53ο Σύστημα Προσκόπων Αγίου Βαρνάβα

Λίγα λόγια για το Σύστημα


The 53rd started in 1958 by Mr George Beavers at the request of the boys in the school where he was then Headmaster. The first unit to appear was a Cub Pack with six cubs and gradually increasing to twelve. But by this time it was necessary to start a Scout Troop as the original Cubs were now old enough to become Scouts. At first an old manor house was used by the Group as a meeting place but by mid-1961 the 53rd had moved to St. Barnabas Church. A Scout Hut was built for the 53rd by the Royal Engineers next to St Barnabas Church. In the early 1960s the 53rd ran two Cub Packs and had a Troop of four to six Scout Patrols. Scarf colours varied over the years: Navy 1958-1963; Red with a yellow half inch band inset stopping at the woggle in 1963 which was short-lived and very soon changed to gold with a black border, todays colours. The Group was very active with many camps in both of the SBAs as well as the Troodos Mountains. In 1963 the Patrol Leader of Panthers Kevin Piper represented the 53rd at the World Scout Jamboree which was held in Greece. Scouts from the 53rd took part in the Horse Shoe Hikes, District Competitions and had a very active program. The Group closed when the Turks invaded Cyprus in June 1974. The 53rd re-opened briefly after the Turkish invasion, becoming a multi-national Group running the British scheme and eventually closed 1975.
The Group was opened again in 1981 by Skip Ben Whelan and the Group became the first mixed Scout Group on the Island for boys and girls. As Group Scout Leader and with the help of Sheila Whelan as Akela the program was rich with camps in Happy Valley, participating in Horse Shoe Hikes and challenging activities which set a trend for many years to come. In 1986 two new Leaders were appointed by the Limassol District Scout Association to run the Group. They were succeeded John Stavrinidies in 1988 who led the group together with Peter Elton and Richard Vlamis, two old scouts trained by Ben Whelan. The group carried on meeting at St Barnabas Church until 1992 when it was asked to leave. The Group Scout Leader, Richard Vlamis, finding the Group homeless at this time moved it to the Limassol District Building. Over the next years the Group obtained two containers and a room in the District Building. The program remained challenging and the spirit of the 53rd carried on.
In 1994 an Explorer, Angelos Bayada, took part in the European Jamboree in Holland. Other trips to Greece, USA and Kisc Switzerland in the 80's and 90's brought back more Scouting knowledge to the 53rd. In 2001 a new Group Scout Leader was appointed, Alexi Chrysostomou. He led the group until summer 2004 when it closed. The Group was reopened by Skip Richard Vlamis in March 2005 and by 2007 the group became one of the largest groups in Limassol. During the 2007 St Georges Day events held in Limassol the Group built two towers at the Stadium with the help of Peter Elton who now was back in Uniform. In the summer of 2007 two Explorers represented the 53rd at the World Jamboree which was held in the UK. In March 2008 the 53rd celebrated 50 years with a three day active weekend. All GSL's from 1981 were present.
When the Group opened after the Summer holidays in September 2011 once again it was homeless. One of the containers was sold to the 27th Sea Scout Group and the other was moved to Yermasoyia, the 53rd's new home. With no roof to have meetings the 53rd also moved into the Moutayiaka Scout hut, which was closed and in bad shape. Once again things were difficult for the 53rd with two Scout huts to maintain. A lot of work needed to be done and funds to be raised. The Parents Committee managed to raise enough funds to start repair work at Moutayiaka and fix the area in Yermasoyia, and not forgetting about the Scouting also subsidized members for international Jamborees and Camps.