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2nd Malvern Scout Hall, Milton Gray Reserve, Malvern VIC 3144

Heritage Victoria Application, October 2013

Compiled by Stephanie Spincer

Submission under Heritage Victoria Criterion G

Looking north-west – 2nd Malvern Scout Hall – photo taken from south-east side of Milton Gray Reserve

Looking north – 2nd Malvern Scout Hall – photo taken from southern end of Milton Gray Reserve

Looking west- 2nd Malvern Scout Hall – photo taken from eastern side of Milton Gray Reserve

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2nd Malvern Scout Hall, Milton Gray Reserve, Malvern VIC 3144

Plan of extent of nomination

Lat 37° 51’ 52.3260’’ S

Long 145° 2’ 6.4572’’ E

Lot 1 on Title Plan 369960U, on Certificate of Title Volume 03385, Folio 958

(Parent Title Volume 01189, Folio 688)

Council Plan with scale Google Map with scale: http://goo.gl/maps/IADRI

Scout Hall

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2nd Malvern Scout Hall, Milton Gray Reserve, Malvern VIC 3144

Submission under Heritage Victoria Criterion G: Strong or special association with a particular community

or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. This includes the significance of a place to

Indigenous peoples as part of their continuing and developing cultural traditions.

Statement of Significance

What is significant?

The 2nd Malvern Scout Hall in the Milton Gray Reserve Malvern is of historical, social and architectural

importance to the State of Victoria because of its long and enduring association with the birthplace of the

Scouting Movement in Victoria which began in the suburb of Malvern in late 1907, just months after the

birth of the worldwide Scouting movement in the UK.

In accordance with the Burra Charter1, the 2nd Malvern Scout Hall in the Milton Gray Reserve is a culturally

significant site of immense social value because it embraces the qualities for which this place has become a

focus of cultural sentiment to the Scouts, because of its long and enduring association with the birthplace

of the Scouting Movement in Victoria, and as such, the 2nd Malvern Scout Hall represents a tangible

memorial to the foundation of Scouting in Victoria.

How is it significant?

The 2nd Malvern Scout Hall in the Milton Gray Reserve Malvern is of historical, social and architectural

importance to the State of Victoria.

Why is it significant?

The 2nd Malvern Scout Hall is both HISTORICALLY and SOCIALLY significant because of its long and enduring

connection to the birthplace of Scouting in Victoria. The 1st and 2nd Malvern Scout Troops, two of the

oldest in Victoria, represent an unbroken lineage from the foundation of Scouting in Victoria to their

continued operation today. This lineage extends from the receipt of a Scouting handbook by Malvern

Primary schoolboy Roy McIndoe in late 1907, to the spontaneous formation of a troop over the 1907/08

Christmas holidays with his mates from Malvern Primary School, to the subsequent establishment of the 1st

and 2nd Malvern Scout troops contemporaneously in 1908, to the lobbying of Malvern City Council by the

2nd Malvern Scouts during the 1940s to retain their identity with Malvern and erect the first dedicated

Scout Hall in Malvern, where Scouting began in Victoria, and establishes that a strong connection with

‘place’ has been maintained over the years by the 2nd Malvern Scouts.

The proximity of the 2nd Malvern Scout Hall to Malvern Primary School preserves this close physical, SOCIAL

and HISTORICAL connection to Roy McIndoe, the Malvern Primary schoolboy who began Scouting in

Victoria. Today, an overwhelmingly large proportion (75%) of the children currently enrolled in the 2nd

Malvern Scout troop, are pupils at Malvern Primary School.

The 2nd Malvern Scout Hall is also HISTORICALLY important for its connection to the former Councillor and

Mayor of Malvern, Milton F.W. Gray, after whom the Milton Gray Reserve is named. In 1947, Cllr Gray

personally recommended that the 2nd Malvern Scouts “be granted permission to erect a Scout Hall” in the

Milton Gray Reserve. Prior to this, no Scout troop in Malvern had a purpose-built Scout hall.

