Boer War hero Major-General Robert Baden-Powell wrote a series of
articles 'Scouting for boys' for a boys-own newspaper, covering a
range of bushcraft and survival skills. The enthusiasm for these led
to him conducting a camp for boys at Brownsea Island, in Aug.1907.
This is regarded as the start of the movement.
In Australia (IIRC) the first scout troop was contemporary, in 1907.
It was for boys who had been following the series of articles; it
became 1st Camberwell (with a hall just off the route 70 Wattle Park
line).
The group of my youth, 1st Surrey Hills, claimed to be the next
oldest in Victoria. We were very disgruntled to be relegated to 5th
Camberwell in district naming, as we were older than 2nd, 3rd and 4th.
Meetings were held in the undercroft of the bandstand rotunda in
Surrey Gardens. Camping involved loading the gear into a trek cart,
and heading to Wattle Park.
There was an incident in the 1920s or 30s when a hiking group from a
troop (not mine) got lost on a bushwalk in Ashburton forest: hard to
believe today.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

--- InTramsDownUnder@..., Mal Rowe <brill21e@...> wrote:
> In Melbourne this morning Scouts marched up Bourke St to celebrate

100
> years of Scouting...accompanied by decorated car 179.