Scouting Pictures from Canada
From the Albums of Tom Vella-Zarb
Throughout my days in Scouting, I have had the opportunity to enjoy various facets of it. This random selection of photographs, brings to mind memories not easily forgotten

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Tom Vella-Zarb sitting in Akela's Chair at Blue Springs
The customary Name Tag worn at Gilwell Reunions
The Grey Six - Pack Scouters' Wood Badge - 1959 - Blue Springs
Pack Scouters' Wood Badge - Blue Springs, 1959

Back row - Herbert Wiesberg, Arthur Harris, Donald Warner, Bill Nelson, Manfred Dierolf, Bob Taylor, Gwen Whitehead, Buss Allison, Marg Stephenson, Bill Harpur, Eric Beardsworth, Tom Vella-Zarb, Ian McKellar, Arthur Richards, Jack Wismer.
Centre Row - Margaret Pollard, Mary Haley, June Morton, Ruth Prowse, Lorraine Johnston, Noreen Cain, W Coles, Elsie Elliott, Dorothy Bate, Lois Dennis, Media Crompton, Ida Wakeford, Elizabeth Acton, Geraldine Vine.
Front Row - Marion Nesby, Joseph Lambert, Bridget Dulmage, Alvin Bate, Marie Crown, David Hardie, Shirley Garnham, Ron Iles, Terry Infelise, Dick Schentag, Dorothy Price.

Religion and Life Badges

Captain Harold G Peckford, Cubmaster of the Salvation Army Cub Pack, Wallaceburg, presenting the Life and Religion Award to David and Pierre Vella-Zarb, while their father, Tom, who was also the District Scoutmaster, looks on.

Celebrating the 60 th Anniversary of Scouting in Wallaceburg

Nigel Savage1 [Mayor of Wallaceburg] and Walter Skelton2 can be seen in the front row. Al Pacque3 and Tom Vella-Zarb4 are in the second row.


Pack Wood Badge Course - Ernwigle 1965

The St Thomas Holy Angels Group 12 Leaders

Here is a picture of Tom enjoying the cool breeze at Tobermory, Ontario, during a weekend camp with his former Troop, St Alphonsus Windsor.[May 1964]

12 th Holy Angels Group [St Thomas] - 1958
Leaders: T Vella-Zarb, Alberta Hamilton, Phil Davis
Back Row: J Dunlop, J Zacher, J Reynolds, G Zacher, J Buote, C Abela,
H Liebregts, J Abela, J Bates, G Bociurko
Centre Row: J Chetcuti, R Dunlop, D Edwards, R Aerts, R Edwards,
P Reath, R Boehler, V Chetcuti, H Liebregts
Front Row: T Davies, H Intven, P Muscat, L Renner, G Shaw, T Mayer, M Abela
SUMMER 1959 CAMP INVADED

Camp Ne-Ka-Ne-Tah, summer haven for Scouts and Cubs of St Thomas, has its first inhabitants of the season. Thirty-five members of Wolf Cub Pack 12 have moved into the tented quarters near Tyrconnell on lake Erie, 18 miles west of St Thomas. A full recreation programme of handicrafts, games, hikes, and swimming will be in operation at the camp throughout the summer. The camp staff and Cubs pose at the camp fire site. [London Free Press, St Thomas Bureau]

UNFURLED IN WALLACEBURG

Canada's new maple leaf flag was raised for the first time in Wallacehurg Saturday, by members of Our Lady of Help Church Scout Troop 5, at ceremonies prior to a cross country hike. The two by four foot flag was made by Mrs. Thomas Vella-Zarb, 417 Thomas Street, Wallaceburg, wife of the troop's Scoutmaster. She said she made the flag to scale from a photo in The Windsor Star. David Lapierre, FOX Patrol leader, unfurls the flag. [Photo by Tom Duquette - Chatham Daily News - 1965]


Cubmaster Joe Pandel, Scoutmaster Tom Vella-Zarb, and Assistant Cubmaster Mary Caruana, at a Leaders' Camp at Camp Ne-Kah-Neta near St Thomas. All were leaders in Holy Angels Group # 12, St Thomas Ontario. [May 1961]

Tom Vella-Zarb, John Grech, Joe Pandel, Joan VZ, Pierre, Mary Caruana, David, ?

