Al Thompson has been a scouter for 62 years, 48 of them with Westfield Scouting based at Westfield United Church. That’s almost as long as the 50-years the Westfield charter has been in existence. The scouting movement began here in January 1960 in this church and is still going strong. That success and the long relationship with the Westfield United Church, was celebrated on the weekend of January 16 and 17. Former Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Leaders were invited along with current members for campfire songs, skits and sharing stories and memories. A collection of Westfield Scouting memorabilia was on display in the church and even the Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick, Graydon Nicholas was on hand for the festivities. 81-year-old Al Thompson was beaming throughout the weekend.
“We weren’t real rural and we weren’t real city, we were in between,” says Thompson when asked why Westfield Scouting has been so successful. “We had no gym here. All we had was outdoor rinks. Everything was done outdoors. We were outdoors in the summer, winter, spring and fall.” Thompson believes that connection with the outdoors is what kept the kids interested through all these years. And he says that tradition continues here. They just received 14 pairs of snowshoes for the Cubs and Scouts.
Hundreds of boys and now girls too, have gone through the program at Westfield United Church. Thompson says many of the community leaders of today were once Scouts. He says the reward for him is seeing his former Scouts today and seeing what they’re now doing. “There are kids here in Beavers, Cubs and Scouts and their fathers and uncles were in Scouting here too,” says Thompson. “It means something.”
Thompson gets emotional when he remembers a World Scout Jamboree he attended years ago during the Falklands War between Britain and Argentina. Scout groups from both those countries were on stage dancing a jig together and Thompson remembers one of the leaders saying, “If Scouting ran the world, there would be no wars.”
There were no jigs at the 50th Anniversary of Westfield Scouting but long time, west-side scouter Dave Goss brought his guitar and lead the kids in a few songs. Al Thompson could be seen singing along too
Dave Goss & Al Thompson
Eleanor McClune & Lt-Gov. Graydon Nicholas cutting cake
Al Thompson has been a scouter for 62 years, 48 of them with Westfield Scouting based at Westfield United Church. That’s almost as long as the 50-years the Westfield charter has been in existence. The scouting movement began here in January 1960 in this church and is still going strong. That success and the long relationship with the Westfield United Church, was celebrated on the weekend of January 16 and 17. Former Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Leaders were invited along with current members for campfire songs, skits and sharing stories and memories. A collection of Westfield Scouting memorabilia was on display in the church and even the Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick, Graydon Nicholas was on hand for the festivities. 81-year-old Al Thompson was beaming throughout the weekend.
“We weren’t real rural and we weren’t real city, we were in between,” says Thompson when asked why Westfield Scouting has been so successful. “We had no gym here. All we had was outdoor rinks. Everything was done outdoors. We were outdoors in the summer, winter, spring and fall.” Thompson believes that connection with the outdoors is what kept the kids interested through all these years. And he says that tradition continues here. They just received 14 pairs of snowshoes for the Cubs and Scouts.
Hundreds of boys and now girls too, have gone through the program at Westfield United Church. Thompson says many of the community leaders of today were once Scouts. He says the reward for him is seeing his former Scouts today and seeing what they’re now doing. “There are kids here in Beavers, Cubs and Scouts and their fathers and uncles were in Scouting here too,” says Thompson. “It means something.”Thompson gets emotional when he remembers a World Scout Jamboree he attended years ago during the Falklands War between Britain and Argentina. Scout groups from both those countries were on stage dancing a jig together and Thompson remembers one of the leaders saying, “If Scouting ran the world, there would be no wars.”
There were no jigs at the 50th Anniversary of Westfield Scouting but long time, west-side scouter Dave Goss brought his guitar and lead the kids in a few songs. Al Thompson could be seen singing along too.
