The World Scout Indabas were gatherings of Scout Leaders from around the world, held in 1952, 1957 and 1960.

World Scout Indaba
3rd World Scout Indaba
Countryvarious (list below)
Date1952-1960
 Scouting portal

History

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The idea was proposed in 1949 at the 12th World Scout Conference in Elvesæter, Norway where The Boy Scouts Association of the United Kingdom submitted that of the large number of Scouters, only a very small percentage were able to take part in a major international Scout gathering. Indaba is Zulu for "tribal conference". The name was suggested by Lord Rowallan[citation needed] and the connection, if any, to Zulu culture is obscure. Only three of the Indabas were held:

Year[1] Event Location Host Country Dates Notes
1952 1st World Scout Indaba Gilwell Park   United Kingdom July 1952
1957 2nd World Scout Indaba Sutton Coldfield   United Kingdom June[clarification needed] 1957 combined with the 9th World Scout Jamboree and 6th World Rover Moot, to celebrate 50 years of Scouting
1960 3rd World Scout Indaba Ommen   Netherlands August 1960

1st World Scout Indaba

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The 1st World Scout Indaba was held in July 1952 at Gilwell Park, for a week. It was organised for The Boy Scouts Association by its chief executive commissioner, Fred Hurll and its headquarters commissioner for relationships John Frederick Colquhoun. The association's Chief Scout, Lord Rowallan, opened the Indaba. Attendance was far below expectations, with only 500 attendees, from very few countries outside the United Kingdom. However, this created a friendliness. Separate discussions were held on Wolf Cubs, Boy Scouts, handicapped Scouts, "the Older Scout" and Rovers and for commissioners and reports from each were given at a plenary session. The Boy Scouts Association's president, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester closed the Indaba with the words: "Let it be the determination of all who have been here at Gilwell to spread the Scout spirit wherever they go, that spirit of peace and friendliness which is so sorely needed in the world today." The International Committee recommended continuing Indabas every four years, with a limitation of a thousand participants.[2]

2nd World Scout Indaba

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The 2nd World Scout Indaba was held from 1st to 12th August 1957, at Sutton Coldfield, to mark the 50th jubilee year of Scouting and the centenary of the birth of Robert Baden-Powell[3] and held concurrently with and adjacent to the 9th World Scout Jamboree and 6th World Rover Moot, as well as the third Girl Guide World Camp. It was organised for The Boy Scouts Association by its deputy chief scout, Sir Rob Lockhart as camp chief, its chief executive commissioner, Fred Hurll as deputy camp chief and its Gilwell Park camp chief's deputy Kenneth H. Stevens as the executive commissioner. The Jamboree-Indaba-Moot was opened by The Boy Scouts Association's president, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester on 1 August and closed with a talk by Olave, Lady Baden-Powell.[4]

3rd World Scout Indaba

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The 3rd World Scout Indaba was held in August 1960, at Gilwell Ada's Hoeve, Ommen, Netherlands and again had a low attendance and poor international representation.

References

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  1. ^ "History of the World Scout Jamboree". scout.org. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
  2. ^ "Reference to 1st Indaba". BTInternet.co.uk Pages. Archived from the original on 2012-09-08 – via Archive.is.
  3. ^ Day, David (23 March 1960). "The Scouting Trail". The Daily News. St. John's, Newfoundland. p. 2. Retrieved 3 September 2019 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  4. ^ John S. Wilson (1959). Scouting Round the World (First ed.). Blandford Press. ASIN B000AQMKTI.
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