Some Old Pictures of the Group:

Could you find our first Group Scout Leader, Rev. Baldwin Lau?  Our first camp photos? The St. Barnabas Church?  Miss Blue and White of the annual Blue and White Ball?  Your parents?

A Brief History of the Group:   

The 159th East Kowloon Group was founded in 1966, originally under the sponsorship of the SKH St. Barnabas Church in Kwun Tong, at that time a relatively new satellite city of Hong Kong.  Our first Group Scout Leader was Rev. Baldwin Lau, and our first Scout Leader and Assistant Scout Leader were Mr. Lau Rui and Mr. Jimmy Chan, respectively.  Most of our initial members were recruited from the local community and especially the St. Barnabas Primary School.

By the early seventies, the Group has become somewhat established, with both a Scout Troop and a Senior/Venture Scout Troop.  In 1970, a patrol from our Scout Troop won the Championship of the Kwun Tong Camping Competition, somewhat of a feat considering the young age of the Group and the large number of Groups participating.  We were also  represented at the 1971 Diamond Jubilee Jamboree.  By the early eighties, our Venture Scout Troop has won its first "Queen's Scout" award, hence breaking a somewhat "unhealthy" tradition of shunning award tests that existed in that Troop. 

By the late eighties, for one reason or another, many of our leaders could not continue with active service, and the Group stopped its operations for quite a number of years.  Nevertheless, the old boys and girls of the Group continued their friendship and ties.  We met regularly, and sometimes even went on organized outings and camping trips, bringing along our spouses and our children.  Quite a number of us also continued our involvement with the Movement by joining other units, regions and the headquarters as Scouters, Lay Members, and Commissioners, thus confirming the old adage "once a Scout, always a Scout."

In March, 2001, through the efforts of a group of old boys and girls and the co-sponsorship of the SKH Kwun Tong Integrated Services Centre, the Group was re-launched.  In September, 2002, the Centre changed its scope of service, and we worked together and located a new sponsor, the Kwun Tong Christian Family Service Centre.  In a sense, this new sponsor is even more ideal, as it has more room and is also closer to our target service community.

Since our re-launch, we have made encouraging progress.  As of 2007, we have a Grasshopper Ring, two Cub Packs, one Scout Troop, one Venture Scout Unit, one Rover Scout Crew, and a budding Venture Sea Scout Unit, with a total of 160 youth members.  We also have close to 30 adult volunteer leaders, and a Group Council with around 30 contributing members.  (Please refer to the news section for our latest annual report).

Our Heritage:

Each Group with a long history would tend to develop its own heritage and ours is no exception.  Below is a summary of some of ours:

1. Our Scarf:

Light blue and white.  We like to think that blue signifies vigilance, perseverance, and sense of justice, all ideals of the Movement. Blue, of course, is also the color the the sky and the sea, symbolizing our love of the outdoor and water-based activities.  White signifies purity and (the pursuit of) perfection.  White, of course, contains all other colors, and could symbolize the colorfulness and creativeness of our activities.

 2. Our Motto:

"Do My Best".  We believe that this should apply to all our members, regardless of age, background, abilities, etc. We are an open group that welcomes youth of all family and academic backgrounds.  Our only requirement is that all our members should strive to improve themselves over time. In other words, we do not care about where one is today, but we care a lot about where one is going.      

3. Our Logo:

Our logo is simply the old Scout Fleur-de-lis logo with our Group number inscribed in the middle, and our motto on the banner.  B-P, our founder, explained that the lily logo signifies purity and peace.  He further elaborated by saying that the large central arm pointing northward and upward signifies that a Scout always has a positive direction in life, and the three arms signifies the three components of the Scout Promise.  Hence, together with our motto, the whole Scout Promise is represented in the Group logo.

4. Our Mascot

Tradition is a funny thing, and cannot always be fully explained. Sometime during the late sixties and the seventies, many scouts and venture scouts of our Group "fell in love" with the Lion Rampant.  We probably didn't know either its proper name or its origin, but we felt that it looked great and courageous (perhaps as a Scout in a sharp uniform should?), and adopted it as our symbol or mascot.  The Lion Rampant is, of course, originally associated with the Scottish Royal family.  Many old boys and girls may still have an old cap, T-shirt, badge, notepad, or even a ring with this logo on it.

5. Barnabas, our "patron saint":

Because of our early association with the St. Barnabas Church, it is natural that Barnabas became our "patron saint".  However, even though today we are no longer associated with the Church, and many of our members are not Christians, I like Barnabas, and feel that perhaps he could still be a good example for all of us.  Barnabas means "son of consolation" and "man of encouragement".  When Paul converted, Barnabas was the first Christian to believe him, and he urged others to do the same, and even accompanied Paul in his missions.  John Mark traveled with Paul and Barnabas once, but dropped out halfway.  When Mark wanted to re-join again, Paul, who understandably set very high standards for himself and others, objected.  But Barnabas insisted on giving Mark a second chance and even took him on mission trips.  We believe that consolation, encouragement, trust, quietly supporting meaningful causes and giving someone a second chance are all virtues that are very compatible with the Scouting Movement.

6. Our Group Hymn:

"Spirit of the Blue and White", written in the late seventies, is our Group Hymn.  The background music of this page is a computerized rendition of this piece.

7. Our Group Song:

The Group hymn is sometimes difficult for a young member with no training in music and little knowledge of English.  In view of this, a simple song in Chinese was written in 2001, when the Group was re-launched. This is  also entitled "Spirit of the Blue and White," but based on a somewhat simpler tune, which can also be played on a bugle.

8. Our Group Cry:

The Group Cry is good for many occasions--in competition, in troublesome and challenging times, etc.

Fight, team, fight!

Fight for One Five Nine!!

Fight for the Blue and White!!!

                                                                               (Paul Kua, GSL)