2014-10-30 – Beavers Halloween

pumpkinA record 43 boys arrived dressed in Spooky costumes for our biggest Beaver Halloween Party ever. We even had a Dalek and Darth Vader join in the celebrations. Along with the valued help of four of our Explorers the Beavers enjoyed traditional games such as getting the Doughnuts from the string without the use of hands, picture matching, the ever popular story game Ooh Spooky! and Apple bobbing followed by getting minions out of the icing sugar once their faces were wet. Continue reading

2014-06-13 – Dr John Burne RIP

It is with sadness that we report that Dr John Burne, one of the founding fathers of 5th Dartford Scout Group, died on 13 June 2014 following a short illness.

In the early 1950s Dr Burne – along with Ernie Johnston, Skipper Leigh, Alan Medcalf and many other volunteers, worked hard to raise funds so that the old wooden hut used by the group could be replaced with a state-of-the-art Scout Hall (the one we know and love today!). It took three years for the group to raise the money for the project and building work started in 1959.

It took two years for the leaders, parents and other volunteers to build the new hall and Dr Burne was one of only a dozen or so people who saw the project right through from inception to completion. Lyn Medcalf remembers well Dick talking about how Dr Burne worked tirelessly alongside his father, helping to dig out the foundations for the new Scout Hall.

Dr Burne was a former trustee of 5th Dartford and one of our lifelong supporters; he corresponded with the 5th all through his retirement and took a keen interest in our activities and, in particular, our current fundraising efforts for (yet another) new hall.

In January 1986 the group honored Dr Burne by naming its new Scout Troop after him.
Dr Burne will be fondly remembered and sadly missed.