I have been reading Malcolm Prentis’ new book, “The Scots in Australia” (UNSW Press 2008). He points out that Scottish Presbyterians were on board the ships of William Dampier and James Cook and that the first Presbyterian worship service was held in 1793, while their first church at Ebenezer was erected in 1802 which still stands on the Hawkesbury.

“The Scots were vitally interested in young people and during the 19th century founded the YMCA and the YWCA, The Boys’ Brigade and the Girls’ Brigade. The Boys’ Brigade was a characteristic Scottish organization founded by William Smith in Glasgow in 1883. It is a uniformed military-style organization and was the forerunner to the Boy Scouts, but more explicitly Church related. Informal brigades started contemporary with the first Glasgow company. Scottish evangelist Henry Drummond’s visit to Australia in 1890 sparked interest and 1st Melbourne 1895 was followed by Perth 1895 and Sydney 1896. By 1910 there were fifty companies, 32 of these in Presbyterian churches and most of the rest in Methodist Churches. It was never as strong as in Scotland. The reasons for this are unclear, but perhaps it was the anti-authoritarian streak in Australia, perhaps there was a social class dimension to the Brigade’s appeal which was weaker among Australian Presbyterians.”

This year Boys’ Brigade celebrates it’s 125th year of operation. From humble beginnings on the 4th October 1883 at the Free College Church Mission, Glasgow the Boys’ Brigade has grown to an organisation with in excess of 750,000 young people the world over. With an unashamedly Christian foundation, The Boys’ Brigade has a proven track record for reaching out and providing mentoring programs for boys of all backgrounds, abilities & interests – broadening their horizons and skills with international recognition for their achievements.

The Boys’ Brigade is first and foremost a training ministry for boys into how to think and live like Christ in their world – regardless of their profession of faith. They become true Christians (Christ-like) when they bear the fruit of Christ (Matt 7:20).

Too much of contemporary youth ministry is about getting young people to make a profession of faith and to fit into ‘church-culture’ – and so like recent research shows, 80% of young people who make a profession of faith in their teens give it up after high school (suggesting only shallow foundations).

The Boys’ Brigade is about establishing firm foundations (Matt 7:25), long-term, throughout a boy’s life (from 5-6 years old upwards). That is, we have up to 12 years to anchor their faith firmly. The Boys’ Brigade provides a consistent structured approach to developing them for the long term.

Boys need “fun, challenge and adventure” engaging in service to the community, and leadership development to equip them for life. As a pastor I was vitally interested in the work of young people. Beverley and I ran dozens of youth camps from the 1950’s to the 1980’s; attended hundreds of boys and girls club meetings, teenage club evenings and young adult club activities and camps.

For some years Beverley was the leader of the girls’ Good Companions Club in our home church of Box Hill Victoria, and I was leader of the boys’ Explorer Club, both similar to the Boys and Girl’s Brigades but found usually among Churches of Christ. Both had large attendances of girls and boys. I worked hard to win my badges in a variety of achievements.

In 1982, I was invited to lead the Centenary Boys’ Brigade Service in the Lyceum Theatre Sydney where I used to preach each week. About 1000 boys, officers and parents were present. Shortly afterwards I became more involved speaking to companies and Brigade Conferences. Then I was asked to bring my experience to bear on the State Boys’ Brigade movement as State President.

I spent a lot of time providing State Leadership, attending camps and taking the salute on our large marches through City streets on “Founder’s Day”, and in speaking at special church services and parades. This also involved raising money for the Boys’ Brigade and ultimately led to me being elected as the New South Wales president from 1988 to 1994. During this time I found inspiration and insight from many Boys’ Brigade leaders such as John Gowman, Grant Taylor, John Morrison, Bob McEwan, Doug Adam, Wes Semple, Warren Finnen, leaders in all States and NZ including that great historian of the Brigade “down under”, Michael Hoare in his book, “Boys, Urchins, Me” (Reed. 1980).

I also supplied the Brigade with numbers of sermons, articles and speeches on themes relevant to the boys. The Governor of New South Wales was patron of the Boys’ Brigade and every year I was invited to Government House on the occasion of the presentation of the Queen’s Badge, the movement’s highest award to successful young men.

