A planning committee is hard at work, putting in place arrangements for a Fermanagh Centenary Scout Camp which centred at Gortatole from Friday, 25th May until Sunday afternoon, 27th May. It will celebrate 60 years of scouting in Fermanagh and 100 years of scouting internationally, after being founded by Baden Powell.
Headed by Frank McGowan, the planning committee has a membership of around eight people, among them Rosemary Forde, the present County Commissioner.
Mrs Forde explained that the Gortatole camp would be available over-night to cub scouts and scouts, with their leaders, and that beaver scouts will be able to use the camp on the Saturday.
"On Saturday night", she explained, "we're having the official opening with a parade and an international street fair, with stalls selling crafts, food and games to raise money for charity. At the opening event, we intend to have visitors and VIP's, including representatives of Scouting Ireland", she added.
Meanwhile, through Mrs Forde's help, three scouting legends came into our offices this week to provide a link with the past within scouting in Fermanagh.
Two of them, Cecil Carson and Harry Weir have been bestowed with the title, County Badge Secretary' which means their service to scouting continues, despite the fact they are both retired.
The third, and the youngest of the three, David Fawcett is a former County Commissioner for Scouting in Fermanagh. He formed the Ballinamallard scout group where he was assistant scout leader with Harry Weir. David started scouting with 1st Trory as a wolf cub before joining the scouts in Portora where he did most of his scouting.
Like the other two, he was able to refer to appointment books for dates, and was able to report that he served as county treasurer from 1967-'81, then County Commissioner from 1969-'85, making him the longest serving Commissioner in the county.
Cecil Carson has been involved with scouting for 60 years, starting off with the Enniskillen Wolf Cubs.
"We used to meet in an old loft behind the Imperial Hotel. You had to climb up the stairs and push a trap-door open.
Walter Vaughan was the leader. It was a homely place and we had some good times till we moved to the parochial hall at St Macartin's Cathedral where we have been ever since", he recalled.
Cecil progressed to assistant cub leader, then assistant scout leader and, in 1976, he took over as scout leader from the late Ronnie Woods and went on to serve for 22 years in that role with the 1st Inniskillings Scouts.
Fifty years on almost, Cecil still recalls a significant honour which David Fawcett conferred on him: he picked Cecil to represent Fermanagh at a huge scout jamboree in Sutton Coldfield in England.
Did he not have moments when it all proved too much? - "Not at all. OK, it meant every Friday night of your life was put aside for scouting, no matter what other commitment arose. But, I did enjoy the scout camps, especially at week-ends.
"We had a lot of week-end stuff, at Castle Archdale, at Belleisle and in Claddagh Glen where I was involved in fund-raising for the new scout hut there. It has excellent facilities and is used a lot, including by Scouting Ireland".
Every couple of years, Cecil attended county caps at Castle Archdale and, not forgetting Lakeland '82 there. Scouts from Fermanagh, Derry and Tyrone camped at Belleisle, and Cassiebawn at Mullaghmore was another destination.
Of the three, Harry Weir has the earliest memories of scouting international, having attended the 1947 jamboree in France as Fermanagh representative and, the year before, he attended the first post-war international camp in Perthshire.
"Some of the Norwegians had to be boated across by fishing boats. There were no planes then", he explained.
At the 50th anniversary, there were about 30 of us and, the last time I was there, it was somewhere between five and ten".
Among with Cecil Carson, Harry is vice-President of the Fermanagh County Association.
