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.