NEWBRIDGE SCOUT GROUP CELEBRATED 80 YEARS OF SCOUTING in 2009.
Since then the group has grown especially the scout section with 28 scouts.
Famous Days: SPECIAL GUEST THE CHIEF SCOUT OF IRELAND at investiture and celebration of 80 years of scouting in 2009.
Chief Scout with APLs Cathal Heather and Joseph Farrell at Investiture and celebration of Scouting in Newbridge on Sunday 15th March 2009
St Patricks Day Parade 2009
organisation
Scouting is all about young peple,fun, adventure and "learning-by-doing". Depending on the age group, programmes offer weekly meetings, skills and games, nature walks, badge work, field trips, hiking, camping, fun and friendship.
Membership is open to boys and girls of all denominations and all nationalities.
Beavers are aged 6-8, Cubs aged 8-10.5, Scouts aged 10.5-16 and Venturers aged 16-19
Newbridge Scout Group was founded in 1929 by Mr. Patrick Kelly. His nephew, Mr. Patrick Sheehan , gave the Unit the flagpole and standard dating back to that time. Of the first members of the Unit/Group, only two (2008) are still amongst us in Newbridge. They are Mr. Richard (Dick) Murphy and Mr. Eddie Nolan.
We would also like to mention Mr. Frank "Rasher" Conlan, the most recently deceased member of the 1931 group. He died in April 2008 aged 88 years. May he rest in peace.
After some years the Group fell into decline, but it was re-started in the 1970s. Some of those involved at that time were Fr. Joe Mc Dermott, Mr. Pat Fernon and Ms. Regina Power. In the 1990s, the unit was kept active under the stewardship of Brian McQuaid and Niall O'Hanlon.
Unfortunately, a fall-off in volunteerism witnessed throughout Ireland in the early 2000s meant that Newbridge Scouts also suffered, and by 2002 the Group was down to just one section because of a lack of trained leaders............but, thankfully, since then it has mananged to increase its volunteer leader base and now has three active sections:
BEAVERS, CUBS and SCOUTS.
The current Leaders are as follows:
Group Leader: Anthony Corcoran
Treasurer: John Cotter
Hon. Secretary: Brenda Drumm -Tobin
Beaver Leaders: Paul Murphy, Stephane Somers, Amanda Murphy, Karen Ryan.
Cub Leaders: Pat McAuliffe, Alan O Connell. Siobhan Ryan
Scout Leaders: John Cotter, Philip Lavelle, Brenda Drumm-Tobin and Anthony Corcoran
Currently, we cater for over 20 Beavers, 20 Cubs and 28 Scouts. We hope to expand but we will need more leaders.
Updated by Anthony Corcoran, March 2010