Camporee's Chief Visited by Father, Resident of Malta

WALLACEBURG (Max Heath) - Virgil Vella of Senglea, Malta, making his first visit to Canada; dropped in on 100 scouts participating in the 10th annual scout camporee at Sydenham Valley Scout Camp near Wilkesport.
His visit to the campsite was two-fold. He was visiting his son, Thomas Vella-Zarb, of Wallacebung, whom he had not seen in eight years and who was Camp Chief for the Wallaceburg and District Council. He had also camped at Point Pelee and the Pinery, so the trip to the camp site served as a means of checking upon "real" camping.

Mr Vella, a civilian clerk at the British naval base in Malta, had also visited a daughter in St. Thomas, whom be had not seen in eight years and a brother in St. Thomas wham he had not seen in 18 years. A visit to Niagara Falls was also included in his travels, along with the outdoor camping.
TRAVEL EASY - "Travelling in Ontario seems so easy", he remarked, "distance does not count here -- in Malta 14 miles is a long ways." Mr. Vella's seven-week holiday ends next Saturday, and the one thing he will remember about this section of Ontario is that it all looks alike, the country, he noted, "does not change from Windsor to St. Thomas." Mr. Vella spoke of high unemployment in his homeland, where they have had to rely on the British and their naval base. "The island was built like a fortress," he added, "but now it is not needed -- and we have no industry to fall back on. "We don't even have raw materials which might attract an industry"
However, they are not taking it "sitting down." Government officials have granted the spending of half a million dollars for a re-building program. He said it was planned to turn the island into a tourist centre. New hotels are under construction now, as the 300,000 population moves to guarantee its future.

TREE PROMOTION RECOGNIZED

Accepting a plaque thanking him for his services as chairman of last year's Trees for Canada project is Tom Vella-Zarb of Chatham. Making the presentation is Glenn Griffin of Chatham, service team representative for the Kent District Scouting Council. More than 7.000 trees were planted last year and close to 8.000 are to be planted this spring. More than i stun was also raised last year to send to Scouting in South America. [Courtesy Chatham Daily News, April 24, 1976]

Al Paque, June Peckford, and Tom Vella-Zarb at Scout Council Presentation Night. June received her Pack Scouters Basic Training, Tom received the Part I Wood Badge for Troop Scouters, Extension diploma in Venturing.

Courtesy, THE CHATHAM NEWS, June 22, 1967

Plans for Scout Week - Wallaceburg and area Scout and Guide leaders meet to plan Interdenominational Church Services on February 27. Services conducted by Scout and Guide Leaders, will be held to observe the close of Guide and Scout week. From left: Al Pacque, District Cub Master, Mrs. Leonard Verbeem, Brownie Leader, Fred Tompkins, District Commissioner, Tom Vella-Zarb, District Scout Master, all of Wallaceburg.

Courtesy THE WALLACEBURG NEWS

Scout Camporee - Among 350 scouts from Ontario and Michigan who attended a camporee at Sydenham Valley Scout Camp, Wilkesport,over the weekend were, from left: Vincent Sciberras, St. Thomas, Robert Wolf, Wallaceburg, Keith Lapointe, Sarnia, Robert Friedlibe, Lansing, Michigan, and Scoutmaster Tom Vella-Zarb, Wallaceburg. Photo by Hamilton
..... Thomas Vella-Zarb, Charles Smith, and Robert Sutphin, and Dick Birney chat over Crackers and Cheese.

Crew Wood Badge at Blue Springs, 1966


A - Tom Vella-Zarb, B - Bill Adair, C - Robert Nye, D - Albert Henry [thanks to George Adair of Winnipeg for helping me identifying them] Can you help me identify some other Scouters please?

Service Team Wood Badge at Blue Springs, 1978