Honouring the exceptional volunteer work of Alan Dawkins
Alan Dawkins arrived in Penticton in
1975 from Red Deer and Calgary, where he had begun a lengthy relationship with the Boy Scout movement as far back as 1956. On his arrival, he quickly became Akela to the Wolf Cubs of 3rd Penticton Scouting Group, under the sponsorship of St Saviour’s Anglican Church.
By 1978, he had been drawn to the District level, where he served as Assistant District Commissioner for Cubs, helping other Cub Leaders develop their programs. Over the next few years, while working at the District level, he also assisted as required with the 3rd Penticton Cubs. In 1983, he assumed even greater responsibility when he was qualified as a Gilwell Trainer Level II, where he was able to share his knowledge, wit and sense of humour with many new Cubmasters.
In the early 1980s, Dawkins expanded his resume to include many years as the
Assistant Regional Commissioner for Rovers, the older youths who had aged out of the traditional Scouting program. During this period he also, as required, assumed the duties of Assistant Regional Commissioner for Wolf Cubs. Records also show him returning to 3rd Penticton Wolf Cubs in 1987 and 1988.
Who has time for all this?
The above details can now readily be retrieved from archives in the Penticton Museum. But what about the 17 years that he spent as a member of a group of Scouting volunteers who were known as the RAMBO crew? The title stood for Richard Tallon (R), Alan Dawkins (A), Michael Meheriuk (M), Bob Osborne (B) and Others (O), who helped on one project or another at various times.
RAMBO took on the task of renovating, expanding and maintaining camp properties controlled by the South Okanagan District. These included the large camps at Camp Boyle (Summerland), Camp Secrest (Oliver), and the upper and lower cabins at Apex. RAMBO took on large projects such as building new bunkhouses, replacing roofs and plumbing systems, and the smaller jobs such as splitting firewood for the winter.
The RAMBO projects were funded by various groups, but the primary source was “Friends of Scouting” (yes, the RAMBO crew), who worked at seven bingo nights per year over a span of five years.
Dawkins was recognized with many Scouting awards during his 45 years as an adult volunteer. Including a Long Service Medal in 1978, the Medal of Merit in 1985, the Bar to the Medal of Merit in 1992, and the Silver Acorn in 2003, all of which are reserved for exceptional service.
Whether he was working with a group of Wolf Cubs, assisting other adult volunteers, training volunteers, helping to organize the annual Kub Kar race event, or just silkscreening a logo for a special occasion, Dawkins has had a deep and lasting impact on the youth of Penticton and area over several decades.
Thank you, Alan!
Gerry Lamb is the interim chair of a group of mostly retired adult Scouters who have spent nearly nine years preserving the history of Scouting in our municipal museums. This column runs in The Herald in recognition of the 110th anniversary of scouting in our area.