Gary Brand, a Bialik College educator, spent part of his childhood in cubs at 3rd St Kilda and returned to scouting as an 18-year-old, joining 10th Caulfield in 1979, which he now leads.
In look and spirit, 10th Caulfield is a far cry from the outfit founded in 1954 — gone are the khaki uniforms and felt hats, replaced by blue and fawn, with baseball caps that double as head covering for boys when the troop recites brachas.
Old enough to remember when scouting had only “AJAX football and Habonim” to compete with, Brand acknowledges the challenges of drawing in young people in this age of high-tech distractions.
Gary’s formula is simple. “If you provide a good program, keeping it fun and interesting, it will be a drawcard.”
The 10th Caulfield and 15th Brighton groups occasionally combine their activities in the 28th Glen Eira Venturers.
In 2019 Gary celebrated his 40 years as a leader of 10th Caulfield Scouts. Some of his story was told here.
Gaz, circa 2019
