Since the start of Scouting in 1907, many younger brothers wanted to join in with their older siblings. This led to the creation in 1916 of Wolf Cubs, now known as Cub Scouts, but over the years there was pressure from even younger brothers to become involved. It wasn’t until 1986 that this need was to be satisfied when the Scout Association introduced the Beaver Scout Section for six to eight year olds. Two years later, on 10th October 1988 the Ajax Beaver Colony was born. It was led by ‘Dorothy Lee (Badger), who was the mother of Phil (then an ASL) and Chris (then a Venture Sea Scout). The Ajax Beavers got off to a flying start and within one year their numbers had reached 24, the maximum allowed. Dorothy was ably assisted by Mary Moffett, another Ajax mother.
Dorothy stepped down in 1999 after eleven years and the baton was taken up by a succession of excellent Leaders supported by countless parent helpers.
Our Beaver Colony has always delivered a strong programme of activities including each summer a taste of boating with our annual ‘Thames Jump’. This involves all the Beavers learning about safety on the water and then being transported across the river for an evening of games. This important safety briefing and initial exposure to Ajax boating is the first small step in their water activities adventure.
This is an edited excerpt of George Barber’s “70 Years of Ajax and 65 Years an Ajaccio”, first published in the 2018 Ajax Group Annual Report