History

A history of the 1st Eaglemont Scout Group (up to 2006) is available in our book “The First Fifty Years 1956-2006”. Please contact us to purchase a copy.

Our history began when a well organised committee of interested parents met to form the “1st East Ivanhoe Scout Group Association” on the 18th of January 1956, and began work on forming a Scout Group. 

This committee preferred the name “1st East Ivanhoe”. However Scout HQ of the time rejected any direction based name, choosing “17th Heidelberg” as this was the 17th Group to form in the Heidelberg District. Eventually the name “1st Eaglemont” was settled on instead.

At first the group used the East Ivanhoe Methodist Church hall and the Ivanhoe Cricket Pavilion for the Wolf Cub Pack and Boy Scout Troop meetings respectively. The current hall was originally a WWII era army hut, purchased from the Simpson Army Barracks in Watsonia on 30thMay 1958, and transported to Chelsworth Park. After being fitted out the hall was officially opened on 16th October 1960 – and continues to serve us well as a venue with a strong Scouting atmosphere.

Hall Opening 1960
Early scout activity at Gilwell Park

A Senior Scout Troop (now Venturers) began in 1958, and with increasing numbers in the Rover section of the Group also, the hall was extended in 1963 to include a Rover den. Another extension was opened on 31st May 1981 to accommodate extra storage and meeting rooms.  Almost all these works were the result of fund raising efforts by the Committee.

1983 was an important year for the Venturer section with 5 Queen’s Scouts being awarded at the same ceremony. The internationally recognised Queen’s Scout Award is the highest award that can be achieved within the youth sections of Scouting. 45 Queen’s Scout have been granted to members of 1st Eaglemont Scout Group over our history.

1st Eaglemont has been home to many Rover Scouts, and during 1983 the Group’s Rover Crew renamed itself in memory of former Venturer Leader R. J. Mott who died.

Throughout the years, 1st Eaglemont Scout Group has had ups and downs like most Scout Groups, and partly reflecting the area’s demographics – temporarily merging the Scout section with another Group for a few years in the early 1990s. Today we are as strong as ever, with Joeys, Cubs, Scouts, Venturers and Rovers involved in a wide variety of challenging and exciting activities.

If you have any information, photographs, or artefacts that would complement our knowledge of the Group’s past, please contact us.

A broader history of the Scouting movement is available on the Victorian Branch website here.

Queen's Scout ceremony 1982
Group photo 2013