I was then elected national President of the Boys’ Brigade, and followed similar activities throughout each of the states. I against visited the Governor General and was a speaker at the International Boys’ Brigade Conference in Singapore. I gave five different addresses at this international Conference with great response from leaders from many countries.

Two heart attacks followed shortly afterwards, with open-heart surgery. They forced me reluctantly to step down from these positions but I have continued to value the ministry to boys and to the work of the Boys’ Brigade in particular.

William Smith was born and lived in Thurso, a small country town on the most northern tip of Scotland, until he was thirteen when his father died on a business trip. Being the eldest, William was shipped to Glasgow to work with his uncle as a wholesale merchant. With a military heritage from his father and grandfather, it was only natural that William would soon join the Volunteers, similar to today’s Army Reserves. During this time he was also an active member at the Free College Church in Glasgow.

In 1874 we see a change in the seriousness of William Smith’s Christianity. On February 12th he heard the American evangelists Moody and Sankey for the first time, and on 12th April he joined the church (as an adult member) where his uncle was an office holder. He was keen to try to emphasize the thoroughness of the Christianity, and the life long nature of its discipline that marked out the style of Smith’s faith.

The church took him into the Mission Sunday school as a teacher, and later he became secretary of the Sunday School. It was this developing work in this building in North Woodside Road that grew Smith’s practice and ideas for new methods for his boys.

William Smith’s nine years membership of the YMCA, founded largely by the evangelis D. L. Moody, and in parallel teaching bible study to unruly young people, showed Smith a gap. The YMCA depended on the self-discipline and motivation of responsible young men.

As a boy, then a teenage member of the Y in its last years of its traditional fitness and discipline regime, I experienced the values of this approach. The Bible, likewise, needed to be learnt for the good life, but the ‘discipline and esprit de corps’ that William Smith found in the Volunteers was sadly lacking in Sunday School. Then one day he had an idea. The myth went that if the boys in the Sunday School were as well trained and behaved as his Volunteers through doing drill and other things, then he would be able to teach them to get more out of life. This is a romantic view which historians doubt.

So The Boys’ Brigade was started and the first meeting was held on the 4th October, 1883. Boys enjoyed it so much, that soon other Companies were formed in Scotland and then it spread to the rest of the world, including to Australia. This movement was for boys between 12 and 17 years, mainly because it was this age group that Mr Smith had in his Sunday School class. Later a division for younger boys was added.

The International Boys’ Brigade was begun in 1883 thus pre-dates Lord Baden Powell’s Boy Scout movement by twenty- five years. Baden Powell was inspired by his attendance at a Boys’ Brigade Rally. Though not as well known as the Boy Scout Movement, the Boys’ Brigade system of earning badges for various activities, camps and other programmes, are almost identical. Beginning with thirty boys the movement quickly spread worldwide and in a few years had grown to 250,000 boys.

The famous anchor badge was an early feature along with the motto ‘Sure and Stedfast’ (taken from Hebrews 6: 19 – ‘Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast’). The Object of the Brigade was ‘The advancement of Christ’s Kingdom among Boys and the promotion of habits of Reverence, Discipline, Self-Respect, and all that tends towards a true Christian Manliness’.

He married his first wife Amelia in 1884 who was a great support and contributor towards William’s work with The Boys’ Brigade. She died in 1898 leaving him to raise their two sons Stanley and Douglas. In 1906 he remarried, however his second wife died a year later. Humble but visionary, William worked tirelessly to grow the Boys’ Brigade.

Smith gave up his business to concentrate on the organization, becoming its Secretary and organizer.
William Smith wrote what became known as ‘The Little Red Book’ – How to Form and Conduct a Company – and founded and edited The Boys’ Brigade Gazette. His work of regularly writing, collecting, and distributing resources to youth workers set a standard for the support, development and encouragement of youth work. William Smith was knighted in 1909 for his service to boys. He continued to work hard for the Movement up until his death (on May 10, 1914).

He died the day after a mass rally in London, in the Albert Hall. His body was taken to Glasgow where it is said over 150,000 people lined the route for his funeral. Whilst being Secretary William Smith had remained Captain of the 1st Glasgow company and rarely missed a meeting. He was succeeded by both sons, one of whom, Stanley, followed in his footsteps as Brigade Secretary.

