served overseas in the Canadian Army.
He was a member of the 2nd battalion
of the SSR during the liberation of Holland.
Jean was also in the services, in England,
British Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service, A.T.S. (Army)
John and Jean Dornian
Mar 1946
I also know my friend Bud Haygarth's dad,
Harrison Haygarth, was one of the early Scout leaders.
He was also a member of the Services.
In my Mom's history book,
she lists more of the leaders she remembered:
Bob and Doris Greenaway
and Frank Needham.
We raised money on bottle drives, etc.
to build our own Quonset hut Scout
Hall.
It was on the outskirts of the Subdivision,
on Isabelle St. all by itself,
except for a small Kinsmen School
for handicapped Children,
which was across the street.
Now there is new houses built up in this area,
all the way to the new Estevan Comprehensive School.
No more Scout Hall.
There is an 3 story Apartment complex on the spot today.
The building was sold and moved to Kenosee Lake,
and turned into a cabin by Scotty Watchman.
We had a great bunch of Cubs and Scouts
and think this training helped out in later life,
better than most!
Phil and Helen Gent
My Mom and Dad
Mom and Dad were leaders of the Bienfait Troop,
ca 1956-58 prior to coming to Estevan.
Dad and Harry Barker formed the Cub pack there.
My brother Wayne Gent
became a Scout Leader for the 5th Estevan Troop.
He was only 17, and needed special permission,
due to his age, from the District Commissioner,
to even become a leader, which was granted.
Have to ask Guy Mehler about him,
and the run home from the camping site,
located down at the Souris River,
to the Scout Hall on Isabelle St., in Hillside,
without stopping, and each with a full pack on.
These are some of the books my Mom and Dad used
as leaders of the Cub Pack
Pictures of my investment into Scouts
Feb 6, 1962
Both pictures you can see Scout
Leader Mr. Bill Hinzman,
and Scout Jim Haygarth to my left in the left picture.
The right picture you can see
the moustache of leader Mr. John Dornian.
taken inside the old Scout Hall
We even made a City Hall Presentation
to Mayor Harry Nicholson
From this picture we know we had
a ladies Auxiliary group
led by Inez Walker,
wife of ECI School Teacher, Don Walker.
Mrs. Ruby De Backer, nee Gardipee, in the photo,
Her brief genealogy below
We would go camping down at the Souris River
just to the left, south of Vaughn's crossing
which today is across from the baseball
field, and just before Nathan Lamb's farm.
We would erect 2 round ex army canvas tents,
and spend a weekend, catching catfish,
using safety pins, on the end of a piece of string,
tied to a short willow sapling.
Also remember
eating pork and beans, cooked in the tin,
on the edge of the coals of the fire.
We would pick up
phosphorous reflective pieces of driftwood,
and take them into the tent at night for a spooky effect.
We would be filthy by Sunday,
and full of wood ticks.
But boy we had fun.
Up to my Mom's passing, many, now grown men,
approached my Mom, and thanked her for
their Cub experience, in the early 60's.
She enjoyed their stories,
and experiences while a Hillside Cub.
My Dad cleaning the hall, Apr 1963
5th Estevan Cubs and Scouts on a parade float
in the July 1963 Estevan Parade.
Note the Woolworth's sign in the background.
My dad, Phil Gent and myself,
preparing to leave out the front door.
I know other families in Hillside
were involved with this troop,
from raising funds, to building the Hall.
If I have missed anyone, it was not intentional.
As no written record was kept,
that I have found, it is my memory
and my Mom's scrapbook to go on.
More Leader
Information
Mr. William (Bill) Hinzman - 1913-
1993
He served with the Regina Rifles as a Corporal in WWII.
Mrs. Lillian (Dorothy) Hinzman
d- April 12, 2007, age 84
Phil G. Gent, (my Dad)- 1912- 1982
Helen Gent (my Mom) 1911-2007
all four above buried in Souris Valley Memorial Gardens
on Highway 39
Names of
Cubs in my Mom's attendance book
the Cub Pack was broken into groups,
and each group was given a colour,
Cloth coloured patches matching these colours
were then sewn on to your shoulder.
No year on this list, sorry!
Blue Group
Allan Hart
Dwight Blomander
Kevin Ross
Ed Wilhelm
Kevin Schlingmann
Mark Tipper
White Group
Ricky Knill
Tommy Elliott
John Blomander
Elgin Muirhead
Bruce McNeice
Walter Matthies
Red Group
Loren Christenson
Bill Dyer
Paul Murray
Jack McWilliam
Donnie Chipley
Ben Anderson
Yellow Group
Michael Whiteside
Bill Blomander
Terry Mehler
James Carruthers
Gordon Nelson
Green Group
Rickie Morrison
Ron Roelfsema
Myles Schopf
Kenny Elliott
Delbert Stocking
Craig Dyer
Orange Group
Ed Roelfsema
Garry Jones
Doug McComb
Cliff Cornish
Donald Roach
Vernon Verhaegh
35 Cubs, all at the same place, same time!
Good thing we had some discipline then!
Last page has these names
and I would bet they were the leaders at the time
Cam McClure
Bob McNeice
Ron Whiteside
Gerald Ross
Jack Willis
(note he was later Scout leader, as shown above)
General Cub History
Wolf Cub Promise:
I promise to do my best
To love and serve God, to do my duty to the Queen;
To keep the law of the Wolf Cub pack,
And to do a good turn for somebody every day.
Wolf Cub Law:
The Cub respects the Old Wolf,
The Cub respects himself/herself.
Grand Howl:
A-h-h K-a-y L-a-a
W-e-e-l-l d-o-o
o-o-u-u-r BEST!
D-Y-Y-Y-B,
D-Y-Y-Y-B, D-Y-Y-Y-B, D-Y-Y-Y-B
(draw this out
like a wolf howl)
W-e-e-l-l DOB, DOB,
DOB, DOB!"
(make it sound
like short, sharp barks)
DYB
(pronounced "dib") means Do Your Best, and
We'll DOB, DOB,
DOB, DOB means we'll Do Our Best
Wolf Cub Motto:
Do Your Best
ages 8-10
Each pack was divided into a "Six"
with a "Sixer" as leader of those 6 boys.
2nd in the Six was called a "Second"
Each Six had a different color triangle shoulder patch
with 2 arm bands for the Sixer, and 1 for the Second.
General Scout
History
Trivia- 2007 is the
100th anniversary of Scouting.
Scouting began in 1907 when
Lt. Gen. Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell
took a group of youth to a camp on Brownsea Island.
The Movement was incorporated as
"The Boy Scout Association"
throughout the Commonwealth
by Royal Charter granted by King George V in 1912.
Scouting
started in Canada in 2008
Chief Scout of Canada is the Governor General
Scout Promise:
On my honour
I promise that I will do my best
To do my duty to God and the Queen
To help other people at all times,
And to carry out the spirit of the Scout Law.
Scout Law:
A Scout is helpful and trustworthy,
kind and cheerful,
considerate and clean,
wise in the use of all resources.
Scout Motto:
Be Prepared
Ruby De Backer, nee Gardipee
b- ?
husband- Cyril George De Backer,
b- Mar 12, 1901, in Brussels Belgium
d- Dec 18, 1977 at Red Deer Alberta, age 75.
Ruby and Cyril had one son, and 2 daughters.
Cyril's Father- Leon De Backer, Mother- Sebronie
Ruby was still living in 1984 in Red Deer.
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