Scouts Celebrate St. George's Day

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   St. George's Day was celebrated yesterday by some 1,500 Hong Kong Boy Scouts, Wolf Cubs, and Sea Rovers at a parade in the Botanical Gardens.
   Unlike last year's celebrations which were marred by a heavy rainfall, brilliant sunshine added colour to the parade in which about 40 Packs of Cubs and Troops of Scouts formed smartly under their leaders' orders.

   The band of the Aberdeen St. Louis Industrial School played 'The King' as the Governor was welcomed by the President and Commissioner of Hong Kong Boy Scouts. All scouts were called to the 'Alert' as the Chinese and British flags were hoisted. The Scout and Cub Laws were read and the Deputy Colony Commissioner, Mr. C.C.Quah, led the Scouts in reaffirming the Scout Promise, followed by the District Cubmaster, Mrs. Stoker, who led the reaffirmation of the Cub Promise.
   Next came the presentation of the Gilt Cross for Bravery to Mr. Raymond T.C.Yue by the Governor for outstanding bravery when Mr. Yue rescued a Chinese woman and child in the disastrous squatters hut fire at the site of the former Queen's College.
   The Prince of Wales Banner was presented to the winning troop in the Spring Rally, and in the Camp Competition held last winter, Certificates for Rally Competitions and Camp Competitions, and the Inter pack Football Shield, were also distributed.
   Hong Kong's need for people trained and disciplined was stressed by Mr. A.Morse, the President, in a speech to the Scouts He added "you may be British, Chinese, Portuguese, Indian or any nationality, but with the same uniform, the same badge, and the same code, you are fused, you are fused into one band of brothers today which will become the band of united citizens of the future whose loyalty will be to Hong Kong."
   Speaking of England's Patron Saint, St. George, and his fight against evil, Mr. Morse said: "You are, as Scouts today, the inheritors of the ideals and traditions of these Knights. In these days, as of old, honour is your high ideal, as it was theirs. Your code on which your association is based was taken from the code of the Knights. In these days, as of old there are still fiery dragons of evil that rear their ugly heads around us."
   A message from the Chief Scout was read by the Governor in which the Scouts were commended for "acquitting themselves well, in the past year, and their valuable help in times of need."
   The message stressed, "the necessity for all Scouts to pay great attention to practical training, as with all the goodwill in the world, a scout could not rescue a drowning man, if he himself could not swim."
   The lowering of the flags concluded the ceremony.