The 2nd Malvern Scout Hall is ARCHITECTURALLY significant because it was the first purpose-built Scout

hall in Malvern (built in 1952), and is now the only remaining Scout Hall in the suburb of Malvern where

Scouting began in Victoria. It is a fine example of a post-war 1950s style community hall, representing the

simple, utilitarian structures that communities built for their use in the years immediately following World

War II. It was constructed by volunteers from the local Scouting community from weatherboard and fibro,

reflecting the lack of availability of building materials and labour at this time.

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SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

1. Background

1.1 Founding of the Scouting Movement in the UK, 1907

The global Scouting movement was founded in the UK in August 1907 by Lord Robert Baden-Powell. As a

young man serving in the British Army in India and Africa, Baden-Powell developed a training program for

soldiers, teaching them skills in fending for themselves and to be observant of all signs that would give

them an advantage as soldiers. He set down his ideas in a book ‘Aids to Scouting’. Once back in England,

Baden-Powell decided to apply Scouting to the training of boys. In August 1907 he held an experimental

camp on Brownsea Island off the Dorset coast. With some 20 boys from all walks of life and suitable adult

leaders, Baden-Powell taught the boys what he meant by Scouting. They lived in tents, cooked their own

food and learnt many valuable skills through games. This event in August 1907 is regarded as the beginning

of the Scout Movement worldwide2.

Within a year, Boy Scout troops sprang up in the United Kingdom, Europe and various parts of the British

Empire. The movement was often spontaneous and in some troops there was often no adult troop leader.

1.2 Timing of the formation of the first Scout troops

The rapid growth of Scouting meant that it took some time for central organisations to be established, and

although the first Scout troops formed in the UK in 1907, the earliest groups were only registered in 1908,

some time after their first meeting. This makes it difficult to establish which groups started first. Many

Scout Groups claim the title of ‘Oldest Scout Group’ in their respective countries, but because of poor

record keeping when the Scouting Movement started, the Scout Association (UK) does not acknowledge

any single troop as being the first3.

“It is impossible to say with certainty, which was the first Scout Troop to be formed. The

Movement grew so fast that only minutes could have separated the first Troops.”

Today, national Scout associations often do not take a stance as to which was the first group in their

country as, in many cases, troops were active long before anyone got around to filling in forms4.

However, Scouting appears to have started in an informal way in Victoria as early as 1907, and began to

be formally recognised and registered in 1908 in line with a similar process in the UK. Four of the earliest

documented Scout troops to begin formally in Victoria in June 1908 were5:

1st & 2nd Malvern formed contemporaneously (see excerpt below)

1st Caulfield

1st Hawksburn

“A patrol…..of four or five boys…was started in June 1908. Mr L. Fairnie became their Scout

Master. Under him several independent patrols joined together to form the 1st Malvern,

including Roy McIndoe (Patrol Leader). So many independent patrols offered to join that 2nd

Malvern was formed5.”

The documents presented in this submission establish that 1st and 2nd Malvern Scout troops started

contemporaneously in 1908, and were among the earliest troops to form in Victoria.

Mention of Roy McIndoe is significant as he appears to have been the first person in Victoria to receive a

copy of Baden-Powell’s pamphlet about the August 1907 experimental Scout camp in the UK, and as a

consequence, was instrumental in starting the very first Scout troop in Malvern, Victoria in late 1907.

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2. Historical & Social Significance. Founding of Scouting in Victoria, Malvern, 1907

In late 1907, the same year that Baden-Powell held the first experimental Scout camp in the UK, a young

boy by the name of Roy McIndoe, who was a student at Malvern Primary School (then known as Tooronga

Rd State School), received a pamphlet from a friend in England who had attended that camp. He was so

inspired that he spontaneously set up a ‘troop’ of Boy Scouts in Malvern5.

“The cradle of Scouting in Victoria was the Tooronga Rd State School, Caulfield (now Malvern

Primary School) where in late 1907 one of the pupils, Roy McIndoe, received from a friend in

England, who had been a member of the experimental camp at Brownsea Island, some

pamphlets which had been issued by the Chief (Baden-Powell). These he showed to his mates

who immediately got red shirts, their father's old felt hats, formed 'patrols' and 'whooped

round the place like Red Indians'. Later in 1908 when they received the first copies of

‘Scouting for Boys’, they settled down to genuine Scouting."

