| Type: | event |
| World Scout Indaba | |
| Country: | various (list below) |
| F-Date: | 1952-1960 |
The World Scout Indaba was a series of three gatherings of Scout Leaders from around the world, held in 1952, 1957 and 1960. The idea was proposed in 1949 at the 12th World Scout Conference in Elvesæter, Norway where The Boy Scouts Association of the United Kingdom submitted that of the large number of Scouters working in a pack, troop or crew, only a very small percentage were ever able to take part in a major international Scout gathering. Indaba is Zulu for "tribal conference" and the name was suggested by Lord Rowallan.
Only three World Scout Indabas were held:
| Year[1] | Event | Location | Host Country | Dates | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | 1st World Scout Indaba | Gilwell Park | July 1952 | |||
| 1957 | 2nd World Scout Indaba | Sutton Coldfield | June 1957 | combined with the 9th World Scout Jamboree and 6th World Rover Moot, to celebrate 50 years of Scouting | ||
| 1960 | 3rd World Scout Indaba | Ommen | August 1960 |
The 1st World Scout Indaba was held in July 1952 at Gilwell Park, for a week. It was organised for The Boy Scouts Association by its chief executive commissioner, Fred Hurll and its headquarters commissioner for relationships John Frederick Colquhoun. The association's Chief Scout, Lord Rowallan, opened the Indaba. Attendance was far below expectations, with only 500 attendees. However, this created a friendliness that otherwise would have been difficult to achieve. Separate discussions were held on Wolf Cubs, Boy Scouts, handicapped Scouts, "the Older Scout" and Rovers and for commissioners and reports from each were given at a plenary session. The Boy Scouts Association's president, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester closed the Indaba with the words: "Let it be the determination of all who have been here at Gilwell to spread the Scout spirit wherever they go, that spirit of peace and friendliness which is so sorely needed in the world today." The International Committee recommended continuing Indabas every four years, with a limitation of a thousand participants.[2]
The 2nd World Scout Indaba was held from 1st to 12th August 1957, at Sutton Coldfield, to mark the 50th jubilee year of Scouting and the centenary of the birth of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell.[3] and held concurrently with the 9th World Scout Jamboree and 6th World Rover Moot and adjacent to each other, as well as the third Girl Guide World Camp. It was organised for The Boy Scouts Association by its deputy chief scout, Sir Rob Lockhart as camp chief, its chief executive commissioner, Fred Hurll as deputy camp chief and its Gilwell Park camp chief's deputy Kenneth H. Stevens as the executive commissioner. The Jamboree-Indaba-Moot, called a JIM (or Jamborain by some) was opened by The Boy Scouts Association's president, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester on 1 August, in the presence of some 30,000 members of the Scout Movement from 85 different parts of the world who camped at Sutton Park, and of the 17,000 other British Scouts in organised camps within a 15-mile radius. It closed with a talk by Olave, Lady Baden-Powell, alternately in English and French.[4]
The 3rd World Scout Indaba was held in August 1960, at Gilwell Ada's Hoeve, Ommen, Netherlands.
. John S. Wilson . J. S. Wilson . 1959 . Scouting Round the World . First . Blandford Press . B000AQMKTI .