Page 57 - It's a Rum Life Book 3 "Ivy House Tales 1970 to 1984"

(Picture right: Sid Burgess produced several
very successful “Gang Shows” for the
Boston Scouts in the 1960’s. He was also a
successful producer /Director of local
Amateur dramatics.)

MY ROLE
My role, having the past experience of
Newspapers, was liaison and
communication and at the time of the actual
event my task was to ensure that every
visitor knew what was happening where and
when.
Working with Sid was breathtaking, he was the most magnificent organiser and had been
a very successful producer and director of many very large local amateur shows and Scout
‘Gang Shows'.
At this time, Sid had only just changed his job, after countless years as financial controller
at the local Ford Motor Company dealership he had plunged into the world of farming,
meat exporting and shipping with a large and rapidly growing local Dutch owned company.
His life had taken a huge change for the better.

The time of the Jamboree quickly came around. It was to take place at the permanent site
of the Lincolnshire Agricultural Show just outside Lincoln. The site was huge and had the
advantage of several large permanent buildings which could be used for administration,
meetings and bad weather functions.
The organising staff was large and my liaison job involved constant journeying around the
site to ensure everyone was in touch. This would be 1973/74 and I had only just completed
a similar voluntary job for the ‘very first Lincoln Water Festival’.

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Of course our 6 Boston Scouts were going to attend and would be camping within the
Boston District community area. Preparing for the event with regard to our own Scouts
involved particular responsibilities as, having no assistant leader, they would be left very
much to their own devices.
This is in fact the very principal of Scouting.

The Patrol Leaders are given the responsibility for making their own decisions within
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limitations. From the very start of the 6 Boston Unit, being very rural and lacking extra
adult help, I developed this Patrol Leader responsibility.

The 6th Boston parents committee were enlisted to help provide camping equipment.
Fortunately a few of the boys had farmer parents who were prepared to help financially.
We purchased patrol tents and borrowed a tent for Helen and myself.

As I have mentioned Ruth was heavily involved in the Spilsby Hospital and worked
weekends there.
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Picture Caption: Practice and training..... some of the 6 Boston Scouts on a week end
trip to Lincoln on board 'Vesta'. Here setting up camp at Bardney on the bank of the river
Witham.

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