Boys' Brigade 50th Jubilee

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1985

Boys' Brigade 50th Jubilee - November 1985

A Brief History

The 1^st Hastings Company of the Boys' Brigade came into being on February 15, 1935. Mr Fred Hawkes, a respected member of the Hastings Baptist Church, commenced the work and became the first Captain of the Company.

Quite a large number of boys had given the impression that they were interested in joining but on the first night only 7 boys arrived. It was explained to them that a minimum number of 12 boys were needed to start a Company and they were sent off with the suggestion that they should encourage their friends to come along. The next week, 21 boys were present. Mr Hawkes was Captain of the Company until 1947 and during that time it reached the strength of 100 boys and had a good strong Drum and Bugle Band.

In 1947, following Mr Hawkes' retirement from the captaincy, Mr Les Spurdle became the Captain. Throughout the period of his leadership, the Company again achieved much and had a first class reputation at both Local Group and National level with a large number of boys obtaining The King's or Queen's Badge, the highest award obtainable by any Brigade member.

During this era, one of the "events" of the year was the Annual Camp held at Waikanae where boys from Nelson to Gisborne met, competed and enjoyed each other's company. Another highlight was the East Coast Drill Competition between Companies from Gisborne, Napier and Hastings.

Interest in Boys' Brigade reached its peak during the 1960's when the Assembly Hall was required each year for the Annual Display and Demonstration. It was during this period that the 1^st Hastings Company was one of the top New Zealand Companies for Boys' Brigade Week.

The Hawkes Bay Boys' Brigade Group was formed during Mr Spurdle's captaincy and he was elected its first President. One of the first priorities of this Group was the idea and creation of the Camp Site at Puketitere.

Mr Spurdle's captaincy continued through to July 1974 when he died suddenly after a brief illness.

Church officers then approached Mr Roland Hill to ask him to take over the reins and this he willingly did. It was hard work but with the co-operation of a small band of officers and helpers, the Company began to grow once more and gradually it became renowned as a Company which was able to hold a good complement of senior boys.

During this time the Company began to engage in renewed outdoor activities and in particular commenced annual camps at Lake Okataina near Rotorua and these camps have been popular throughout the years.

At Mr Hill's request, the Church sought a new Captain and in 1981 Mr Brian Mitcherson took over as Captain, ably assisted by Mr Hill as Adjutant, and these two men have headed the work over the last 5 years.

There have been fluctuations in numbers but the Company has been able to maintain its good ratio of senior boys.

The Team Section, or Life Boys as it was once called, has always played an important role in the life of the Company and it has been from this section that a large proportion of the boys have been drawn.

This group of boys (originally 9-11 year olds) was first of all under the leadership of Mr Rae Hensman who, on becoming an active officer in the Company, handed over to the late Mr Harold Morton. It was during this time that the Team Section influenced the greatest number of boys when the average attendance was 54 each Parade Night and when 21 boys were transferred to the Company each year.

After Mr Morton's retirement, Mr Hensman came out of retirement for 2 years until Mr Syd Plant accepted the position of Lieutenant-in-Charge. The post he still holds with an average of 20 boys attending and enjoying an evening of games, handcraft and story each week.

One of the things enjoyed by the Team Section was the Challenge Soccer Competition during the August holidays when boys from Christchurch to Auckland proved their worth on the soccer field. It was during this period that the Havelock North Group, attached to the Hastings Company, was commenced with 15 boys. Mr Ernest Peden was the first Lieutenant-in-Charge of this Team and the following year became Captain of the Company as well.

Mr Tony Page was the next Lieutenant-in-Charge and the Team had a regular attendance of 21 boys. At this time, we obtained permission to use the St Columbus Sunday School Hall. These folk were always grateful to Tony as he was the only person able to dust the whole hall while standing on the stage.

When pressure of work took Tony away, the very energetic team of Jeff and Mary Hewer took over. These two delighted the boys who enjoyed the many hours spent at practical handcraft. It was a great loss to us when they shifted out to Flaxmere.

Company boys were not missing out on their good things. These included trips and camps in the Kawekas, trips to Mission Bay and the ski fields, visits to Fire Station, Police Station, bakery, Maori carving, sky driving and parachute jumping.

Before the Company and Team was handed over to St Columbus Church, Company Boys spent some months as part of the 1^st Hastings Company, meeting and sharing with them on their Parade Night.

Throughout the whole 50 years, the Captains and Lieutenants-in-Charge have been assisted by many other officers, leaders and instructors and it is only right that we pay tribute to all those folk for their loyalty and effort.

Most of all, we thank God for his faith fullness and his blessing throughout these years and we look to him for his guidance and for his provision in the days ahead.

Boys' Brigade Personnel Through The Years

1^st Hastings Company Captains

Mr Fred Hawkes
Mr Les Spurdle (late)
Mr Roland Hill
Mr Brian Mitcherson

Lieutenants-in-Charge

Mr Rae Hensman
Mr Harold Morton (late)
Mr Rae Hensman
Mr Syd Plant

Attached To 1^st Hastings Company 1970-1981

1^st Havelock North Company

Captain

Mr Ernest Peden

Lieutenants-in-Charge

Mr Ernest Peden
Mr Tony Page
Mr Jeff Hewer
Mr Ernest Peden

1^st Havelock North Company and Team now attached to St Columbus Presbyterian Church

With some of the Company records misplaced, we are unable to list folk for fear of omitting the name of a faithful helper but we would pay a special tribute to the following officers for the number of years they devoted to the 1^st Hastings Company: