"Nature study should not be the mere formal class teaching of the school, but the interested pursuit of each individual girl in that branch of it which particularly appeals to her, through practical handling and dealing with it."
The importance placed on badge examinations produced beneficial results as many Scouts became Second Class, First Class and King Scouts. For instance, in early 1932, there was only one King Scout (who wore red and white All-Round cords) in Troop 1A, namely, PL Tei Keng Song, and two King Scouts in Troop 1B, namely, PL Ng Kam Heong and Ghazally. But by September 1932, three other Scouts had won their First Class Badges and were closer to gaining the King Scout award, while three more PL’s had almost completed their First Class. By December another Scout, Seow Soo Sung from Troop 1B, had won the King Scout Badge.
One major reason for their success was the support the Scouts had from the wider community. Old Boys like Dr Chua Boon Teck from the Chua Dispensary, devoted two to three hours each Saturday morning to instruct the boys in First Aid. In 1932, the V.I. teachers and members of the public who served as instructors and examiners were:
The Headmaster, Mr F.L. Shaw (Swimming)
Mr S. Thambiah (Thrift)
Mr Foo Chong Choon (Semaphore and Morse)
ADC Akbar (Judging distance, areas etc)
Mr T.R. Abraham (Cooking)
Mr Chan Hung Chin (Map Reading and Journey)
DC Marcus Dukes (Axemanship)
Dr Chua Boon Teck, the Chua Dispensary (First Aid)
Dr K. Murugasu, the Assistant Health Officer for Kuala Lumpur.
Besides learning skills for the sake of gaining badges, the Scout Masters also ensured that the boys acquired as many ‘non-badge’ skills as possible and to expand their fields of expertise. In 1929, the Scout Master Mr Goh Keng Kwee taught jujitsu to a few enthusiasts. As well, The Victorian of 1929 notes that the Troop also possessed "what is probably the best Orchestra in the State"! General leadership skills were also emphasised. Scout Master Mr Goh Keng Kwee of the First Selangor Troop 1B held Patrol Leaders’ Training Camps between 19 to 21 September 1931 on the school grounds and also between Friday 9 September to Monday 12 September 1932 at Castle Camp.
There were also competitions. At the basic level, there were inter-patrol competitions within particular Troops. In 1928, Mrs Loke Yew, wife of one of the School's founders, presented a silver cup for annual competition among patrols of the Second Troop. The inaugural competition, held in August 1928, was won by the Foxes under PL Loke Wan Tho, her own son! The patrols were examined in ten categories, namely, turnout, patrol drill, signalling, tracking, fire-lighting and cooking, verbal message, first aid, knot tying, observation and map reading. Out of a possible 100 marks, the Foxes obtained 69. Those judging the competition included the Headmaster Mr Davies, former and present Scout Masters and various experts in Scoutcraft.
There were also inter-patrol competitions among the four V.I. Troops for the Cup presented by DC Kellam for this purpose. The patrols were assessed over a few days of intense competition in First Aid, Signalling, Knots, Tent-pitching, Patrol Drill, Cooking, Map-reading, Message Bearing, General Turnout, Laws, Flags and Scout staff uses among other things. The event was judged by various experts in Scoutcraft. In its first year in 1927, judges included the V.I. Headmaster Mr G.C. Davies, the Maxwell School Headmaster Mr C. Beamish, the DC for Perak Mr H.R. Hertslet, the DC for Selangor Mr J.R. Kellam, Cubmaster Mr Chan Hung Chin, several teachers and Rovers. The Fox patrol of the First Troop won the cup with 534 marks. The Kellam Cup was then presented to Lee Choon Yin, PL of Fox, during Sports Day by Mrs J. Lornie, wife of the British Resident. Other winners in later years included the Wolves of the Fourth Troop under PL Haidzir Mohd Isa in 1928 (604 marks out of 800) and Bull patrol under PL Leong Hong Teck in 1931 (616 marks out of 800).
