Group celebrates 100 Years of Scouting at Austinmer

By Stephen Turner, group leader at 1st Austinmer Group since 1991

In 1922, the first Scout Troop on the South Coast was formed and registered as 1st Wollongong (St Michael’s) but ceased to function in early 1923, and was reformed in August 1923.

In April 1923 the Port Kembla Troop started and Austinmer Progress Association Scoutmaster approached Charles Jackson to help start a Troop at Austinmer.

On 16 November 1923, 1st Austinmer Troop was registered and started up, sometimes using the original timber Surf Club Hall at Austinmer beach, which would become a template for the new Scout hall to be built in Moore Street in the future.

On 6 March 1924, a meeting of 41 sympathisers and 14 Scouts was held at “Playden”, a guest house near the beach, and a Parents & Supporters Association was formed, a committee was elected and a Scout Troop flag was purchased for £2-10-0.

Fundraising to build a hall began. Miss A E Allen donated £40 to the fund in October 1925.

The land in Moore Street was identified in November 1925 as a suitable site. On 19 November 1925, the price of land was confirmed at £275 and, as the combined funds of the Guides & Scouts was £180, the P & S Association agreed to accept an overdraft offered from ES&A bank of £350. On 3 December 1925, the Guides HQ agreed to pool funds and the Guides paid £57 into the building fund. A Concert raised £74-9-0 and £5 was paid for a deposit on the land, purchased from Mr Juleffe for £275 through Mr A E Young, who waived his commission of £2-10-0, and the vendor donated £10, bringing the price down to £265.

On 10 August 1926, Mr Lett, a builder, presented a plan 24’ x 46’ with 8’ front and side verandas with material costs of £249-9-0. As Miss Allen had now donated a total of £80 towards the building fund, she was invited to lay the foundation stone on the left side of the north wall footing (it was later moved to a rock in the front yard as it became buried by soil and grass). In Sept 1926 the committee extended the overdraft to £250 and on 14 October 1926 increased it to £400 to complete building works, and the hall was insured for £500.

The Troop started using the hall in January 1927, with the official opening held on the last day of Scout Week, 21-28 January 1928. Hire of hall with piano was set at 25/- for community use. It was the first Scout & Guide hall on the South Coast.

A celebration dinner will be held at Mount Keira Scout Camp on 11 November.

All welcome to an Open Day at the Scout Hall, 20 Moore Street, Austinmer, 10am to 2pm on Sunday, 19 November to see memorabilia.