Anniversary celebration for Monkstown scouts

They were joined for the special occasion by the United Kingdom scout youth commissioner Heather Kentish.

A late celebration for the group which was formed in 1962 by Robin Craig with a cub pack of ten boys (aged eight to 11 years).

They met in a room over the shops, formerly at the junction of Monkstown Road and Jordanstown Road. A few years later, a scout section (age group 11 to 15 years) was formed and led by Paul Gibbs.

In 1970, the Church of The Good Shepherd invited the scout group to relocate to their new suite of halls. At this time, the cub scout leader was Carol Kay assisted by Dorothy Beattie.

However, the scout section was suspended for a short time during the mid=seventies before it was resumed by Tom Weir who extended membership to boys, aged 11 to 15 years. They attended many annual camps in Scotland and Ireland.

In 1984, recognising a need for the younger children of Monkstown to enjoy and benefit from scouting, the group launched a beaver scout section (for children aged six to eight years) under the leadership of Catherine Lunn.

The scout movement is now open to girls as well as boys in the six to 15 years age group. First Monkstown Scout Group continues to meet in the Church of The Good Shepherd, on Thursday evenings, under the leadership of Angela Reid (beaver scouts), Oliver Townsend (cub scouts) and John Campbell (scouts).

For more information on Monkstown Scout Group, or any other scout group in South East Antrim, visit www.greenseas.org.uk and view ‘Histories’ in the menu.