This account is corroborated in a first-hand account provided by Harry Coe, (later Major Henry J. F. Coe),

also a pupil at Malvern Primary School and Roy McIndoe’s best friend, who recollects the events at the

birth of the Scouting Movement in ‘How Scouting Originated in Victoria’6:

“One of the boys who took part in this camp was in correspondence with my best friend in

those days, Roy McIndoe. This British Scout sent Roy McIndoe several of Baden Powell’s

pamphlets and a report of the good time enjoyed at the island camp. Roy McIndoe passed

them on to me (Harry Coe) and we got enthusiastic about the idea.

As I recollect, it was soon after the Christmas holidays of 1907 that this enthusiasm nipped

us. Roy McIndoe and I (Harry Coe) got some of our school cronies together. The names I

recollect are Ted Cannon and Harold Beauchamp. Roy McIndoe was made Patrol Leader

because it was he who had the pamphlets and information.”

Three of the four boys mentioned in this account were all pupils at Malvern Primary School in 1907:

Roy McIndoe,

Harry (Henry) Coe,

Ted (Edmund) Cannon.

In 1912 Harry Coe went on to become Victoria’s first King Scout and in 1913 Victoria’s first Silver Wolf, the

highest awards achievable in the Scouting movement.

During 1914 and 1915, at the age of only 20, these three boys enlisted in the First World War:

Roy McIndoe: http://www.awm.gov.au/research/people/roll_of_honour/person.asp?p=489425 (died on service)

Edmund Cannon: http://www.awm.gov.au/research/people/nominal_rolls/first_world_war_embarkation/person.asp?p=327056

Henry Coe: http://www.awm.gov.au/research/people/nominal_rolls/first_world_war_embarkation/person.asp?p=122777

Evidence of their attendance at Malvern Primary School is found on the Malvern Primary Honour Roll.

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Harry Coe later recorded his account of the genesis of Scouting in ‘How Scouting Originated in Victoria’6.

Today, an overwhelmingly large proportion (75%) of the children currently enrolled in the 2nd Malvern

(Milton Gray) Scout troop, are pupils at Malvern Primary School.

The 2nd Malvern Scout Hall’s proximity to and ongoing connection with Malvern Primary School is

significant because it demonstrates a continued cultural and social connection to the physical location of

the birthplace of scouting in Victoria, and to the memory of three young boys who founded the Scouting

movement in Victoria.

3. Historical & Social Significance. Mayoral connection to 2nd Malvern Scout Hall

The 2nd Malvern Scout Hall is also historically important for its connection to the

former Councillor and Mayor of Malvern, Milton F.W. Gray, after whom the

Milton Gray Reserve is named. Milton Gray served as a councillor for the City of

Malvern for 31 years from 1928 to 1959, and Mayor twice, from 1932 to 1933

and again from 1940 to 19437.

In 1947, Cllr Gray personally recommended that the 2nd Malvern Scouts “be

granted permission to erect a Scout Hall” in the Milton Gray Reserve. Prior to

this, no Scout troop in Malvern had a purpose-built Scout hall. The 2nd Malvern

Scout troop was therefore the first Scout troop in Malvern to build their own

fit-for-purpose Scout Hall in the suburb where Scouting began in Victoria.

Mayor Milton Gray, 1932-1933. Stonnington Library website.

http://stonlib.stonnington.vic.gov.au/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/PIC/BIBENQ?IRN=422253&FMT=PA

3.1 Milton Gray’s support for Scouting in Malvern

Cllr Milton Gray and his wife were public supporters of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides in Malvern over a

period of two decades, organising many fundraising events for and with them. Milton Gray’s support for

the Scouts is evident in articles published in The Argus newspaper during the 1930s and 40s8.

The Argus, Tuesday 6 August, 1946. ‘Victorian Food Appeal

Still Leads NSW’

“In a house-to-house drive, by Boy Scouts and Girl

Guides, the City of Malvern on Saturday collected five

tons of food for the Lord Mayor's Food for Britain

Appeal. The drive, organised by Cllr Milton Gray, was

the second held by Malvern this year.”

