Following the visit to Ormiston, Que and Matilda Koala headed to Kangaroo Point, which was where the training of Queensland Scout Leaders began.
When they arrived at Kangaroo Point, the Que Koala made a quick detour to Scout Place, where she posed with a statue of a scout saluting a flagpole. Scout Place was created to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Scouting in Queensland on Founders Day, 22nd February 1984.
After Que took some photos at Scout Place, the Koalas waddled along the cliff, up the hill to St Mary’s Church, Kangaroo Point. In the church, they paid their respect at the memorial to Charles S Snow, the 1st Chief Commissioner for Scouts Queensland, and also the 1st Branch Commissioner (Adult Leader Training), who passed away on the 7th July 1953. Charles also formed one of the four original scout patrols in Brisbane in 1908. They also visited the church organ that Charles used to play. As a token of respect, they left placed the Woodbadge Centenary and also the Charles S Snow district badge nearby.
Whilst in the church hall, they were thrilled to meet a member of the Brisbane Gang Show who took a photo with them.
Lieutenant Colonel James Love, more popularly known as “Nim” was a scout at Clayfield in 1918, who went on to hold many roles within Scouting, amongst which was the Chairman of the Baden-Powell Park Committee from 1963. “Que was thrilled to find out this bit of information”. With an interest in flying and yachting, Nim was also instrumental in the allocation of finances towards establishing scout air and water activity centres.
The window on the right depicts a boat and occupants symbolising a vessel of family, friendship and leadership. There is a “beacon” in the scene, to guide others, and to keep them from “going aground” in their vessel. The mangrove flowers at bottom of the scene resemble the Fleur de Lys, emblem of scouting to which Nim devoted so much energy.
Finally, the Koala’s journey came to an end in a quiet church hall on the church’s premises. Ironically, Charles S Snow had seen the need for some form of training for scoutmasters and had in 6th October 1913, many years before the Ormiston course, run a series of 9 lectures, at St Mary’s Parish Hall.
To the Koalas, it was in this quiet church hall, high on the cliffs, overlooking the Brisbane river, where the training of Queensland’s Scout Leaders really began. The Koala’s sat on either side of the door, gazing across wooden floor of the hall and imagining the adult volunteers, from all walks of life, listening to Charles, demonstrating scoutcraft skills, and preparing for the exams they had to sit for. All those years ago, the same message was delivered on training youth to play their part in the world through scouting’s unique method of encouragement and achievement. More than 100 years later, and the message was still relevant. The Koalas smiled, thought about all the wonderful people they had met on their Wood Badge Centenary journey, and with a great sense of pride, ended the year as Queensland’s Wood Badge Centenary mascots.
