HISTORY  OF  SCOUTING  MOVEMENT  IN  SARAWAK

In 1915, Mr Philip Cox, principal of the Hockkien Free School (now the premises of the Chung Hua Primary School) started a Scouts troop.  About the same time, Mr Currey of the SPG Mission in Kuching also started a troop at St Thomas’s School.

In the early days, all Scouts troops were independently set up by the few people who were attracted to it by its high ideals in the training of youths and the advanced method of teaching by activities instead of learning by the book.

In 1940, the Sarawak Boy Scouts Association became a branch of the Imperial Headquarters of Great Britain.  It was only after Sarawak had become a colony that the government began to accept scouting as a recognised institution for the training of boys. The Scouting Movement spread to other parts of Sarawak in the 1940's. Nevertheless, records state that the state Scouting Movement was started in Betong by Mr BR Adai in 1950. To protect the interests of the Scouting Movement, the Sarawak Boy Scout Association Ordinance No.11 was passed on 1 June 1951. In 1952, the Scouting Movement was recorded in Miri and in Sibu, Mukah and Sarikei, 1954.  Mr RH Hickling of the legal office became the 1st Chief Commissioner of Scouts, appointed by the Governor who acted as the Chief Scout.

By the later 1950's, the government was interested in Scouting and chose Mr Geoffrey William Stevens, attached to the Education Department as professional Scouter from England to become the Organising Commissioner for Sarawak, North Borneo (Sabah) and Brunei (1957 – 1964).

Since then, the Scouting Movement in Sarawak was put on a proper organisation and the 1st Sarawak Patrol Camp was held in Sibu in 1962.  The Scouts Association of Sarawak became a branch of the Boy Scouts Association of Malaysia in November 1964, after the formation of Malaysia in 1963 and was withdrawn from its affiliation with the Boy Scouts Association of Great Britain.

Today, according to the figures as provided by Education Department, there are more than 40,000 Scout members covering the 33 Scout districts in Sarawak.

 

The Past Chief Scout of Sarawak:

1 HE Sir Anthony Abell 1957 – 1960
2 HE Sir Alexander Waddel 1960 – 1963
3 TYT Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg bin Abang Sopiee 1963 – 1969
4 TYT Tun Datuk Patinggi Tuanku Haji Bujang bin Tuanku Othman 1969 – 1977

 

Patrons of the Scouts Association of Malaysia, Sarawak Branch:

TYT Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Mohammad Salahuddin 1977 – 1981
TYT Tun Datuk Patinggi Haji Abdul Rahman Ya’kub 1981 – 1985
TYT Tun Datuk Patinggi (Dr) Haji Ahmad Zaidi Adruce bin Muhammed Noor 1985 – the present

 

The Presidents of the Sarawak Scout Councils:

YBhg Tan Sri Datuk William Tan Ho Choon 1959 – 1996
YB Dato Hj Adenan Haji Satem 1997 – the present

 

The Chief Commissioners of Scouts, Sarawak:

1 Mr Reginald Hugh Hichling 1952 – 1955
2 YBhg Datuk Thomas Yeo Cheng Hoe 1955 – 1957
3 Mr Bernard Walter Knight 1957 – 1964
4 Mr Alfred Henry Weeks (John Weeks) 1964 – 1965
5 Mr Kong Yu Siung 1965 – 1982
6 Dato Haji Safri Awang Zaidell 1982 – 1992
7 YB Wan Haji Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar 1993 – the present

 

The Past Sarawak Scouts Patrol Camps:

1 1962 Sibu
2 1971 Santubong, Kuching
3 1975 Penrissen, Kuching
4 1988 Matang, Kuching
5 1995 Pulau Melayu, Miri

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