A Jamboree of New Horizons
The 1955 world scouting jamboree was the first for a lot of things. It was not only the first major international scouting event in Canada, but the first to take place outside of Europe. Not only that, but it was the first world jamboree to be broadcast on television. Not stopping there, all the cooking done during the camp was done over charcoal, the modern way.
The Incredible Scale
The jamboree was no small feat, as scouts from around the world flooded towards the tent city constructed outside the newly reconstructed Fort George. The final count was an incredible 11,139 scouts from 71 countries. The devotion was impressive, with three Brazilian Scouts arriving by jeep, and the group of New Zealand scouts who travelled over 45,000 km, having set out four months before the beginning of the jamboree. Through numbers alone, the Jamboree would have been historic, but it didn’t end there.
Local Attendance
Not willing to miss out on such an opportunity, several scouts and leaders from Kingston and Gananoque attended the Jamboree. As a true sign of how big the event was, there was even a specific St. Lawrence sub-camp! These scouts went in prepared, having even held their own pre-camp in Kingston. It shows the true enthusiasm of the local scouts that they prepared for a World Jamboree with their own camp.
Prominent Names Amongst the Thousands
There were several prominent members of the worldwide scouting community in attendance. Of course, with so many people there it would almost be more difficult to not have anyone important there. Among the many who visited were Chief Scout of Canada, Chair of the Honorary Advisory Committee for the Jamboree, and Governor General of Canada, the Right Honourable Vincent Massey. He even opened the camp!
Other important people included Lady Olave Baden-Powell, World Chief Guide and widow to Lord Baden-Powell. Thus it was tied not only to the present, but to Scouting’s very origins!
Damaged by Nature, Saved by Community
The Jamboree had been planned and constructed to a magnificent standard, but it came close to unraveling. Nearly undoing all of the work that had been put in, Hurricane Connie swept through on August 13, only five days before the first arrivals showed up, and seven days before the official opening. However, in the face of adversity, the residents of Niagara would have none of it. Local fire departments, service clubs, scout groups, even private individuals all rushed to the campsite to volunteer their time and energy for reconstruction. By the time people started arriving on the 18th, everything was restored to its proper state.
Mastering Logistics
The very existence of the Jamboree required complex planning, as evidenced by the number of scouts in attendance. But nothing shows the skill involved like the trip to the Canadian National Exhibition. Moving a group half that size to a location within the city is potentially daunting for any camp, but all eleven thousand scouts were successfully transported to Toronto where they paraded through the exhibition grounds, and then were allowed to stay for the rest of the day. Transported by bus, train, and boat, the entire camp made it there and back, without anyone being left behind!