Besides inter-patrol competitions, there was also the Tuck Shop competition which pitted the four V.I. Troops against each other. The competition, held in conjunction with the Kellam Cup on 5 and 6 July 1928, was won by the First Troop under SM Mr A.L. Foenander. The Third Troop was second in the competition while the Second Troop secured the wooden spoon. Those who judged the competition were the Headmaster, DC Kellam, ADC’s Akbar and M.J. Dowty, SM Peethamparam, Cubmaster Hung Chin, two former Scout Masters Mr Redfearn and Mr Choong Wan Chan, and Mr Choon Wing Hong, a V.I. teacher and 1916 Rodger Medallist.
One may pause here to consider the very significant role of the V.I. Headmasters in Scouting. For instance, Mr G.C. Davies often judged at Scout competitions while Mr E. de la M. Stowell served as an Assistant District Commissioner. His successor, Mr F. L. Shaw rewarded the Scouts with gifts such as little Scout knives when they gained their First Class Badges and helped procure camp sites such as Dusun Tua for them. It is also interesting to note that during Mr F.L. Shaw’s tenure, the Scouts were NOT allowed to cancel meetings unless he gave them permission! In other words, having Troop meetings, in today's parlance, was the ‘default option’ - assume held unless otherwise told so!
At a broader level, there was another kind of inter-Troop competition, namely that which pitted the V.I. Troops not just against themselves, but also against Troops from other schools. This was the Beamish Cup, named after the Maxwell School headmaster who presented that trophy in 1928. In that inaugural year, the Beamish Cup competition was held in connection with the Selangor Jamboree at the V.I. field on 6 August. Ten Troops competed, with the First Selangor Troop playing second fiddle to the triumphant Sixth Selangor Troop of Maxwell Road School. The Fourth and Third Troops were third and fourth respectively. In the 1931 Beamish Cup competition, however, after an inspection by ADC Mr Davidson, the First Selangor Group were sufficiently inspired to emerge first.
Jamborees are perhaps the best places where Scouts get to socialise with each other. Existing records indicate that the dates 6 to 17 August 1927 go down in Scouting history as the first time that the V.I. Scouts participated in a jamboree. The occasion was the All-Malayan Scout Jamboree, held in Penang. Most of the V.I. representatives were drawn from the First Selangor Troop. They were TL Lee Choon Yin, PL Mohd Hussein, PL Ramly, PL Abul Manan, PS Harun and PS Mohd Tahir. Two years later, the first Jamboree of the Boy Scouts in Selangor was held on the new V.I. field on 6 August 1929.
TROOP FACILITIES
Scouting in those years was, of course, very spartan, and boys frequently had to march or hike to their intended out of school activities, or thumb lifts from lorries. For greater distances, they travelled simply; whether on trains or steamships. The bicycle was a popular mode of transport. For instance, on 11 September 1931, the Scout Master and 22 Scouts set out on their bicycles at 8 a.m. and reached Ulu Kanching at about 10.30 a.m. for a day out at the water-fall. On 29 October of the same year, the PL and PS of Elephant patrol, together with the Scout Master, bicycled to Port Dickson, staying two nights at Sunnytide Bungalow under canvas. Occasionally they would be lucky enough as some Scout with a more affluent parent would share his luxuries with the Troop. One such family whose generosity was well-known was the Loke family. Loke Wan Tho, the son of the philantropist Towkay Loke Yew, was a PL in the Second Selangor Troop, and later in 1929, when the V.I. only had one Troop, became a PL in the First Selangor Troop. On 3 April 1929, the First Selangor Troop had a picnic at Klang Gates, where they spent an enjoyable time swimming, mountaineering, cooking and singing. This trip was made possible as PL Loke Wan Tho and Scout Chu Kah Yoon provided four large cars for the party.
In 1929, in the spanking new, spacious V.I. premises on Petaling Hill, the Scouts finally had a room to call their own. While austere in its layout, it must certainly have been cherished deeply, as any Scout would treasure and take care of his belongings. There was a ping-pong table in the room. Corners were allotted to patrols, and the Scouts added decorations to the room. By December 1930, it was noted that the room had truly become very congenial as a Scout den. It was equipped with a carpenter’s bench, tools and wood, a library of Scout craft books with a first rate double four Gilwell Tent and all necessary pots, pans, kitbags and other apparatus for camping.
WPKL @ HQ 
