It was for awhile. I lost interest as a I got older and left. There was a lot of community service, but it was kinda fun because it was as a group. The best part though was getting free YMCA time, getting to go on monthly camping trips ( more when school was out), going to workshops for trades, the council had a schooner the troops could use for sailing trips. There was a lot of things it allowed me to do that I wouldn't have been able to do otherwise and learned a lot of skills fro it. Then there was the Jamborees were you got to meet and spend camping trips with several councils and hundreds of troops from all over the US and Canada. Maybe an odd few that was from the UK.
This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at February 20, 2017 3:01 PM MST
Ahh that sucks. Too late now but were programs for that. That was one of the service things you did in Scouts. Raise money for the kids who's families couldn't afford the dues and uniforms. Though we never knew who was who with that.
We were broke, Glis. There was no money for things like that. Dad had been unemployed during the Great Depression and lost our house. He never got back on his feet again and things like sport or holidays were beyond us. Even a day at the beach was a luxury.
I was kinda guessing it was something along those lines. My grandmother had a lot of stories about that time. One that sticks out was when her and here siblings almost went without a Christmas dinner until someone donated a pound of Bologna for some sandwiches and they were so happy they had some meat for a change. How hard to the Depression hit Oz btw?
From my own experience, and that of my families, compared to what I've read about the same period in the US, I'd say they were both very bad. Perhaps on a par.
The only good thing my Grandmother really had to say about that time was that people looked out for each other. She would tell some stories about her whole neighborhood eating together so what little each had could be combined. Someone having some game meat they shot, someone having some garden veggies, another might have some fruit kinda thing. Someone lending you some coal. She said that's how they all survived. As a kid hearing the stories I couldn't quite wrap my head around how serious it was.
Dad pushed a wheelbarrow, loaded with tools and a bed bag, more than 100 miles over the mountains to prospect for gold. He got a little; not much. But. yeah, the friendships and support were strong.
"Yes, I've won trophies." Viewing them as a reminder of the accomplishment, I'm sure I was proud of them. I won trophies in the sport of Drag Racing and in the sport of Bowling.
The first trophy I ever won was for winning my class at an AMA National motorcycle drag race. I also won the city mini golf couples championship with my wife.