1946 Food drive for Britain by the Boy Scouts.

Stonnington Library website.

http://stonlib.stonnington.vic.gov.au/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/FULL/PIC/BIBENQ/36746814/6455030,1?FMT=IMG&IMGNUM=1

The Argus, Thursday 30 June 1932 - ‘Scout and Guide Ball’

“The Malvern local associations of the Girl Guides and the Boy Scouts, which do excellent

work for these movements, combine each year to hold a dance in aid of their funds. The

dance for this year was held last night in the Malvern Town Hall, and was well attended. The

honorary secretaries for the dance were Mrs Milton Gray and Mr L. L. Robison.”

Source for Argus articles: National Library of Australia’s ‘Trove’ database: http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/result?l-

category=Article&l-title=13&sortby=dateDesc&q=milton+gray+%2B+scouts&s=0

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3.2 Milton Gray’s connection to the 2nd Malvern Scout Hall

In 1939, the land forming the Milton Gray Reserve was purchased by the City of Malvern Council for the

purpose of; "providing a park and playground of approx. 5 acres in an area devoid at the present time of

open spaces" (Letter from Town Clerk to The Chairman and Members Finance Committee, City of Malvern,

15 Aug 1939).

In December 1939 the City of Malvern Council passed a motion that "The land….recently purchased from

Estate of Padfield be called "MILTON GRAY RESERVE". Adopted (City of Malvern Council Minutes, 18 Dec

1939).

After the end of World War Two, when communities started to re-build themselves after the losses and

deprivations of the war years, the 2nd Malvern Scouts started the process of enquiring after land on which

to build a dedicated Scout Hall in the suburb of Malvern.

9th Oct 1946: 2nd Malvern Scouts send a letter to the City of Malvern Council (City of Malvern Council

Minutes, 9 Oct 1946) (Attachment 1)

“to ascertain what prospects there are to be granted of a block of land, or, alternatively, to be

leased a block of land suitable for the erection of a Scout Hall?”

18th Nov 1946: 2nd Malvern Scout representatives appear at a Council meeting and submit a deposition

stating that (City of Malvern Council Minutes, 18 Nov 1946); (Attachment 2)

“There were 30 boys belonging to the Group at the present and for the past few years had

met in a loft over stables in Clarence Street. Owing to re-building on this property they had to

find other premises and were now accommodated in a room at the Presbyterian Church Hall

in Burke Road….but it would be necessary for a hall to be built for use by the Group so that it

could expand to its proper function in the City”.

“At present time they had £500 in hand for the purpose of building but the difficulty was to

find land suitable for the project”.

“The area considered most suitable would be between Glenferrie Rd, Wattletree Rd and

Dandenong Rd to Burke Rd and the site suggested most suitable is Milton Gray Reserve”.

“The only railway land which could be leased for the purpose was in the City of Caulfield, and

it was not desired to lose their identity with the City of Malvern and it was for this reason

they were seeking the Council’s aid”.

This statement provides evidence of ongoing connection to place and social/cultural importance of the

2nd Malvern Scout troop to the suburb of Malvern.

17 March 1947: Cllr Milton Gray grants permission to 2nd Malvern Scout troop to build a Scout Hall in

Milton Gray Reserve. In the minutes of the report of the Health & Public Works

Committee, chaired by Cllr Milton Gray, he submitted the following recommendation;

“That 2nd Malvern Group of Boy Scouts Association be granted permission to erect a Scout

Hall on portion of property rear of Thanet Grove and be granted permissive occupancy during

the pleasure of the Council”. (Recommendation seconded by Cllr Cummins and Carried).

1952: The 2nd Malvern Scout Group built the first section of its new Scout Hall in the Milton Gray Reserve.

The Boy Scouts Association, Malvern District Yearbook 1952 states that9;

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“The 2nd Malvern Group made great strides and splendid progress once it moved into its new

home in the Milton Gray Reserve and was then in a much stronger position than it has been

for years.”

The 2nd Malvern Scout troop was therefore the first Scout troop in Malvern to build their own fit-for-

purpose Scout Hall in the suburb where Scouting began in Victoria.

It was not until July 1953 that the 1st Malvern Scout Group commenced construction of its Scout Hall in

Cooinda Place, East Malvern.

