History
The Mayfield Scout Group is part of the Rangitoto zone, and resides in a pocket of native bush, located opposite Glenfield College on Kaipatiki Road in Glenfield. This is the site of the former Kaipatiki – Glenfield Scout Group.
On 26th August 1996, at 7:30pm, Group Leaders Peter Doughty and John Pearce called a meeting with parents, leaders and youth of the Kaipatiki – Glenfield and Oruamo Scout Groups at the Kaipatiki – Glenfield Scout Hall, to discuss the future of the Scout groups. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the proposed merger of the 2 groups due to the declining members at the Kaipatiki Group and the lack of leaders at the Oruamo Group also did not have a hall, instead, they used the Bayview Community Hall. The Kaipatiki Group had a strong committee whereas the Oruamo Group leaders were carrying out the committee responsibilities. From this meeting it was agreed that the groups would merge under a new name, with a new scarf. It was also agreed that the new merged group would be situated in the existing Kaipatiki Scout Hall.
Old Documents
Through the years there has been an accumulation of documents. Some interesting, and occasionally well out of data documents are shared here. Some of these documents show how far Scouting in New Zealand has come over the past century.
Please note, these texts were written a long time ago, and may use some language, terms or statements, which, were current at the time.
The Establishment of the Mayfield Scout Group
The Mayfield Scout Group was officially established on 19th December 1996. On 1st February 1997, the Kaipatiki – Glenfield Scout Group officially amalgamated with the Oruamo Scout Group. Prior to the merger of the two groups, the Oruamo Scout Group held it meetings at the Bayview Community Hall. At the time of the merger, the Kaipatiki Glenfield Scout Group had been in existence for 42 years, and the Oruamo Scout Group for 18 years. This merger brought the number of Scout Groups in the Glenfield area down to 2, this included the Mayfield Scout Group and the Marlborough Scout Group, which was located at 7a Agincourt Street. The Kaipatiki and Oruamo Venturer units had been combined for over 2 years prior to the merger.
The Den
Tucked away in the bush, down from Kaipatiki Road lives the humble Scout Den, nestled amongst native trees, with the Kaipatiki stream running past just to the north of the building.
The original Kaipatiki – Glenfield Scout Hall was built by volunteer labour in the mid-1950s from timber that was milled on site (un-treated). By the 1980s, it was starting to fall apart, and following an incident where a Scout jumped from a ladder, that led to a cupboard at the end of the hall, and his foot went through the floor, it was agreed that it was impractical to repair. The hall was demolished and replaced by the hall we have today. Grants were received to build the replacement hall, which was built by commercial builders.
When it came time to make way for the new hall, the site required some clearing. This meant removing the old hall and some trees. A large pine sat beside the Quarter Masters Store and needed to be removed to make way for the new building. The Arborist was required to use cranes to avoid any damage to native bush and other trees. He asked for guidance from the Group Leader, Peter Doughty, who said that the tree can be dropped onto the old hall as long as it was right down the middle of the building.
This meant there was no risk of the pine hitting any native trees and provided great assistance in the demolition effort. The excited Arborist took much care and dropped the Pine down the ridgeline of the old hall, leaving it significantly demolished. This made a very loud noise and cloud of dust at approximately 8:30am, students from Glenfield college rushed over the road to see what had happened.
The debris from the old hall was sorted, metal salvaged, and the remainder burnt in a large bonfire on site.
The new Den was officially opened on the 10th of October 1993.
Department of Conservation Reserve
The land, in which the Mayfield Den resides on, is a Department of Conservation reserve (not a council reserve). It is classified as a local purpose reserve (Scout use), whereby the Scouts Association of New Zealand were appointed to control and manage the reserve. The Scouts Association of New Zealand is therefore deemed to be the administering body of the reserve.
Basically, this means that the Scout Group is responsible for ensuring the reserve is looked after, e.g, it is kept clear of litter and weeds/noxious plants are appropriately removed.
Mayfield District and Group Badge
The Mayfield Scout District was one of the few users of the areas original name. The badge shows a large gold “M” within which is nestled a red Koruru (a type of Maori carving/mask). The Koruru is usually mounted on the gable of a meeting houses and is referred to as “the guardian of the house”.
There have been 5 variations of the district badge, which is woven in lurex. The badge is also seen backed and bound. The latter badge continues to be worn by the Mayfield Scout Group.
Initially, the Mayfield Group scarfs had the district badge at the peak. This was subsequently changed to use a modified design engineered by Frank Murphy to incorporate a double line on the forehead of the Koruru mask and is slightly smaller. This was to distinguish the group badge from the original district badge.
Mayfield Group Scarf
During the A.G.M. on 1st December 1996, it was agreed to adopt the colours from the Mayfield district scarf, black and red, but reversed for the Mayfield Scout Group. The district scarf was black with a red ribbon edge. The Mayfield Scout Group Scarf is red with a black ribbon. The group scarf also retains the Mayfield badge at the peak.
Group Leaders
Since the establishment of the Mayfield Scout Group there have been 6 Group Leaders:
- John Pearce – 1996 to 2001 (former Group Leader of Oruamo Scout Group)
- Steve Hurley – 2001 to 2011
- Danny Wrigley – 2011 to 2013
- Rachel Lee – 2013 – 2016
- Michelle Blake – 2016-2020
- Mark Webb – 2020 (current Group Leader)
Kaipatiki – Glenfield Scout Group
The original occupants of the hall in which the Mayfield Scout Group occupies were the Kaipatiki – Glenfield Scout Group, established in the mid-1950s.
Before the merger with the Oruamo Scout Groups, Kaipatiki Scout Group was part of the Mayfield (Scout) District, in the North Zone, of the Auckland Area.
At its height, the Kaipatiki Scout Group was very large with a Venturer unit, 2 land-based Scout Troops, an Air Scout Troop and 3 Cub Packs.
Kaipatiki was one of the oldest Scout Groups in the area and as such, a central point for many activities in the surrounding Scout District. In its early days, the bush area around the Scout Den was significantly larger than today. One of the activities of note was an annual Cross Country type event where scouts raced through the bush with lots of mudslides in and out of the creek. Such an activity would not be permitted these days.
Oruamo Scout Group
The Oruamo Scout Group was formed in March 1979. The group did not have a Den, instead, they held their meetings at the Bayview Community Hall in Glenfield (Bayview).
The name Oruamo is Maori for “Concerning Two”, in our area, this means: “Two Streams merging into One” (quite ironic don’t you think?). The two streams the name is referring to are the Kaipatiki and the Waikahikato streams.
The Oruamo Scout Group was well known for holding its annual trolley derby and specialised in canoe activities for its members.
Glenfield Auckland
The district, now known as Glenfield, was first settled in the 1880s. It was referred to as Mayfield, due to the white blossom of the Kanuka and Manuka trees, that reminded settlers of springtime in May in England.
The name Mayfield was never bestowed upon the district due to the existence of Mayfield in Canterbury and the fact that at the time, 2 post offices could not have the same name. The districts first official name was Freemans, named after John Freeman, who lived on the corner of Kaipatiki and Glenfield roads, not far from the Mayfield Scout Den. John Freeman established a post office bureau in his home in 1888.
On 12 March 1912, the postal service renamed the area to Glenfield.
In the 1960’s costal property to the north of Auckland was fast being occupied. Small farms inland from the eastern bays were sold to make way for new suburbs such as Glenfield.
Information Sources
- Mayfield Scouts archives
- Former Mayfield Group Leader Steve Hurley (Mako)
- Former Kaipatiki – Glenfield Group Leader, Peter Doughty