Scouts Australia offers a huge range of age-appropriate self-development activities and outdoor challenges to help boys and girls have fun and develop new skills, confidence and leadership abilities. This also allows young people to make friends outside of the school environment.

Scouting’s origins date back to the start of the Twentieth Century. They have survived the two World Wars, sweeping social events and the challenges of other influences, to become stronger than ever. It does this by placing the needs of young people first -- in a program that can adapt to change.

The Founder of Scouting, Lord Baden-Powell of Gilwell, was born in England in 1857. He lived a busy and adventurous life and, as a boy, spent much of his spare time in open-air pursuits, hunting in the woods, and joining his brothers in expeditions by land and in their boats. Thus he developed his powers of observation and resourcefulness, which helped him to acquire many useful skills.

His family was not wealthy, his father having died when Baden-Powell was young. His only chance for higher education was to obtain a scholarship. This gave him entry into the Army. He was sent to India, where he served for many years. He tried out his ideas of training soldiers in "scouting" and taught them how to develop experience in stalking and how to fend for themselves, as well as being observant of all signs that would give them advantages as soldiers. He set down his ideas in the book, "Aids to Scouting" which was used as an army textbook for many years.

Villa Howden