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 Alan Fyfe — District Explorer Scout Commissioner
I started my Scouting, aged nine, as a Cub Scout in the Tawny Six
of the 39th Haymarket Scout
Group. I moved up to the
Scout Troop in
1962 and joined the Seagull Patrol, in which I stayed for five years,
for the last two of which as their Patrol Leader. Summer camps included
fortnights at Loch Tay, Raehills (twice), Norway and Loch of the Lowes
and weeks at Monzie and Loch Lomond (kayak expeditions).
I became one of the
first-ever Venture Scouts in 1967 and took part in the Unit's
expedition to Norway in 1968, which included a week at the Norwegian
national camp at Lillehammer. During my university years, I took a less
active part in the Unit but helped as a leader with the Troop during
the summer vacation.
 For a
short while, I was the Cub Scout Leader at the Astley Ainslie Hospital.
I became Scout Leader of the
39th in 1974 but had to give up a few years later when my
work took me offshore. During that time, however, I took the Scouts
to camp at Auchnafree in Perthshire, Camghouran by Loch Rannoch, and
twice to Mingary in Ardnamurchan. After I resigned as leader, I
continued to help whenever I could but in 1979, the Group folded and my
Scouting activities were put on hold — for 20 years! During those
years, I
continued to work offshore and spent five years in Hong Kong
In 1999, I was asked if I would like to lead the 25th Morningside
Scout
Troop, which was just being re-fomed. I agreed but warned the Group
Scout Leader that when
Explorer Scouting started in a couple of years time, that would be
where I wanted to go. The 25th grew from a modest 7 Scouts to around 30
at its peak — and we were the first Troop in Morningside to take girls.
We camped at Fordell Firs in the first year, at Insh, near Spean Bridge
in 2001,
and the last camp I took them to was at Hawkhirst in the Kielder Forest.
 In
2002, I
was speaking with Brian Moretta, who had been appointed as District
Explorer Scout Commissioner for Morningside. "The trouble is," he said,
"that as yet no-one has said that they want to be an Explorer Scout
Leader." "Really?" I answered, "well, I would like to be an
Explorer Scout Leader!" And that's how it started. I was delighted when
I heard that Martin was also keen to 'move on' from the 103rd
Morningside — this was
going to make the basis of a very strong team. That team, like the Unit
itself, has grown over the years, and it has been a pleasure to be part
of it. In April 2008, with the structural reorganisation of Scouting in
Scotland, I moved on to become the District Explorer Scout Commissioner
for Morningside.
My particular interests are in lightweight camping and expeditions,
both over hills and mountains on foot and on the crest of the wave by
sea-kayak. As well as being involved with Explorers, I am a member of the Scottish
Mountain Assessor team and occasionally help out at
Longcraig water sports centre, both kayaking and sailing. I also enjoy
being under the water, scuba diving, but nowadays only, I'm afraid, in
sub-tropical waters!
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