from left Dave Olson, various RCMP and Judge, Bob Olson front, Brad Coleman far right – receiving Chief Scout’s award, 1983
In Canadian Scouts, the highest accolade one can achieve is the Chief Scout’s Award. Requires a whole load of badges and tasks and whatnot – sorta like the US Eagle Scout i suppose.
Anyhow, as it goes, most Scouts earn this on their way out and onto Ventures (the next age bracket group) but diligent as i am, earned at a young age (was told youngest ever but no way to verify) and attended the ceremony (requiring special permission apparently) along with older brother Bob and pal Brad Coleman.
What follows are artifacts and evidence from the event and award.
(As obvious) this is a letter from Governor General who is apparently the Chief Scout of Canada) acknowledging earning of eponymous Chief Scout’s Award.
Artifact: postcard from Canadian Jamboree, 1981 (CJ81, Kananaskis Country, AB), frontArtifact: postcard from Canadian Jamboree, 1981 (CJ81, Kananaskis Country, AB) back
Round-up from the kura barn/mixed-media-creative-studio-in-process…
this is the key to the main (of 3) mighty heavy doors to the get into the kura barn. if this key gets stuck inside, well we’re hosed. it looks simply but its a deliberate puzzle to open the vault
Next up, going to attempt to carry up a big shelf cabinet – then, hopefully can squeeze in another bookcase and start unloading the huge stash of records and books into something more manageable. [Update: done]
In the meanwhile, here’s a few odds and ends of items which maybe didn’t get floated out there, just to, well… float em out, round em up for your amusement along the way. Progress and all. Annotations in-line with evidence.
so much Tintin stuff! including many “bootleg” remixes – seen here with sea capn’s black globe and brass laternK. Foster painting, property of R. Scales (still smelled like DTES stank)Ryoko having dress-up fun with old scouting sash and camp hat of pins and fringe (yes she thinks i’m adorably weird)explaining the Ryoko what lederhosen are and why i have a fancy pairstill life of fringe suede jacket and sea capn’s globe and latern with Walt Whitman-esque wooden statue in the backgroundyup, another view of the beloved suitcases – while they are lovely, tis truly the contents which are important, so much to be revealedclothing sash mostly organized – winter items, hockey.soccer jersey, costumes/specialty wear, the bins of hats and scarves in there too and then a blue bag of kinda things in limbo (my indoor closet is rather limitedOf course, must get the stereo set up but, there’s a little broken plug connector thingy snapped off inside of the speaker connector place. Not quite sure how to resolve but… One revolution at a time. This is a great little Onkyo set-up repatriated to its origin land – need a new CD deck to match / and figure out the mixing board for other projectsa rack of jackets! including US forest service, a Saskatchewan hockey team, a corduroy Inuit, camel air emergency fancy clothes (used for lobbying efforts) so on – seen with Vancouver collage on easel and a load of media and board gameshard to tell from this snap but in these boxes is an epicly eccentric and varied record collection – will share as i get to it but oh wow, we’ll have funa few books set aside for another look or sudden serviceyet another panorama of the project in process – so much done, so much to dowhich is better: the handmade Mavilli hat (with ear flaps), the curlig sweater (with patches), or the moustache/sideburns combo
bucket of woggles (now is stewardship of young Lee Olson)
When my brothers and i were wee lads, our beloved Mom was out cub scout leader.
In Canadian (and international) scouting, the leaders of the cub pack are named after characters in Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. Mom was Akela, Mikki Gladstone was Bagheera, we also had a Baloo and others.
After Mom passed away and the brothers and I were sorting through items, Dan and I assembled a tub of “woggles” which are little sliders designed to hold the kerchief/scarf together around one’s neck.
Of course, there is plenty of creativity available for such a device – many are evidenced in this collection.
Before the arms were adorned with badges (basically every single badge except the sailing one) and before i was a Chief Scout (basically the youngest one ever), i was just a Beaver graduate trying to make my way in the intimidating world of Cub Scouting.
Soon, i became a “6-er” and a “2-nd” or something and was qualified to lead the DYB DYB DYB chants. Heady days which began with a wee cub and his badgeless grey flannel shirt and fantastic hair (and yet another pair of specs).
Certified and Valued, 1979-1981, signed my my Mom/AkelaSurrey (BC) Parks and Recreation Commission aquatic program ticket #2636 – year unknown – Mon-Fri 12:00-12:30 July 2-13. No Refunds.
Indeed, youth and childhood is often laden with activities of various sorts… some ad hoc as it were, others organized in some formal manner or another. This round-up contains evidence of the latter in the forms of artifacts from swim lessons registration card, summer camp maps, scout ID cards and camp photo and importantly, a certificate proclaiming me as “Mr. Fun” at some summer camp with a Troop of which i have no remembrance. Carry on with the fun!
Boy Scouts of Canada 1975-76 “Dave Olson” (note signature)
You’ve heard of full patch Hells Angels, right? Well this is what a full
patch Cub Scout looks like – pretty much the same thing… No doubt the Brownies were lining up for closer observation of the middle part hair, slightly feathered.
Keen observers will notice this is not authorized uniform, or a prescribed salute, nevertheless, as a former full-patch Cub and Chief Scout award recipient, i figure i can do whatever I choose – Regulations be danged i say!
Note: this was at photo booth at Craig and Lien’s wedding at a fancy Chinese resto after i had just conducted/MC’ed a 4 hour festival of frivolity in Japanese. The suit is a thrift store beauty.
