RISGO Jamboree:

Rajans International Scout Gathering of Centennial 2013

by Ananda Melpitiya

For the first time in Sri Lanka's scouting history over thirty countries representing all six regions in the world including India, Australia, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Pakistan, Italy, Korea, Venezuela, Nigeria, Jordan, New Zealand and England have confirmed their participation in the RISGO Jamboree to be held in Kandy from February 18 to 22.

As part of celebrations of 100 years of scouting at Dharmaraja College, Kandy, the 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group and Old Rajans Scout Association have jointly organised a RISGO, Rajans International Scout Gathering of Centennial 2013, a largest ever scout Jamboree in Sri Lanka, scheduled to be held from February 18 to 22 at Lakeview Park International Scout Centre, Kandy.

This magnificent gala event will enable over 6,000 scouts, guides and leaders from overseas and Sri Lanka to march together for unity and solidarity and share their experiences with each other.

The theme of the Jamboree is 'Towards Global Leadership'.

The RISGO Jamboree is full of excitement, fun, adventure and cultural activities including exciting adventure challenges in land and water activities, survival skills, crafts, arts, cultural exchanges, friendship and social bonding, educational tours, rock climbing, night trekking, campfires every night, musical nights and many more attractive activities.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is the Chief Scout of Sri Lanka will grace the occasion as the Chief Guest at the main rally on February 22.

The jamboree's theme is 'Towards Global Leadership' and the tour organised for the foreign participants to witness the Sri Lanka's development projects and historical values will be a main feature in the RISGO program.

Asia Pacific Region Scout Director, Abdullah Rasheed will open the RISGO Jamboree on February 18th and Namal Rajapaksa MP, will be the chief guest at the International Night to be held with all overseas participants on February 20.

1st Kandy scouts with founder of World Scout Movement Lord Baden Powell and his wife Lady Olave Powell at Dharmaraja College in 1921.

Dharmaraja College, Kandy established on June 30, 1887 after its founder Colonel Henry Steele Olcott's arrival at the Galle Harbour on May 17, 1880, did not take long to follow the founder of World scouting, Lord Baden Powell and in 1913, the 1st Kandy Scout Troupe and the second in Ceylon was formed. It was due to the enthusiasm and drive of the then Principal, K. F. Billimoria when the troupe flourished during his reign until his retirement in 1932.

At the time the first scout master was the late John Henry de Saram, founder of the troupe, who became the first native Chief Commissioner of Scouting in Ceylon, and his assistant was G.H. de Saram.

The 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group has a remarkable 100-year history in the local and international scout arena with its very first great achievement, the "King's Flag" which they won for three consecutive years, 1917, 1918 and 1919.

This flag was traditionally awarded to the troupe in any one of the British Colonies that had the largest number of King Scouts, on September 30 in the respective year.

In those years the number of colonies in the British Empire was quite a considerable number and no other troupe in the Colonies could emulate that achievement. Dharmaraja scouts were awarded the 'King George V Flag' by His Excellency the Governor of Ceylon and Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Sir William Henry Manning on May 30, 1919 at the Galle Face Green with the participation of hundreds of scouts from various parts of the Ceylon.

Dharmaraja Scouts won the Brigadier Hackett Thomson Championship Flag for All-Round Excellence at the first ever All Island Rally held at the Colombo Race Course in 1917. Our scout Hendrick Thenuwara was the sole Ceylonese representative at the first Imperial Jamboree held in England in 1920 at the Crystal Palace.

The troupe had the unique distinction of providing a guard-of-honour when his Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) visited Ceylon in 1922.

This guard-of-honour was drawn up on the platform of the Kandy Railway Station on March 23, 1922 and was inspected by His Royal Highness who paid tribute to Rajans on the very smart turn-out, thereby being the only troupe in the East to receive this recognition up to that date in 1922.

1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scouts had the rare opportunity to honour the founder, Lord Baden Powell in 1921 by his visit to Dharmaraja College. Dharmaraja scouts had felicitated the founder on three different occasions whenever he visited Sri Lanka.