In the early years of the Scout Movement in Australia and globally, it was commonplace that Scout Troops

did not have a dedicated hall in which to meet. There are many examples of troops meeting in lofts,

stables, church halls, and rear rooms of obliging local residents6.

The lack of a permanent ‘place’ for the first few decades after their initial formation, does not diminish the

evidence that the 1st and 2nd Malvern Scout Troops, two of the oldest Scout Troops in Australia, represent

an unbroken lineage from the foundation of Scouting in Victoria to their continued operation today. This

observable, evidence-based lineage from the receipt of a Scouting handbook by Malvern Primary schoolboy

Roy McIndoe in late 1907, to the spontaneous formation of a troop over the 1907/08 Christmas holidays

with his mates from Malvern Primary School, to the subsequent establishment of the 1st & 2nd Malvern

Scout troops contemporaneously in 1908, to the lobbying efforts by the 2nd Malvern Scouts during the

1940s to retain their identity with Malvern and erect the first dedicated Scout Hall in Malvern, where

Scouting began in Victoria, establishes that a strong connection with ‘place’ has been maintained over the

years by the 2nd Malvern Scouts.

2nd

Malvern Scout Troop, 1959. Stonnington Library website.

http://stonlib.stonnington.vic.gov.au/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/FULL/PIC/BIBENQ/36749311/12351070,1?FMT=IMG

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4. Architectural Significance of the 2nd Malvern Scout Hall

The 2nd Malvern Scout Hall in the Milton Gray Reserve is architecturally significant. Built in 1952, it was the

first purpose-built Scout hall in Malvern, and represents a fine example of a typical post-war 1950s

‘community hall’ building. The building is intact and retains the fabric of its 1952 form. The original

construction materials, (weatherboard and fibro, common construction materials of the time), are evident

and the external structure has not been altered.

Building style in the early 1950s in Melbourne is defined by an acute shortage of building skills, material

and equipment following World War II10. As a consequence of the worldwide depression of the 1930s,

World War II, and post-war building restrictions and material shortages, building development in

Melbourne remained fairly static until the early-1950s11. By 1955, almost nothing had been constructed in

the city for nearly ten years.

But the 1950s in Melbourne represented a huge change in the philosophy of the city. Demolition was big

business in the 1950s. In a frenzy of new construction, ‘Whelan the Wrecker's’ sign seemed to be

everywhere12. As a consequence, there is little is left (architecturally) from the 1950s, as it paved the way

for bulk modernism in the 1960s. Significant losses from the era include the Olympic stand at the MCG13.

The 2nd Malvern Scout Hall was constructed from weatherboard and fibro, common building materials of

the time, by volunteers from the 2nd Malvern Scouting community. The modest form and materials of the

Milton Gray Scout Hall exemplify the simple, utilitarian structures that communities built for their use in

the years immediately following World War II, reflecting the lack of availability of building materials and

labour at this time.

The 2nd Malvern Scout Hall is therefore a fine example of an intact 1950s community-built structure still

present in the suburban landscape.

Today, the Hall is painted in a khaki green colour which symbolises the traditional Scout uniform and visibly

identifies the building with the Scouting movement. The original intent of the colour and style of the Scout

uniform was; “to erase any class distinctions and foster the spirit of belonging to a society in which all

members are equal to one another and responsible to one another” 14. The 2nd Malvern Scout Hall

continues to embody this spirit of community connectedness and sense of belonging.

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4.1 Comparison with similar Heritage Listed structures in Victoria

Other ‘community hall’ buildings of this 1950s vintage are heritage listed in Victoria. For example;

● WOODHOUSE-NAREEB SOLDIERS MEMORIAL HALL (Victorian Heritage Register No.H2275), and the

● KNOX TEMPLER CHURCH HALL (Victorian Heritage Register No. H1992).

Both of these examples cite the strong sense of community that these halls represent as rationale for their

preservation.

