Follow the people, honours and local stories that connect 1st, 2nd and 3rd Bundoora with our Group today.
Where our story begins
Before today's Group shared one name, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Bundoora each had their own scarf, leaders and memories. Through the 1970s and 1980s their stories ran alongside one another, often crossing through the same families, district events and friendships.
Around 1990 those separate trails became the Bundoora Scout Group we know today. The pages and photographs left behind bring back only part of the journey, but the people in them carry the story across more than six decades.
1961 to about 1990
Blue edged with orange, pale yellow and maroon, and a changing 3rd Bundoora scarf made each Group distinct. By about 1990, one maroon scarf marked the beginning of their shared chapter.
September 1961 to about 1990
The first trail begins in 1961, with a new Group, a blue-and-orange scarf and its first team of leaders.
1st Bundoora began wearing a blue scarf finished with orange braid.
Edward Clipson and Nornan Leishman took on the Group's earliest known leader roles.
Group scarf: Blue with orange braid at the edge from September 1961.
1970 to about 1990
As Bundoora grew, a second Group opened another trail for local families through the 1970s and 1980s.
2nd Bundoora formed its leadership team and adopted its own scarf.
Group scarf: Pale yellow and maroon, followed by a yellow-edged scarf from November 1970.
March 1965 to about 1990
3rd Bundoora's scarf appears in 1965. Its later chapter comes into clearer view when a new leadership team formed in 1979.
A third Bundoora scarf was already in use by March 1965.
Graham Cooper became Assistant Cub Leader as 3rd Bundoora's later team took shape.
Group scarf: A scarf was in use by March 1965, with white cord added around 1979; its original base colour is still unknown.
1981 to the present
The Bundoora name began to be shared during the 1980s. Around 1990, the separate trails met under one maroon scarf.
Leaders began serving under the unnumbered Bundoora name while the numbered Groups were still active.
The numbered Groups came together under the Bundoora name and a shared maroon scarf.
The Banyule District badge joined the Bundoora scarf after the district changed its name.
Group scarf: Maroon from about 1990, with the Banyule District badge added in later years.
One Group, still moving
Once the three Groups came together, families and leaders kept adding to the same story—improving the hall, serving the community and giving young people ever-bigger adventures.
Local government changes brought Bundoora, Watsonia and Greensborough back together in the new City of Banyule. The local Scouting district followed and adopted the Banyule name still used today.
Read the storyChris Parr joined Bundoora Scouts as Group Leader and guided the Group through a period of rebuilding and growth.
Bundoora Scouts welcomed Kate as Cub Scout Leader, beginning years of service to the Cub Pack and wider Group.
Read the storyBanyule City Council awarded Bundoora Scouts a Sustainability Grant for a planned 6.1 kW solar system at the Scout hall.
Bundoora Scouts replaced the hall's chain-link front fence with a powder-coated black fence, improving the entrance and security of the grounds.
Read the storyBundoora Scouts launched a new website to give families and the local community easier access to section information and Group news.
COVID-19 restrictions disrupted regular meetings, but Bundoora Scouts kept young people connected through remote activities and online Scouting.
Taneesha Pattison became Bundoora's first Queen's Scout since 1992, completing the award's demanding requirements during a year disrupted by COVID-19.
Read the storyBanyule councillor Rick Garotti thanked Bundoora Scout Group after being formally scarfed, recognising the contribution Scout groups make across the local community.
Read the storyNAB awarded Bundoora Scouts a grant to install an 11 kW battery at the Scout Hall, expanding the Group's investment in sustainable energy infrastructure.
Assistant Group Leader Joan received Scouts Australia's Silver Kangaroo Service Award for eminent achievement and exceptional service to Scouting over many years.
Read the storyBundoora Scouts welcomed the Handfield Rover Crew into the Scout Centre's Rover Den, bringing a Rover section back to the Group.
Read the storyA $100,000 grant from the Andrews Labor Government made it possible to replace the hall's rotten windows and build a new Quartermaster Store shed.
Read the storyCub Scouts led a biodiversity garden project inspired by nearby Gresswell Forest, planting around 100 indigenous plants and creating a place to learn about living respectfully with nature.
Read the storyScouts and Venturer Scouts returned from a shared Kangaroo Island expedition filled with hiking, wildlife encounters and service, including handmade pouches donated to a wildlife rescue group.
Read the storyBanyule Council recorded completion of a fence replacement project for Bundoora Scout Group, helping maintain the hall and grounds for future generations.
Read the storyWith support from Eden Building & Landscaping and Watsonia RSL, a new outdoor campfire circle took shape at the Scout Centre as a gathering place for future stories and songs.
Read the storyBundoora Scouts used funding from the Victorian Government grant to replace the hall's rotten windows, improving safety, insulation and energy efficiency.
Read the storyThe Group completed a new shed with a dedicated Quartermaster Store and activity space, giving equipment a secure home and youth members more room for hands-on programs.
Bundoora Scouts farewelled Group Leader Chris Parr and thanked him for more than seven years of leadership and service to the Group.
Bundoora Scouts invested Siobhan 'Kaa' into the Cub Scout leadership team, where she helps Cubs build skills and explore the outdoors.
