1st São Jorge History

In a meeting held on the 9th September 1976 various matters were discussed including finding a venue for the scouts with the promise from the church that they would loan adequate installation.

On the 12th September the first contact was made with some boys, where it was told to them of the idea of creating a scout group and what activities it would entail. The response to this was enthusiastic, which encouraged the founder members to contact the boy’s parents and inform them of Braden Powell methods and what his values on youth were.

​​On the 23rd October 1976, the first scout meeting was held. 9 Boys were present as well as 7 others of a younger age for Cubs.

November 1977 another milestone was reached where on a monthly basis a magazine was created with articles and information on scouts. This magazine was later given a prize by the South African Scouting Association.  The first Annual General Meeting of the Parents Association was held with the Consul General of Portugal present. This concluded the group’s activities for their first year of existence.

The first parents meeting was held on the 25th November 1976, where it was determined what their functions would be. Also the first parents committee was held.

At Gilloolys Farm in Bedfordview on the 29th-30th January 1977, the first camp was held by the new Portuguese Scouts Of South Africa. Presiding over the first ceremony was Rev Father Jose Maneiros “Religious assistant to the group, who celebrated a mass”, also present was the Consulate General of Portugal in Johannesburg, Dr. Luis Navega and dignitaries from South Africa including Mr Gordon Brandey “District Commissioner”, Mr Peter Daniels “Area Commissioner” as well as members of other scout groups and parents. The first groups scarf was red and white, it was worn by 10 scouts and 8 cubs. Officially, on the 30th January 1977, the first Portuguese Scout Group in South Africa named 5th Kensington in the Kengray District, was formed.

On the 22nd April 1977 the first Investures of scouts took place at Holy Angels Church.

The second camp was held on the 23-24th April 1977 and a further 6 cubs, 5 scouts, 5 rovers, 1 leader as well as 3 cubs who reached the age of 11 and promoted to scouts were invested. With the introduction of the rovers a 3rd sub division of the scouts was formed thus concluding the formation of the scouts group

During the following years the group participated in various activities such as, camp outs, camp fires, investitures, district and national competitions, jamborees as well as national activities, every 4 years. At one of these national get together, we constructed the “Torre De Belem” with ropes and sticks. At night the camp fire was cheerful with Portuguese songs being sung by our scouts.

Pop Bolton – A night walk for rovers, held annually in June on the longest and coldest night of the year.

Kontiki – Annual water activity in March, where our scouts build a raft with sticks, poles and ropes, and then send an evening on the water.

• 1977 the theme was “Vasco Da Gama” in commemoration of 500 years of the passage of Vasco Da Gama to India via the South African coast. The raft was made in the style of a ship and our scouts were dressed in clothes of that era.

• In 1996 the theme was “Colombo” – space voyagers. Our raft won 1st prize for Design Construction.

​At Mossel Bay in 1988 we took part in the 500 year commemoration of the arrival of Bartolomeu Dias in the Cape. We also take part in the Portugal day festivities from the year of our founding until present day where we are given medals and diplomas.

​In the 3rd “International Years Of The Child” we offered a lunch to the boys of the “Norman House”. This is a home for the marginalized kids of South Africa. We also donated toys and sold cakes in favour of the Nazareth House. 

​We also attended orphanages as well as homes for abandoned children on a regularly basis where we donated money and bring them cakes. We visited the “Avril Elizabeth Home” for the disabled children. We also attended old ages homes regularly including the Portuguese old age home “Santa Isabel”.​

​​​In 1999 in an act of solidarity we took a donation in money to Mr Carlos Alberto Couto, Portuguese victims of crime in South Africa.

When Lusito was formed we collaborated with a donation in money and participated in the festivities for the fund raising of the school.

In 1993 the group changed its name, uniform and district to what is known today as 1st Sao Jorge Scouts in the North Rand District.

​​On the 26th January 2002 we commemorated the 25th anniversary of the scouts with a dinner dance held at Maryvale Hall, where we had the presence of DrVera Paiva Nazareth, Chief of Social Services at the Portuguese Consulate as well as our spiritual leader Rev. Father Barney Mcaleer and one the founder members of our scout group Ismael and Leonor Bandeira,also present were Mr Chris Maniacis “District Commissioner”, Mr Des Bryington and Mrs Jenny Duncan “Members of the District North Rand”. The press were well represented as well; Mr Almeida send Carlos Siwa from the Portuguese paper “Seculo”, Mr Jose Mendes from the magazine “Noticia” and a member of the International Independent T.V. as well as a reporter from “Journal De Noticias” in Porto Portugal.

At the event various certificates as well as emblems alluding to the 25th Years of existence were handed out.

​At the end of 2007 we reached an accord on the moving of our premises in Kensington to our current home, Luso Africa in Primrose, who generously ceded us part of their land for the installation of our containers. We restarted our activities on the 2 February 2008 with a camp fire where we re-united old founders with new scouts members of 1st Kengray Group in the north district. It was a very joyful and happy evening in spite of the insistent rain that evening.

​Our group has over the 39 years contributed to the formation of our youth, welcoming anybody interested in the worldwide scouting movement regardless of race, nationality or creed.

Since 2008 until today our group has continued to grow and welcome new members. Participating in District as well as National events such as Braden Powel day and others.

2014 We took part in the Cederberg Senior Adventure 10 day hike, where we won an extreme award.