The first registered New Zealand Scout patrol, consisting of four boys and a scoutmaster, was formed by Mr T. Mallasch, a former member of the German navy. Two of the patrol were his sons (far left and centre). The troop may have been formed as early as May 1908, and it was sworn in by David Cossgrove on 3 July 1908. The spectacular rise of Scouts as a movement can be attributed to it offering organised recreational opportunities to youths at a time when they were only just emerging as a group distinct from children and adults. The Scouting movement also appealed to notions of protecting the British Empire at a time of German expansionism.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
The Scout Association of New Zealand, National Scout Museum
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