Why are there Lithuanian scouts in Australia?

 

Vytas Neverauskas, GSM, Chief Commissioner for the Lithuanian Boy scouts and Gird Guides in Australia wrote this article in English in the Lithuanian newsletter Pėdsekis (The Pathfinders) No.12 in 1964.

 

Reasons for scouts in Australia can be summarised in three main groups.

The continuation of Lithuanian scouting traditions;

The safeguarding of our inheritance which we brought with us to Australia;
Our full participation in the world wide brotherhood of scouting.

 

Lithuania scouting began in 1918. In 22 years of Lithuanian independence scouting developed in its own way for meetings and campfires, for expressing scouting ideals and for adapting them to its own way of life.

 

The communist occupation of our motherland has now lasted 24 years. How many of our brothers in Lithuanian will be able to remember the ideals of B.P to revive this wonderful movement when the time comes? Will it not be our duty to return to our motherland what we received from her initially?

 

It should also be remembered that most of the boys in our troops would not be in the scout movement at all, if it were not for the national flavour. Our parents support national troops because here, the children acquire some of the Lithuanian way of life, which they very often after a hard day’s work, are not able to give them.

 

We are proud of the language of our fathers, our own traditions such as Christmas Eve or Easter Sunday, we are proud of our folk dancers, we are proud of our heritage and are grateful to scouting for helping us keep it all up.