The Boys’ Brigade spread rapidly throughout Scotland, Britain and the Commonwealth. It was dedicated to ‘the advancement of God’s Kingdom among Boys’. Eventually, summer camps were part of the scheme, and always with a firm church base.

A few years later another organisation was begun in England and it was called “The Boys’ Life Brigade,” which had as its emblem a Red Cross. In 1926 both these organisations joined together and in addition they joined their emblems. The Boys’ Brigade has gone on expanding and growing and now there are nearly 5,000 Companies throughout the world.

The purpose of The Boys’ Brigade in Australia is to provide, in co-operation with the local church, a supportive Christian community for boys and young men to assist in their Christian growth, balanced personal development, Leadership training; and to assist the Church reaching out into the community.
The advancement of Christ’s Kingdom among Boys, and the promotion of habits of Obedience, Reverence, Discipline, Self-Respect, and all that tends towards a true Christian Manliness. This has been the Object of the Movement since 1893.

In 1990, I went to Singapore for the International Conference of Boys’ Brigades from all over the world. As the Australian President, I spoke at the Conference and became friends with the International President, Lord Thurso of Scotland.

At Singapore’s Changi Airport, we had looked at a magnificent display of coloured paperweights made from crystal, featuring magnificently coloured clusters of tiny flowers. I did not know just then, but Caithness Glass was a company commenced by the International President, Lord Thurso. The Rt. Hon. Viscount Thurso of Ulbster, whose name was Robin Sinclair, died in 1995 and was succeeded by his son John. Lord Thurso will be remembered as a most gracious host with his wife, Lady Margaret, and made each one feel special about a visit to the Caithness, Thurso and Wick areas.

Two years after the Conference in Singapore, I took some study leave and went to Oxford University, staying at Somerville College and attending a theological study conference. When it was finished, we journeyed to the northern most point of Scotland to visit Wick, Caithness and Thurso.

My diary records that on Friday 17th July, 1992, I left Perth in Scotland for Aberdeen then Inverness. Beverley and I visited Dunrobin Castle, home of the hated Duke of Sutherland, then to Wyck and eventually Thurso. We visited Caithness Glass Works and saw the production of art glass. We visited Pennylands House, the birthplace of Sir William Alexander Smith, founder of the Boys’ Brigade.

If you are interested in knitting then you might take a look at the Wick museum for examples of Caithness ganseys (knitted woollen sweaters) once worn by fishermen up and down the coast. Every village had their own distinct patterns so that when the body of a drowned fisherman was washed up, they could identify the village from which he came.

At the heritage museum are items from the smallest object like tools or whistles made from cabbage roots to major items like sea going boats – one of which the Isabella Fortuna, now restored and seaworthy, is housed in the old lifeboat shed. There are also several other boats and even the whole framework of lamp and lens from the top of the old lighthouse stretching through two floors, completely taken down and reassembled inside the museum. There is plenty of old equipment, diving suits, old signs, every kind of machine and engine from old fishing boats to masons’ tools from old craftsmen.

The centre has within its walls an actual kiln used for smoking herring, which were considered of too poor quality to be cured in salt, and these smoked herring were called kippers. This kiln was used for about 100 years. It could hold nearly 10,000 herring when full, as the racks went right up to the roof. There were 50 companies in Wick making kippers at one time. While the work of preparing and packing the herring was done by women, the men hung the herrings in the kiln. The herring stood in smoke for 24 hours and fresh quantities were made every day. The largest kiln in Wick held 90,000 kippers and Wick kippers were sent all over Britain and overseas in barrels.

In the 1860’s, there were 650 coopers in Wick and they made 125,000 barrels a year, nearly all for export. Wick at that time exported almost as much herring itself as all the other ports in Scotland put together. But since the 1970’s, the North Seas began to be fished out. The unemployment crisis in this area, when the farming and herring fishing industries collapsed in the mid 20th century, meant the future of the area was bleak. The local Council, chaired by Lord Thurso, turned to him and asked what he was going to do about it.
Lord Thurso could speak in the House of Lords, but as the Laird and Clan Leader, it was expected he would solve the problem. He told me he considered all kinds of new industries, but eventually after a trip to Scandinavia, decided the local area could become a centre for making crystal.

