Jeff Green | Jun 08, 2006
Feature Article - June 8, 2006

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Feature Article - June 8, 200660 years in Scouting
by JeffGreen
Pack
leader, or Akela, RJ Vermeulen had just finished handing out the awards
and recognition plaques to the Cubs and Beavers at the year end
ceremony for the Land o’ Lakes Scout troop, when she reiterated
something that everyone in attendance already knew: she had decided to
retire from scouting.
RJ founded the Land o’ Lakes troop 17 years ago, and has been the major force in keeping the troop going ever since; but her history in scouting goes back 60 years. She started as a Brownie in Holland in 1946, was a member of the sea cadets in Holland from 1952-1957, during which time she was a part of the service team that assisted during the 1952 Holland flood. She remained active in the girl scouts until 1973, received a certificate of recognition from Scouts Canada in 2001, and is a lifetime member of the Girl Scouting Organization in the United States .
RJ worked as a nurse at the local boy scout camp for a time, and this led the Lions Club to approach her about reviving scouting in the Land o’ Lakes in 1993.
Marion Buchanan has been working with RJ since then.
She
says that RJ has brought “a love of the outdoors to the local children.
She loved to take the kids camping. Having lived in the
North West
Territories
, she taught the kids things she learned up there, and introduced them
to other cultures. She always put a lot of effort into planning
meetings, creating games to keep the kids interested and making sure
that scouting was fun, that it wasn’t like school.”
After handing out all of the awards at last week’s ceremony, it was time to celebrate the work RJ has done over the years. Parents, children and people RJ has worked with all had something to say about what she has brought to them.
When it was her turn, RJ couldn’t say much because her emotions were running high. “I’m going to miss the kids, I really am,” she said. “I love the kids. Thank you.”
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