Calling All Boy-Scouts!
Any idea WHO is the gentleman giving a speech (picture above)? What about the other man next to him?
I’m sure we have some scouts who are reading this now…..were there frequent gatherings like these in Ipoh? If so, do tell us more. What about the building in the background? Was it a common meeting place for the scouts? I know the Girl Guides sometimes meet at the Wisma Pandu Puteri, opposite the Jalan Abdul Jalil field 
Scouting began in 1907 in England and it was first introduced in Singapore in 1908. In 1910, young Scoutmaster Frank Cooper Sands arrived in Singapore from Nottingham and established two Boy Scouts troops in Singapore for the children of British colonists.
From then on, the movement spread to other parts of Straits Settlement (Malaya). Frank Cooper Sands spent the next 40years helping to create Scouting in the region, and he is often called the ” Father of Malayan Scouting”.
While in the Silver State, the movement was founded by I.R. Wheeler at Malaya Collage, Kuala Kangsar in 1926. As such, I believe, the two Caucasian in the picture could be Frank Copper Sands and I.R. Wheeler!
Saya ada diacara ini kerana mingikut bapa saya yang menghadirinya. Mungkin pada tahun 1959 atau 1960.
Saya turun dari kereta dihadapan pintu pagar yang mempunyai tiang batu besar warna putih atau kuning. Sewaktu berjalan di padang beberapa orang budak India berlari melepasi saya. Mereka adalah yang berada berhampiran dengan van pembesar suara. Saya berada di hadapan pengakap yang memberikan ucapan itu, kerana di situ masih kosong dan tiada orang.
Jika dilihat diantara pengakap yang memberi ucapan dan yang berdiri di belakangnya terdapat dua orang lelaki yang memakai sut lengkap dan seorang perempuan. Siapakah perempuan yang memakai congsam tersebut dan apa pekerjaannya? Jika ia dapat dikenali mungkin saya dapat mengingat tempat ini kerana saya lihat dia yang menjadi tuan rumah.
KS was there! He believes it was 1959/1960, but he cannot remember where it was exactly although he recalls the stone gate pillars at the entrance. He was sitting in front of the scoutmasters and off camera. He also oints out something I did not notice – a man and two girls in Cheongsams behind the speech givers and asks if anyone can recognise them. Could they be the hosts or oweners of the house?
Can anyone correct my translation please.
Saya cuba,
1. Perempuan yang memakai congsam berwarna putih itu adalah seorang guru MGS.
2. Rumah tersebut adah rumah guru besar/pengetua MGS.
3. Acara ini diadakan di MGS.
4. Dua orang lelaki yang memakai sut lengkap itu adalah pegawai kedutaan British.
5. Ini adalah acara sambutan lawatan seorang Ketua Pengakap dari UK yang sedang memberikan ucapan
For our English speaking boy scouts the comments from KS above will be very interesting: Roughly translated they say:
I tried,
1. The woman wearing the white cheongsam is an MGS teacher .
2. The house was the home of the Principal of MGS.
3. The event was held at MGS.
4. The two men who were wearing suits were British Embassy officials.
5. This gathering is to celebrate of the UK’s Chief Scout tour of Malaya and he was giving a speech
Again please correct my translation where it is wrong.
Now we know what this function is all about does anybody remember what else the UK Chief Scout did when he was here?