SCOUTING


	Kaszuby Canada Online


	Scouting

Our polish scouts played a big role on today's Canadian Kaszuby's effigy. Even today, after half a century has passed by it is hard to imagine Kaszuby without the scouting camps..
Some people even think that it was not Fr. Rafal Grzondziel who found Kaszuby and made it popular, but the scouts themselves. Who knows? Maybe there is some truth is all this.
On October of 1950 the establishment of old scouts district named ,,Tatry'' came about.
Just less than a year later they made their first expedition to Wilno as well as Barry's Bay. The views which they saw made a big impression on the on the scouts from ,,Tatry'', so big that a year later they decided to call upon a meeting and invite all the scouts from around the areas such as; Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Niagara Falls, as well as other regions for the 1st assembly of old scouts in Wilno. The meeting took place from August 30-th to September 1-st. and brought more than one hundred scouts from around the area. There was a lot of talk, not only in the polish press but in others as well. Zofia Stohandel, one of the girl scouts made a proposition of organizing a summer camp in the upcoming year. After giving a lot of consideration to her proposal in 1953 they concluded that there is no better place for scouting camps than our Canadian Kaszuby..
The following people played an important role in this historic agreement; Krystyna and Jerzy Burski, dr. Wiktor Szyrynski and father Fr. Rafal Grzondziel.
In 1953 a 2-nd assembly of old scouts was organized by the district of ,,Morskie Oko'' on the new, just purchased grounds by Fr. Rafal Grzondziel. Today this place is reserved for scouts from ,,Baltyk''. For the first time in the year of 1954, summer events were organized for older as well as younger scouts, which last to this day.
At the same time, each year during the beginning of July- Kaszuby is filled with scouting uniforms. For almost two years, scouts were renting grounds from Fr. R. Grzondziel - K.O.M (Catholic Youth Center). However they thought that the scouts should have their own centers called in polish - stanica. That is why in the year of 1955 they established the committee of creation of centers for scouts use. One of the first recreational centre was ,,Karpaty'' for younger scouts near the Old Barry's Bay road, on the Halfway Lake. (also known as Long Lake) The construction of ,,Karpaty'' was finally over in the year 1957. They didn't stop at that. In 1959 they made a buy of subsequent grounds near Vistula road-also near the Halfway lake. That property which later was named ''Bucze'' serves younger girls scouts from ,,Watra''. People began spreading the word about Kaszuby's scouts louder and stronger.
They even wrote about them widely in the Polish press, not only in Canada but also in USA, England, France and other countries as well. The result of this effect was forming the organization of Polish scouting world jamboree which took place right in Kaszuby. The jamboree was from July 31 to August 14 of 1976 and received a household name ,,Kaszuby 76''. For the jamboree, the scouts came all the way from USA, France, England and others countries like Australia, Argentina and Italy. Thanks to the ,,popularity'' of the scouts the world heard about our beautiful place in Canada called Kaszuby.
In the year of 1994 commemoration of fallen scouts from ,,Szarych Szeregow'' the 50th anniversary of Warsaw
uprising scouts from ,,Karpaty'' and ,,Watra'' has build a monument which was blessed for them. The monument stands near the Old Barry's Bay Road on ,,Millennium'' square in front of scouting center ,,Giewont'' and ,,Karpaty''.
Presently the scouting camps are closely located around two lakes; Wadsworth and Halfway (Long). Near the
Wadsworth lake ,, Podhale'' has its own center just behind the Franciscan barrack #4. Where as on the other side the barracks is located camp for scouts from ,,Baltyk.'' Behind ,,Baltyk'' there is a camp which belongs to scouts from Hamilton. On the other side of the road is located an old building called ,,Stodola'' . That building and nearest grounds are rented from the monastery of Franciscan's for the needs of scouts from Montreal. The monastery of Franciscan's also leased the grounds for camping to the scouts from ZHR (another scouting association in Canada).
Also, girls scouts from Montreal are rented grounds near chapel and ,,cathedra under pines''. Of course it would be impossible to name each one of the camps here, which we can see in Kaszuby in July. We can truly feel and see the power of Polish Scouts on Sunday masses or on the big campfire on the ,,Millenium'' square, which on that night becomes extraordinary place of strength and union of scouts in Canada.
Scouting summer camps usually last about 2-3 weeks. The remaining vacation time, those centers are sometimes rented to different polish organizations because the cost of maintaining these camps tend to be very expensive.
After the season is over, these centers like ,,Karpaty'' or ,,Bucze'' are also used for different kind of meetings from directors of ZHP as well as training instructors for scouts, which they have always not enough of.