General News
7 April, 2026
Scouts plead for help
A LACK of adult volunteers at the Mareeba Scout Group is forcing the club to turn away keen prospective members and could eventually lead to the den itself closing down, after 111 years of operation.
Leaders from the Mareeba Scout Group are calling out to the community for help to keep its program alive so it can continue to deliver invaluable experiences and skills to the young generation.
Group leaders Sandra Dalla Costa and Dione Duncan said they needed more people to get involved but there were simply not as many volunteers in the community anymore, and it was affecting the club.
“We’re bound by child safety laws and legislation. So with so many youth, we have to have so many adults – that are qualified and trained to be there,” Dione said.
“If we can’t have those adult numbers we either have to turn youth away, that are wanting the scouting experience, or we close the doors altogether – and after 111 years, that’d be a pretty sad thing for the community.
“We’re teaching these kids resilience, we’re teaching them flexibility, we’re teaching them confidence and respect, and how to be community-minded. They’re our next leaders coming through, so to be involved in shaping that is massive.”
Dione said the group received lots of support already, but more was needed at the leadership level.
“The families are great and they do what they can on a parade night, but what we need is people that are willing to go the next step and put a uniform on, actually go through the training process, and deliver the program to the kids,” Dione said.
She said the club should, ideally, have four leaders per unit across its existing four units – Joeys, Cubs, Scouts, and Venturers.
“At the moment, we’ve got four definite leaders, one outgoing leader, and then myself, who kind of floats between the units. So we need another 10 adults to put on uniforms and be part of the journey,” Dione said.
“Some people shy away from it because of the commitment involved. They see what the leaders we’ve got now are doing and the time they’re putting into it, but if we had the full complement of leaders, they’d be putting in a quarter of what they do now.”
Sandra added, “I think that people should definitely put their hand up. If they have half a wanting to do it, just go ahead and do it, because it will enrich your life.
“That’s what scouting offers, and like Dione said, to be community-minded is also really big, because I think that’s lacking in society these days.”
Sandra said the program was invaluable for young children in the modern generation – teaching them life skills and giving them experiences that seem to be few and far between these days.
“We do everything from hiking, camping, cooking, art, and community involvement. So I think the growth that these kids get outside of a school curriculum is really important, and to have it delivered by passionate leaders, like Quoll (Dione), it really makes a difference,” she said.
“My little boy has been there since he was five – he’s now 10 and he has loved every minute of that journey. It just pushes their boundaries to experience things that you wouldn’t normally do on a given weekend at home with your family.”
Both ladies grew quite emotional after they spoke about how seeing the kids grow had impacted them greatly.
“To see a child go from someone who’s really shy to someone that’s just blossomed is really cool to watch,” Sandra said.
“We’ve had kids come that don’t know how to ride a bike, and after spending the time teaching them how to do it, for them to say, ‘Bike riding is my most favourite thing to do now’, it’s really cool.”
Dione shared a moment that made an impression on her.
“We had one youth member who had been with us for a number of years who had anxiety,” she explained.
“Last year we were fundraising at the rodeo grounds and she ended up taking over the shift and ran that front counter, served those patrons, ran the other staff that were there – making sure we were doing the right thing and keeping up with her.
“Oh, and this is a kid that has anxiety and wouldn’t have had that opportunity otherwise. So just take a chance, come and meet us. We’re not a bad group, and you get a lot of fun out of it, you really do.”
Something many people may not know about Scouts is that things like the King’s Scout Award – the highest award earned for Venturer Scouts (14-17 years old) – can open up additional pathways to get into university.
To enquire further, find ‘Mareeba Scout Group’ on Facebook or visit www.fnqscouts.org.au