So he built a factory at Wick and hired experts from other parts of the UK. So Caithness Glass was founded in 1961 at Wick in the far North East of Scotland, by the late Robin Sinclair, Lord Thurso, our then International Boys’ Brigade President. Initially, the Company made crystal bowls, vases and drinking glasses in the popular Scandinavian style of the time. They soon became well known for their distinctive coloured glass designs, which echoed the haunting colors of the Scottish landscape.

This is the background of our then International President. Lord Thurso loved the Boys’ Brigade, and in particular taking Boys to receive their Queens Badge. In Australia, His Excellency Major General Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC, the former Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, said on the occasion of a reception for the Boys’ Brigade Australia and presentation of the Queen’s Award, “The highest level of achievement is of course the Queen’s Badge and I am delighted to present the Badge to members of the Canberra companies today.

I am always impressed at the comprehensive preparation required to be awarded the Queen’s Badge. This includes more than 90 per cent attendance at company parades or other events over three years, as well as achieving ten activity awards spread over each of the spiritual, physical, educational and social areas of work. In addition, at least thirty six hours practical community service and the successful youth must receive the recommendation of his company.”

The Boys’ Brigade in Australia and Papua New Guinea, which as Michael Hoare’s informative and essential history indicates, has had decades of debate centred round the issues of our military style, Brigade drill, what constitutes the uniform and discipline among the boys.

William and Amelia Smith invited the boys they worked with into their house and fed and entertained them.
This approach is one of the key ways for what we now know as ‘youth work as social education’.

Alongside the emphasis upon military organization, drill, discipline and uniform there was a significant social life with many Brigades having ‘club rooms’ and making use of activities for enjoyment. William Smith strongly insisted that both Officers and Boys should share in the life of the Brigade. At camp, for example, all should join in the fun, adventure and activities. This included sharing in the hardships and eating together. One of his oft-quoted phrases was ‘Put the Boy first’.

Dr Jonathan Roberts, who works in the School of Social Sciences and Law, University of Teesside has recently examined William Alexander Smith’s contribution to the founding, character and development of the Boys’ Brigade. He seeks to get behind many of the mistaken images of the work that those outside it have.
Many reactions to the Boys’ Brigade are at one end of a continuum or the other: fond memories of friendships, dignity and activities that stay life long; or blank disbelief at what appears to be a militaristic, conservative, and badly out of date organization. Dr Roberts says that over the years he has met a number of committed and courageous people who have been in the Boys’ Brigade and used it to offer young people youth work in some of the most difficult areas of the country.

He looks at William A. Smith’s vision to see if it still works. He also explores William A. Smith’s significance for youth work. The influence and impact of William Smith’s ideas and their organization meant that they were imitated, criticized and contradicted in his own lifetime.
Is the Boys Brigade too much based on the Military?

There is much truth in the transfer of a military pattern. The structure of the Boys’ Brigade has always had the ‘military pattern of Privates, NCOs and Officers, drilled in Squads, Companies, Battalions’ and have ‘colours, Band and Camp and an Annual Inspection or Review under the eye of a Field Marshal.’
Military personnel have been important to youth work: General Charles Gordon undertook committed work with a Ragged School in Gravesend when he was posted there in 1865 and his tragic death at Khartoum was sufficiently attractive to attach his name to the Boys’ Club in Bermondsey. The army and the other services have provided an opportunity for a developing understanding of how to motivate, encourage, and work together.

In the past it was easy to find many of the Brigades officers who did regular Army or National Service and continued that commitment to the wider community in their youth work. The Army life style greatly influenced the leadership of people like John Gowman and Grant Taylor in their Boys’ Brigade leadership.
However, today there are significantly fewer Boys’ Brigade officers with military experience. Resistance to the ordered behaviour of Brigades by other young people has been notorious from the earliest days.
Working class ‘hooligans’ could make life uncomfortable for those attending the early Scouts and Boys’ Brigades. This is a continuing experience that others will recognize.

Is the Boys’ Brigade too much based on the Drill?