Read the storyBundoora Scouts invested Glenn 'Varmint' into the Scout Troop leadership team. He joined Hamish in supporting the Troop's youth-led program.
Read the storyBundoora Scouts welcomed former Handfield Rover Lisa 'Fox' into the Cub Scout leadership team.
Read the storyBundoora Scouts welcomed Bruce as Group Leader to lead the Group and support its volunteers and families.
Read the storyBundoora Scouts welcomed Ainsley to the Scout leadership team to help guide the Troop's youth-led program.
Read the storyBundoora Scouts refreshed its website with a new visual design and easier access to section information and Campfire stories.
Scouts and Venturer Scouts set out on a major expedition through Central Australia, sharing their route, stories and photographs with the wider community.
Read the storyIn the surviving records
The surviving records give a sense of the generations who passed through Bundoora. They are a starting point, not a complete lifetime count.
474 distinct registration numbers
Across all four Bundoora formations
Across 21 known terms
16 Queen's Scouts and 3 Premier Scout Awards
Service recognised from 1973 to 2015
Honour roll
Across the three Groups, young people worked towards Scouting's highest awards while adults gave years of service behind the scenes. Their achievements now belong to one Bundoora honour roll.
Highest youth award
Bundoora
Bundoora
1st Bundoora
1st Bundoora
1st Bundoora
1st Bundoora
1st Bundoora
1st Bundoora
1st Bundoora
2nd Bundoora
2nd Bundoora
2nd Bundoora
2nd Bundoora
2nd Bundoora
2nd Bundoora
1st Bundoora / Stringybark Venturers
Read the storyHandfield Rover Crew
Read the story
Top Scout section award
Bundoora
Bundoora
Bundoora
Certificate of Merit
BundooraMedal of Merit
BundooraSilver Arrowhead
BundooraSilver Wattle
BundooraOutstanding Service Award
BundooraCertificate of Merit
BundooraSilver Wattle
BundooraService Award
1st BundooraService Award
1st BundooraMedal of Merit
1st BundooraMedal of Merit
1st BundooraMedal of Merit
1st BundooraCertificate of Good Service
2nd BundooraCertificate of Merit
2nd BundooraCertificate of Good Service
3rd BundooraSilver Kangaroo Service Award
Read the storySpecial Service Award
Read the storyMeritorious Service Award
Read the storyPeople who led the way
Each handover carried experience, traditions and care for the Group into its next chapter. These are the Group Leaders and Group Scoutmasters named across the four Bundoora formations.
1961–1976
Nornan Leishman took on the first Group Scoutmaster role in 1961. Over the next fifteen years, each handover kept 1st Bundoora moving as the Group grew around Telfer Reserve.
Group Scoutmaster
Group Scoutmaster
Group Scoutmaster
Group Scoutmaster
Group Scoutmaster
Group Leader
Group Leader
1971–1989
William Cooper carried his experience from 1st Bundoora into 2nd Bundoora in 1971. A new line of Group Leaders then guided the second Group through almost two decades.
Group Scoutmaster
Group Leader
Group Leader
Group Leader
Group Leader
Group Leader
Group Leader
1979–1985
Dorothy Norris and Cheryle Hodges led 3rd Bundoora through the part of its story that survives most clearly, while its youth sections continued alongside the other Bundoora Groups.
Group Leader
Group Leader
1989 onward
As the three trails joined, Geoffrey Robbins became Group Leader of the shared Bundoora Group. Paul Francis followed in 1994, carrying the combined Group into its next chapter.
Group Leader
Group Leader
From the archive
Newspaper cuttings and Scout magazines bring back the fundraisers, awards, big ideas and ordinary nights that shaped the Group.
Former Broadford resident Ash Marks received the Baden-Powell Scout Award in May 2016. Her Scouting journey began as ...
Shane Jacobson recalled the bushcraft mistake that sent his Scout group in the wrong direction: he kept his compass a...
Herb. Many thanks for your years of service to the 1st Bundoora Scout Group. From Leaders, Parents and Youth Membe...
James Tait joined 1st Bundoora as secretary in 1966. He became Assistant Scoutmaster in 1967 alongside Mike Downes an...
Banyule District recognised three Scout leaders for a combined century of service at its annual Scout Hall event at E...
Around 1,800 Scouts, Guides and leaders prepared for Jamborella Two at Gilwell Park from 28 December 1980 to 6 Januar...
Mike Downes argues that the key to lifting interest in Scouts is recruiting enthusiastic leaders. Where adults are ac...
Mike Downes begins with the Skin Horse’s explanation of becoming real in The Velveteen Rabbit. He connects that story...
The 1st Bundoora Cubs were busy raising funds to buy urgently needed camping equipment. A recent book drive added $12...
Peter Cornwallis of Greenwood Drive, Bundoora, was elected president of the 1st Bundoora Scout Group committee at the...
Mike Downes opens with the story of a successful roadside hamburger seller who cuts quality after his college-educate...
Your part of the story
If Bundoora Scouting has been part of your family, you may hold the next piece of this history. We would love to hear about it.
Adventure, friendship and new skills are just a click away. We welcome new members in all sections from ages 5 to 25.
