Artifacts (youngtime): Cub and Beaver Scouting – with Mom and Brothers

Background: Many of the activities for my brothers and i were centered around Cub Scouts mostly as well as the adjacent Beaver scouts for younger kids, and “Boy” Scouts for slightly older + the mysterious Venturers and Rovers for youth who grew up and somehow never found another hobby

Before Cub Scouts was Beavers and so at different times all of us seemed to be in one group or another as we are all about 9 1/2 years apart so while there are many photos with further evidence of these activities, this post will serve as a few examples of us in our regimental splendor and act as a placeholder for further annotations as needed

Significant though was Cub Scouts as our dear Mother Lauralee was the pack leader which, following the lore of Richard Kipling’s (colonial era in India) “Jungle Book”, was called Akela with assistant leaders also carrying names from the book like Baloo, Baghera and others, but alas, no King Louie.

Mom approached her duty with complete enthusiasm charm and a level of organization which is almost bewildering to understand, plus wrangling appropriate behavior from a bunch of rambunctious young kids without ever raising her voice or using course or word. I still struggle to understand her magic on that front.

And Mom was always done up with her hair frosted, frosted brownie lipstick, nails done, jewelry on and beaming smile no matter the activity.

Notes and Memories Follow:

With five boys in the family, one was always part of the Cub Scout pack, often overlapping. While we were all diligent kids, we didn’t receive special treatment per se aside from a ride in the Mercury Vista Cruiser station wagon together and, had to wait our turn for “promotion” to be Sixers or Seconds, meaning the captain of the sub-units of the Cub Scout pack.

However, it was clear we were there to set an example in many ways, not with our behavior exactly, but with our tidy uniforms and accessories with all our patches and badges of various sewn on with precision and promptness.

As a result, we’d all step out looking like splendid troopers equipped with entirely unnecessary whistles, tall socks with garter flashes, scarves and woggles, the scarves neatly pressed – of course – and various short pants as was our preference.

Remember when brother James was too young for Beavers and felt sad that he didn’t have a uniform like everyone else so I made him a “Bunny Scout” uniform so he could feel part of the gang

Also remember being quite proud of earning basically every possible badge aside for the ones related to sailing and seamanship as that wasn’t an available activity to us but still, the sleeves of my cub shirt were completely covered with various designations.

Of course Mom helped other kids whose parents lacked the vigor or skills for such sewing – and made sure everyone was having fun “find a place and role for everyone” i learned

We were taught to be humble but to be quick and smart and supportive each other. Loads of first aid and safety training and real life advice to all the kids

She also wrote a self-published chapbook “the camper’s guide to fire” (can’t find a copy yet in the archive but i’ll keep an eye out) with many tips which I still follow for making fire starters and so on

Of course, pre-sageing my booth-life, we did booths at malls and events – gosh the 100s of weekends i’ve squandered & oh yeah knots, tying knots (which i should be better at frankly)

We’d also participate in events with groups in our area including the now-baffling “Hands Across the Border” in which we’d all congregate at Peace Arch park and exchange badges, St Helen’s ash, and other collectibles. With the absence of security measure, i suspect there were a lot of “extra adjunct leaders” exchanging packets across the border, but i digress, as usual

Mom also forged relationships with local outdoor equipment wholesalers to get our pack kitted out with tents and other gear (this was days of cotton long johns, jeans and sweatshirts), we had the first dome tent I’ve ever seen and it had a tub floor which was so handy as every single time we ever went camping anywhere at any time, rain fell, oh how rain did fall. Plus internal frame backpacks and a variety of (frankly dangerous) camp stoves.

As such, our pack was always looking great and started a lifetime gear obsession and “trying to pack the perfect pack” for *some of us* (you know who, also me)

Note: this Scouts Canada organizational structure (seperate from girls’ activities) and Jungle Book nomenclature was entirely different than the US scouting program which terms like Webelos, Eagle Scout and other vernacular which was foreign to us. In both cases however, the scouting programs were “sponsored” by the church our family members were members of, and we’d often attend big joint activities with scout groups in the States, including at Camp Thunderbird in my future home area of Olympia,Tumwater, WA and add a big jamboree in Idaho, which forged some lifelong friendships despite my complete indifference (see below)

Bonus: various certificates, group photos and evidence of erstwhile achievement & various woggles and whatnot

++ Throughout this archive are few other artifacts from those times (I think so anyway) as we were always in Remembrance Day parades and ceremonies, involved in garbage pick up activities (which was completely redundant and a nonproductive task but still we did it)

Then once I graduated to Scouts, (i did so at a bit of a younger than usual age so I could attend CJ81 which was the big Canadian jamboree slightly before I turned 11 years old, I had to get special permission and go with a scout troop based out of Abbotsford, I’m not sure why it was such a big deal to go but remember I sent postcards which arrived after I was already home, and learned about using HAM radio which I thought was revolutionary and I’m not sure why it wasn’t more common but I remember being overwhelmed by the older kids and also being a small, I wasn’t really physically up for a lot of the tasks even though Mom had written on the form “he’s a bit small but tries hard so be patient with him” which was a little bit embarrassing for me to read as I thought even though i was small, i was mighty. but hey, i made a scrapbook (of course)

Akela Forever

Also worth noting that kids who were in Mom’s Cub Scout Pack continued to call her Akela throughout her life which she loved, she really cared for each of the kids that came under her supervision and made sure to turn them into better people whether it was through tying knots and practicing first aid or more importantly, just looking out for each other and being polite and respectful

Thank you Akela, thank you Mom #LoveYouForever

Round-up for Snaps of Beaver, Cub & Scout life

Doing something at a mall with all the badges and tools (Mom in the red ball hat – the hats were for putting pins on too)

4 Beavers, 3 Snaps (doing the Beaver teeth hand sign)

Bob with his dream backpack, betcha he’d still rock that if he had it, James sidekicking like the eager Beaver he is

So many woggles! including CJ 81 and so many more

Parting Shot(s)