100th birthday 1908-2008

2008 was 1st Claremont’s 100th birthday – and it was a particularly special centenary, because we’re the oldest Scout Group in South Africa, with our first meeting on 3 March 1908. You can read all about the History of First Claremont Scout Troop on this site.

Photo Albums

• Centenary reunion on 1 March
• Northern Cape expedition from 21 to 30 March:
  • On the road
  • Roodebergskloof
  • On the road (again)
  • Augrabies Falls
  • Orange River canoeing

How did we celebrate?

• On Saturday the 1st of March 2008, we held a celebration for present and former Scouts and families, at the 1st Claremont Scout Hall in Bowwood Road.
• The Scouts themselves went on an expedition to the Northern Cape and Orange River from 21 to 30 March 2008.
• We renovated the stage as a “Centenary Room” and made several other repairs and improvements around the hall.
• For our AGM in October, we published "100 Years of Scouting at 1st Claremont", a 36-page magazine full of photos and stories from the last century of Scouting at 1st Claremont. This is available for download; see the link on the right of this page.

Our Centenary celebrations

The celebrations took place on the afternoon and evening of Saturday 1 March 2008 at the 1st Claremont Scout Hall, 17 Bowwood Road, Claremont. The Scouts camped in the grounds on Saturday, and there were displays of photos, logbooks etc, as part of an “open day”, with many former Scouts visiting to see our displays. In the evening we had a celebratory dinner for around 100 former and present Scouts and families. Messages were read out from former members all around the world. After dinner, Andre Bredenkamp, former Chief Scout's Commissioner, spoke about his experiences climbing the 7 Summits - the highest peaks on all 7 continents. The evening ended with a campfire.

Please get in touch!

Our centenary is now past, but if you're a former Scout, Cub, adult leader, parent, friend, or supporter of 1st Claremont, we would like to hear from you! Please also pass this message on to any friends and family members who may be interested.

Photos, stories, memorabilia

After 100 years we have some excellent Troop archives, including hundreds of photographs, logbooks and other items. Some of these are available on our website and many were on display at the centenary celebration or form part of our centenary publication. We always welcome stories and photos from your time at 1st Claremont. Smoke Signals magazine has appeared on and off over the past 50 years, and we have now scanned in all the past editions we could get hold of. These are available electronically, along with many photos of the Scouts in action over the years. If you have Scout stories you would like to tell, or memorabilia or photographs to donate or lend us, please let us know.

Centenary fund

A great many 1st Claremont Scouts marked the occasion by donating to our centenary fund. This assisted the Troop in many ways:

• We renovated the stage into a "Centenary Room" with a new ceiling and lighting. This room has been decorated by the Scouts and is now a superb meeting room.
• The hall was painted, a mosaic Scout logo was installed on the wall, the front path was paved in slate, and a new water-wise front garden was planted.
• Scouts who could not afford the costs of our centenary trip to the Northern Cape were sponsored.

We are very grateful to our many supporters for making it possible to mark our centenary in such great style!

For more information

• Contact us at , or see Contact Information for other ways to get in touch.

The Scouts, Scouters and parents at 1st Claremont thank you for your participation in our centenary!

Yours in Scouting

Ian Webb
Group Scouter
1st Claremont Scout Group