History - over 100 years!

North Gower

Scouting has been present in North Gower for almost 100 years. The Charter issued to 1^st North Gower Scout Group in 1980, indicates it was a duplicate of the original Charter #169 issued in 1921.

The Ottawa Journal made reference to Scouts in North Gower in March 1925, when the North Gower Boy Scouts are recorded as having attended the funeral of a young man from the village.

The Scout Leader (a monthly publication of the Boy Scouts of Canada), in its January 1935 issue, reported that 10 new Scout Groups were registered the previous November, including the 22^nd Ottawa (North Gower). The same edition also mentions members of the Ottawa Patrol Leaders' Association travelling 25 miles from the capital to organize a new Troop in North Gower as well as a Pack. The November 1935 Scout Leader also mentions the 1^st North Gower Cub Pack having won first place in the Ottawa District Annual Cub Field Day “Dramatic Action” activity.

There are many Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Journal and Weekly Advance (Kemptville) reports of scouting activities in the village between 1934 and 1940 when the group clearly benefited from the leadership of Rev. C.C Phillips of the Anglican church. This included formation of a Cub Pack in October 1934, many mentions of a Scout hall in the village, softball and hockey games between NG Cubs and Scouts and other local Scout groups and school teams. A particularly intense (and good natured) rivalry seems to have existed with the 1st Kemptville Troop and the two Troops also camped together. It also seems that Scoutmasters from North Gower played a big role in getting the 1st Kemptville Troop started. At the time all three papers published regular columns listing scouting activities around town as well as badges earned by the members. There are multiple entries listing NG Cubs and Scouts and their badge accomplishments.

The gap between the original charter date of 1921 and the 1925 reference and the mention of a new Troop and Pack in 1934 suggest that scouting may not have operated continuously through this period. References to the "22nd Ottawa (North Gower)" Pack or Troop are common in this period. There are earlier references (1913) to the 22nd Ottawa, based at the Bell St Methodist Church, in downtown Ottawa. Then from 1932 to 1934 there was also a 22nd Ottawa (St John) Troop/Pack at the St John the Evangelist Anglican Church at Somerset and Elgin in Ottawa. However I have been unable to find any further mention of the 22nd (St John) Troop or Pack after the first mention of the 22nd Ottawa (North Gower), suggesting the Troop number may have been reassigned for some reason. It is also interesting that The Scout Leader mentions 1^st North Gower Pack, not the 22^nd Ottawa (North Gower) Pack, as reported in the Ottawa Journal.

In 1940, Rev. CC Phillips, who was evidently very involved in the NG Scouts, was moved to Arnprior and 2 years later there is a mention that the possibilities of "reorganizing the North Gower Group are under consideration, providing permanent leadership can be obtained". From 1942, I could not find any further mention of North Gower Scouting until 1953, presumably reflecting the absence of leadership during the Second World War and afterwards.

In December 1953, scouting reappears when 6 Scouts are mentioned in the Ottawa Journal as having obtained their Tenderfoot badges in the 1st North Gower Troop – no longer called the 22^nd Ottawa (North Gower).

In January 1960, the Ottawa Journal published an article and photograph about the North Gower Boy Scout Bugle Band, under the leadership of Scoutmaster J.F. Charles. At this time, Scouts and Cubs were meeting upstairs at the community centre located at 6627 Fourth Line Road.

Little is known about the Group's activities through the 1950's and 60's but by the early 1970's, both a pack and Troop were actively operating in North Gower, this time at the North Gower Marlborough Public School. The Scout Troop was very active in canoeing, hiking and camping and attended a number of Canadian and World Jamborees, including CJ'77 (PEI), CJ'81 (Alberta), WJ'83 (Alberta), CJ'85 (Ontario) and WJ'89 (Australia). The Troop also benefited during this time from use of a “Base Camp” in a McCordick Road woodlot generously provided by former Scouter Bob Bell. The Cub Pack was also active and was successful in Kub Kar racing, winning the National Capital Area annual rallies a number of times through the late 1980s. A Venturer Company was formed in the Group in 1982 and ran for a number of years before disbanding.

By the early 1990's the group had two Beaver colonies (meeting in North Gower and Pierces Corners) as well as the Cub Pack and Scout Troop.

Kars

A Cub Pack was formed in Kars in 1935 under the sponsorship of the Kars Women's Institute and meeting the the W.I. Hall. Its unclear how long the Pack ran, but was discontinued until 1951 when a Scout Troop was formed under the sponsorship of the local churches. The Troop was active in the community through the early 1950's taking part in many community events, camping, hiking and playing hockey against other locals Troop from North Gower, Osgoode and Manotick. Scouts from the Troop attended camps in New York and the World Jamboree at Niagara-On-The-Lake in 1955.

The Troop was discontinued in 1956 but reformed by 1958 once more under the sponsorship of the Women's Institute. Troop activities at that time included lining the route for Queen Elizabeth II visit to Ottawa in 1959, attendance at the 1961 Canadian Jamboree and a Scout from Kars also attended the World Jamboree in Greece in 1963. Little is known about the Troop after 1964.

North Gower - Kars

By the early 1990's, a second Cub Pack was established in Kars, leading to the addition of “Kars” to the North Gower Group's name.

If you have any information about the Group or would like to share your experience as a member (youth or adult) of the 1^st North Gower – Kars Scout Group, please contact me.

If you would like to share your experiences or history of Scouting in North Gower and Kars, whether as a youth or an adult volunteer, please get in touch - we'd love to hear from you.

Scouter Martin (unofficial Group Historian).