History of our Scout Group - Cape Town Scout Group

History of the 7th, 16th and 9th Cape Town Scout Groups

7th Cape Town started in 1913 off Rheede St in a warehouse and moved to the Homestead barn in 1957/8. 7th had their 50th anniversary in 1963 and a picture of BP hangs on the wall in Barn to commemorate the occasion. 7th then closed down in 1978 (approximately).

16th Cape Town was started in 1936 by an Austrian scout in Chancery house Hatfield St then moved to the Homestead Barn in 1978/9. The 16th Cape Town (St.Mary's) Cub Pack was registered in 1945 run by M.E.Mansfield at the Catholic Institute 11 Hope St. Well known names associated with 7th Cape Town and 16th Cape Town in the early years were Norman Osbourne and Ed Rose. The current Group Scouter, Peter Foley, has been with 16th Cape Town, and now 9th/16th Cape Town for many years.

9th Cape Town Scouts registered to operate in the Congregational Church hall under H.M.Tucker in 1932, and the Cub pack in 1938 under Rene de Villiers Hawes. A 9th Cape Town Rover crew was started by Charles Boxall in 1946. 9th Cape Town moved premises twice then due to lack of adult scouters to run the Troop, merged with 16th Cape Town.

Alan Cooke recently contacted us and wrote: "I started my scouting life in 7th Cape Town and then joined 9th Cape Town. I eventually became assistant scoutmaster of 9th and also was one of the crew that took part in the first Cape to Rio yacht race.

I searched via Google and came across https://www.capetownscouts.org.za and could not believe what I saw. There was my old scout hall when I was in 7th Cape Town. What memories! In point of fact I was over in SA a short while ago and made a point of driving past the hall to see what it was like.

My scoutmaster in 9th was Skipper Robinson and Assistant before me was David Privett a wonderful man. It was David that got me on the Cape to Rio. I will never forget him."

Kassien Claasen Dekenah
The 9th Scout and Sea Scout Group were based in the old Union Congregational Church Kloof St Cape Town. I belonged to this Group for a number of years and we also had a small room in a little disused radar tower at HMSAS UNITY adjacent to the Yacht Basin off the Duncan Dock. If memory serves me correctly, It was quite a large base and had a history of WW2 activity.

Terry Coetzee

When 12th/20th at the Presbyterian Church closed down I went on up to 7th for about a month. I then got an offer, in September 1977, to join 1st Constantia as their TS, as Dudley Allin had moved up to Group Scouter. Just after that Rinkie van Hinsbergen contacted me and asked if I could take over as the 7th Troop Scouter, as their TS had resigned and he was running the Troop as a Scout. That would make it early to midway 1978.

Stuart Collins

I do remember Unity very well from the time I was at Sea Point High School where we were forced to be school cadets, but we regarded ourselves as ok because we were naval cadets with smart fancy uniforms and were given our own sexy naval officer caps. As then "Boy Scouts" at 2nd Green & Sea Point troop we could also use the facilities at "Unity".

The first Cape to Rio yacht race was also run from Unity base and my first job was as a bank teller to the foreign yacht crews... any amount of money was spent to spoil the race teams. I still remember the taste of the plentiful Tuborg beer that flowed freely and the crew gave us in abundance.

The Unity facility now houses Cape Town Harbour Police Station, I understand. Peter Merryweather would of course have better history of 9th but I also recall that there was a special memorial trophy in name of a 9th scout who contracted polio and showed great courage in adversity. Somewhere I may possibly have a list of the first Springbok scouts of 9th... out of the blue I recall a dentist Dr Clausen and as previously reported I still the first scoutmasters stave at home (it belonged to Rosemary Kane's father).

The following pictures and documents come from the Scout Archives, courtesy of Stuart Ravenscroft.

1920 cubs 1920 SidcupCamp smaller