Loughborough District Scouts in Poland Yesterday it was a dream, Today it is a memory...

All began when the delegation from Charnwood Borough Council returned from Zamosc earlier last year, and brought a message from Polish Scouts that they would like to get in touch with us. The twinning of the towns made the task possible; without the contacts it would not have happened. By September 1998 we had correspondence established between the scouts of Thorpe Acre Group and the 120 Girls' Group in Zamosc, which got the task of looking after us. Soon afterwards the young scouts from school number 9 in Zamosc sent letters to Thorpe Acre Beavers.

By February 1999 there was a good exchange going on between the Scouts of both towns. First indications of a possible visit to Poland were received' by the end of February, when we were invited by the Twinning Association for a meeting where the proposal would be discussed. The meeting took place on 17 March 1999 in Southfields offices with the Mayor of Charnwood, Councillor Ida Thurlby, presiding. The decision was taken to send a representation to Zamosc in response to the invitation from Polish Scouts to take part in commemorations of the 60th anniversary of the invasion of Poland by German and Russian troops. Thorpe Acre Group immediately invited other groups in Loughborough District to join them in the venture. The task of organising the whole event proved to be a very interesting experience; none of us had any experience in such matters and in the end the knowledge came from the ACC International Peter Carter, whose help proved to be invaluable.

Overcoming problems

The biggest obstacle, however, proved to be the financial side of the project. Because of the short time given for preparation and the lack of experience, there was simply not enough time to fund raise. Several encouraging donations were received from the Twinning Association, the Polish community in Loughborough, the Polish Club and the Polish Catholic Saturday School, from which three girls in national costume agreed to take part in the project as representatives of the Polish community in Loughborough. One teacher was appointed as a guardian of the girls. There were many teething problems and misunderstandings, but in the end, when in June 1999 we received a fax from Poland confirming the invitation and arrangements the final preparations took place. On 19th August a barbecue was organised by Loughborough District, which the Mayor, Councillor Barry Powell, attended. He presented us with International Neckerchiefs and badges. It was then that we realised that the dream had come true.

At 3.30 a.m. on 26 August the adventure began with getting ready and arriving at Loughborough bus station where our transport was picking us up for the first leg of our journey: Loughborough to Heathrow. For many members of our team, it was the first time not only to go abroad, but also to fly in an aeroplane, and that was only the beginning. Nobody knew what lay ahead, we had the schedule which the Scouts from Zamosc had sent to us, but it only increased the expectation. The proceedings at Heathrow and Okecie airports, checking in and out, passport controls, the flight itself, went very well, without any problems, even though we managed to set off the metal detectors at the airports on more than one occasion. In Okecie airport, Warsaw, we met with our contact, Assistant District Commissioner hm Edmund Margol, and the third leg of our journey began. We had a 17-seater minibus, where every seat was taken and the luggage had to be fitted in somehow, but it was all right (good fun?!). It was then that we began to experience true Polish life. The buildings, the fields, gardens, forests, all have their own beauty. It is different, no fences, horses are still being used to work the fields. The roads are not meant for fast travelling, but it gave us a chance to admire the scenery. Yet people are happy, looking to the future, and are very friendly.

We arrive!
Our arrival in Zamosc at 7pm was the climax of it all, the waiting was over, we faced our hosts, the families who wanted to look after us. There was no turning back. We had been matched with the names and everybody went their own way. For the next 24 hours everybody had to get on with life, to find out what, where, how and above all to cope with the language.

The next time we all met together was Friday 27 August at 7pm in the Scouts' Club "Viking", where we were greeted by the town's President, Mr. Marek Grzelaczyk and the Commissioner of Zamojski Scout District hm Kazimierz Wysocki. The official part was very nice, they were very happy to have us as guests. Within minutes it became obvious how proud they really were, and how anxious they were to make our stay the very best it could be.

The first feedback from the Group was how friendly the people are, how much they care, how generous they are. On that day, something else happened which I was not expecting. While I was sitting in an outside café, I was approached by a couple who spoke English very well, and they recognised my International Neckerchief. They turned out to be a District Commissioner and his wife from Essex, having a holiday in Europe and passing through Zamosc. it was a very nice experience, proving only too well that our Scouts are everywhere in the world and they do look out for each other.

The next several days proved to be a bottomless mine of knowledge, experiences, happiness and joy for us, and hopefully for them too. The amount of visiting and exploring was so vast that it will take months to remember and to digest it all properly. The short stay on the "Stanica", the Scouts' camp site, was a unique experience on its own. The facilities are somewhat superior to ours, in size at least, if not in contents as well. The use of it is as free for them as it can be. Everywhere you wish to go, you can. There are no fences, no restrictions, although there are parts of the area where strict restrictions are in force because it is a National Reserve Park where either rare animals, insects or flowers can be found, which are under very strict protection. Otherwise, it is free for all, and the only way to appreciate the beauty of it is to be there. Words cannot really express it. We experienced the campfire night, prepared for us by the Polish Scouts, followed by night-time games in the woods. The integration of both groups was so hill and friendly that there was no need for any encouragement. They just hit it off together.

A different type of experience was our meeting with the oldest Girl Scout in town, 88 year old hm. Jadwiga Muszynska. The short version (2 hours) of the Scouts history was revealed, from 1932 when she joined the movement, through war time, just after the war, until 1949 when Scouting was banned from Poland, and from 1956 when it was permitted again but under supervision of the government, which wanted to use it as a form of controlling young people. She described the way they struggled to carry on scouting until the l980s when a hill return to traditional Scouting took place. That night it became apparent why the Scouts in Poland are so well looked after by the people, local government, and even by government at the highest level. They earned their place in the history of every town and village by giving their lives in battles for freedom, not only with weapons in their hands but in underground movements, where communications, supplies, even hiding people were everyday tasks for them, and if you were caught you simply died. There was no other way. The cruel realisation of that statement was magnified when we visited the concentration camp "Majdanek", where many thousands of people were exterminated, among them many scouts. All this is the very essence of their commitment to remember the dead, to make sure that it will never happen again, and the drive to work with all young people in the whole world, to make this planet a safe and happy place to live.

Commemoration

The 1st September, the day war was declared on Poland 60 years ago, is a special day in their lives. The commemorations take place in every town, wreaths are laid on monuments, graves, and places where lives were lost throughout the war years; the scouts have a leading role in it all. They form a Guard of Honour on that day, but throughout the year they make sure that the places are kept clean and in good order; and that they are not forgotten. For us British Scouts, Polish history is new, not yet hilly understood, so the experience of being part of the commemorations, taking part in parades with banners, the ceremonial Mass in the Cathedral, commemorative proceedings at the monuments with hill military honours, laying flowers, feeling the electric atmosphere of it all, was very moving, a very special time which will remain with us for the rest of our lives.

Coming home to Britain was a rather sad occasion. The several days spent with Polish scouts, and their families, made a lasting impression on everybody. There were some secret tears at the time of departure from Zamosc. It felt like the whole town turned up to say goodbye. We have been invited back to stay with them, even on a private basis as individuals. I think that it really proved that we did present scouting, Loughborough District, and above all ourselves, in a good light. I do hope that we will have the opportunity to repay the debt by hosting the Polish Scouts here in England and Loughborough, especially to prove that we can be as caring and friendly as they are. We are looking forward to our reunion - here or there, it doesn't really matter, as long as it is soon. We are all missing them very much.

Jerzy Chichy, Beaver Scout Leader, Thorpe Acre Group.

Last updated Dec 2000