Drill was part of William Smith’s training. The drilling and marching was intended to introduce some personal discipline into youthful hooligans, and it worked for many.

William Smith declared ‘that the only good drill was one that included the precise thud and slap and smart control of rifles exercised in precision.” Some of the earliest manuals available from the Boys’ Brigade were: Infantry Drill, Manual Exercises for the Rifle and Carbine, and Firing Exercises. William Smith took what he was familiar with and what had by then been developed.

Gradually rifle drill became a point of severe contention with many churches. It was replaced by a variety of activities such as camping, day trips to the sea, games, playing fields, swimming pools, gymnastics and marching drill.

The issue of ‘physical development’ in youth work is a long-standing discussion. Wholesome activity was a focus for other 19th Century initiatives: Team games developed in part to address the issue of boredom through physical activity. The ways to avoid boredom as far as Smith was concerned was to increase the level of participation and to make a noise.

A marching band and brigade allows a significant level of complexity to develop participation by all members. Interestingly, it also allows its members to occupy public space in a legitimate way: there are not many occasions when adults smile to see a group of 50 young people proceeding down the middle of the High Street together. A parade can allow young people to have a place in their community that is respected.

In some countries, Northern Ireland especially where the Boys’ Brigade is so strong, marching bands were part of the country’s public demonstration of its independence and loyalty to Great Britain. In Australia we have had a few really significant Boys’ Brigade marching bands as we have other countries like Singapore, PNG and other Pacific Islands.

Youth workers now may look at drill as the exclusive preserve of the cadets and brigades and it may be that this is due to the excellent tradition we have built up of street games, cooperative games and so on.

Is the Boys Brigade too much based on the Uniform?

The Boys Brigade began with a modest uniform of cap, belt and haversack. In Glasgow the Boys’ Brigade uniform picked up a practice that was more widespread than the Volunteers William Alexander Smith commanded: there were Foundry Boys in 1865 who had the same sort of kit. More widely, brigades for shoe shine boys and street sweepers were given uniforms to show that they had a legitimate place in city streets.
Wearing a uniform became one of the defining features of the Boys’ Brigade. Boys wore a simple uniform of belt, diagonal sash, and a small, round hat that maintained its position via a chin-strap. This was changed to our much-loved Glengarry. The changes to the uniform down the years have been accompanied by heartache that is typical of an organization that takes its identity through history seriously. The longest arguments I have chaired have been about projected changes in the uniform.

Uniforms can be seen as a way that organisations distinguish members from non-members, to re-enforce the values and tasks of the group. Choosing to put on a uniform is a social tie symbol: it shows that the wearer wants to support the organization, to be with the others. Unfortunately the costs of uniforms today and changing social values mean that this issue will constantly be on the agenda.

Is the Boys’ Brigade too much based on Discipline?

It would be incomprehensible to William Alexander Smith that the role of discipline would ever be questioned, as it is today among child psychologists and other experts.
He had no patience with the theory that boys are unregenerate beings, and that to make them good we have to start from this rock bottom level. He believed that they are essentially good, and only require the inspiration of Christ the Hero to make them heroic too. His constant advice was ‘Trust the boys’.

The example of the discipline demonstrated by older boys and young men can have profound impact upon younger boys. What interests young men in the Boys’ Brigade is the naturalness of the work. It is absolutely natural for a young man to be mixed up with boys, to take up their cause, to support their interests, to play the part of an older brother to them. He altogether understands them; he knows their ways and dodges, and has been in all their scrapes. A mother does not really know a boy in the least. She has never been a boy. But in the Boys’ Brigade is the relationship between the officer and young man.

Looking at the purpose of Boys’ Brigade content we see: true Christian manliness, the Bible and the Christian life. This seems more disciplined than many a youth programme but look at it from the right perspective. A Boys’ Brigade Company is always connected with a church. A vigorous church, which has young men of good type in its congregation, has a good company if it has one. A feeble church that makes no appeal to young men is almost bound to fail.

After 125 years, we thank God for the achievements of the past, and trust God for our direction in the future.

REV THE HON. DR GORDON MOYES, A.C., M.L.C.

Tuesday, 28th October, 2008, 9:05 am | Recent Sermons