Be Prepared 2 - You are now a scout

Flag Breaking Ceremony

Livingstone Patrol meeting

The 32 Raffles Group was led by an adult leader who was not from our school. Top photo shows him standing beside the flag pole. The British NAAFI was in the background. It was situated along Beach Road opposite RI. After the flag breaking ceremony we met at the scout den for a short briefing. Above photo shows Livingstone Patrol meeting. The guy without uniform was a new recruit. We started each meeting by singing scout songs and also learned to sing new ones. At each meeting I learned new scout crafts and trainings such as tying scout knots and pitching tents. Hiking and camping were discussed and planned for the school holidays.

Livingstone Patrol had a log book to record the various activities carried out at each meet. We took turns to log the book. I looked forward to my turn, as it was a source of delight for me not only to log but also to decorate the pages with sketches. The log book was kept in a large wooden chest together with scout equiptments in the scout den. Wish I could see the log book again to delve on my handiworks once more.

Be Prepared

32nd Raffles Group

Livingstone Patrol

Raffles Institiution had two scout groups, the 2nd Scout Group and the 32nd Scout Group. I joined the latter as I had class mates there. Being a new recruit, I was known as a tenderfoot. I took the Scout Oath:

"On my honour, I promise to do my best

to do my duty to God and the Queen (under the British rule your allegiance was to the Queen)

to help other people at all times and

to obey the scout law."

I was in the Livingstone Patrol. At the first meeting, I noticed there were seven of us and three of them were my classmates. They joined the year before and had 2 badges each. The leader, Ong Teng Hong had many badges stiched onto his left sleeve. One of them was a Queen's Scout Badge, the highest award achievable in the scout movement. He was very friendly, unassuming and jovial. I enjoyed his leadership and company. I was taught some scout crafts to pass the Tender Foot test. This was the first obstacle before going for the Second class, First class and other badge

April Fool

Is this the face of a fool you see?
Face is the fool of none but thee!
And if this joke for harm you take
Pardon me for April's sake.


Every year in school, we played April Fool jokes on one another. It's only once a year and I laughed at others who fell victims. Sometimes, I got tricked too. I like the above four lines which was sent to me by a friend from Klang, Malaysia.