WOODHOUSE-NAREEB SOLDIERS MEMORIAL HALL KNOX TEMPLER CHURCH HALL

“It was funded by the local community of soldier “…a fine example of a post-war building

settler families” built by the immigrant congregation itself”

“…led to a strong sense of community”

There is only one Heritage Listed Scout Hall in Victoria:

● KARIWARA DISTRICT SCOUT HEADQUARTERS in Footscray

(Victorian Heritage Register No. H1343).

It is stated that it is of historical and social significance due to its

“long association with the Boy Scout Movement in Victoria”.

The 2nd Malvern Scout Hall similarly demonstrates a long and

strong association with the Scouting Movement in Victoria, but

additionally, can trace its heritage to the very foundation of

Scouting in Victoria.

4.2 Final Comment on the Significance of the 2nd Malvern Scout Hall

The 2nd Malvern Scout Hall is comparable in style and function to other post-war community hall-style

buildings in Victoria. It was constructed by the local Scout community, all of whom were volunteers, and is

a reflection and embodiment of this strong sense of community. This community spirit is still present today

in the overwhelming support within the local community to retain the 2nd Malvern Scout Hall as a memorial

to the origins of Scouting in Victoria.

Evidence presented in this submission demonstrates

that the 2nd Malvern Scout Hall in Milton Gray Reserve

Malvern is of historical, social and architectural

significance to the State of Victoria, because of its long

and continuing connection to the birthplace of the

Scouting Movement in Victoria, and as such,

represents a tangible memorial to the foundation of

Scouting in Victoria.

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REFERENCES

1. Guidelines to the Burra Charter. http://australia.icomos.org/wp-content/uploads/Guidelines-to-

the-Burra-Charter_-Cultural-Significance.pdf

2. The History of Scouting. Scouts Australia website.

http://www.scouts.com.au/main.asp?iStoryID=722

3. The First Troops. The Scout Association. (2006)

http://www.scoutbase.org.uk/library/hqdocs/facts/pdfs/fs295303.pdf The Scout Information

Centre, Gilwell Park Chingford London E4 7QW

4. An Official History of Scouting. (2006). P. Moynihan. Hamlyn (publ.) pg 44

5. Those Boy Scouts. A Story of Scouting in Victoria. (1987). A. R. Milne & C.B Heward (pgs 5 & 6).

Document held at Stonnington History Centre, High St, Malvern, VIC 3144. Local History Catalogue

Registration Number: MH 7569. Online access to summary available at:

http://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/explore-stonnington/history/local-history-catalogue/ (Enter

the name Heward into the search field).http://web.maxus.net.au/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dll

(Document 1 of 1)

6. How Scouting Originated in Victoria. Major Henry (Harry) J. F. Coe. (1930s). Document held at

Stonnington History Centre, High St, Malvern, VIC 3144. Local History Catalogue Registration

Number: MH 7571. Online access to summary available at:

http://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/explore-stonnington/history/local-history-catalogue/ (Enter

the name Coe into the search field). http://web.maxus.net.au/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dll

(Document 3 of 8).

7. Stonnington Council website. http://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/explore-

stonnington/history/history-of-stonnington/former-mayors-and-councillors/gardiner-and-malvern-

mayors-and-councillors-/

8. National Library of Australia’s ‘Trove’ database. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/result?l-

category=Article&l-title=13&sortby=dateDesc&q=milton+gray+%2B+scouts&s=0

9. Malvern District Year Book, 1952. Boy Scouts Association. Document held in repository at

Stonnington History Centre, High St, Malvern VIC 3144

10. Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development website – Heritage Section.

http://heritage.vic.gov.au/Heritage-places-objects/What-house-is-that/post_war.html

11. City of Melbourne website – History Section.

http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/ABOUTMELBOURNE/HISTORY/Pages/BuildingMelbourne.aspx

12. Museum Victoria website. http://museumvictoria.com.au/marvellous/postwar/whelan.asp

13. Walking Melbourne website –Architecture, Heritage and Planning Issues Section.

http://www.walkingmelbourne.com/period_info2.html?period=Fifties

14. Baden-Powell Service Association website. http://bpsa-us.org/resources/uniforms/

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ATTACHMENTS

Attachment 1: Letter from 2nd Malvern Scouts to Malvern City Council, 9th October 1946.

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Attachment 2: Malvern City Council Minutes, 18th November 1946