The Tauhinu Sea Scout Group was officially formed on Wednesday, August 3rd, 1955 during a historic General Meeting held at the Greenhithe Social Hall, where all local boys between the ages of 11 and 15 were invited to join. The visionary instigator of this milestone meeting was Mr. Peter Barnes (Barney), who was serving in the Royal New Zealand Air Force at the time, stationed with the Marine Section at Hobsonville.
Fostering rapid growth, the Wolf Cub Pack was subsequently established in 1957 by the late Mrs. Lena McGregor of Marae Road, Greenhithe, who fondly stepped up as our very first “Akela”!
📜 Historical Roll of Honour
Founder Members (Registered on Day One):
Albert Cochran; David Jonkers; Bryan Payne; Douglas Payne; Tony Robinson; Wayne Robinson; Noel Schelling; Garry Speer.
Subsequent Registered Members (Cubs & Scouts):
The Ship (Our Headquarters)
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The Ship (pictured circa late 1980s)
In 1969, the Department of Lands & Survey approved a formal request from the Tauhinu Sea Scouts to erect a permanent headquarters building at our current site—a designated local authority recreation reserve along the waterfront.
By May of 1972, physical work on the new headquarters (affectionately known as “The Ship”) was fully under way. North Shore Joinery, owned by local parent the late Mr. Sam Hendrikse of Albany (father of Sea Scout Robin Hendrikse), generously donated all the custom joinery for the build. The baseline concrete piles and underpinning steelwork were engineered by the Waitemata County Council Engineering Department. Rumour has it they over-engineered the footings so securely that they could comfortably support a three- or four-storey complex! A retired resident of View Road (now Upper Harbour Drive) won the structural construction tender.
The complex was built largely with volunteer community labor, including parents, scouting leaders, and local greenhithe tradespeople. Construction operations were managed on-site by Mr. Derek Fox, an Assistant Scout Leader, local parent, and self-employed builder who invested hundreds of hours into the project. Key supporting building volunteers included Bob Cottenham, Sam Hendrikse, Ted Schelling, Noel Schelling, Gerry Newey, Don Murray, Peter de Jong, Barrie Wood, and many others.
By the August school holidays of 1972, the building was officially occupied by all sections. Cubs filled the hall on Wednesday nights, while Sea Scouts and Venturers ran their programs on Thursdays. In those early days, it was still a bit draughty—all windows and main doors were fitted with the exception of the large ranch slider looking over the Quarter Deck, and individual Scout Patrols spent their evenings painting their designated patrol cabins.
To the south of the hall, our concrete dinghy ramp was laid down around 1987 to facilitate easy water access for our fleet. Since its original construction, The Ship has undergone major modernizations, including a structural extension built over the original balcony and a loft integrated into a new roof extension closest to the road line.
