s the Maetsuycker drifted out of Keppel Harbour with her pleasant load of
Jamborians over the Southern Seas, I bade farewell to fair Malaya, the land that
had nurtured me for fifteen years. Crossing the Equator our good ship took us to
Batavia, from whence, we passed into the calm Straits of Sunda and the vast
expanse of the blue Pacific which met our gaze. The ninety-six Malayan Scouts
ate, slept, chatted, sang and played under the eyes of our watchful leaders. Our
friendship became so genuine that even the rough weather experienced during the
voyage, and the spending of a fortnight at Swanbourne Quarantine Camp on landing
did not dampen our high spirits.
We were relieved, however, when after a sumptuous Christmas dinner, we were informed that, on Boxing Day, the Trans-Continental Express was to convey us across the desert on a four days' journey to Melbourne.
Like the explorers of old, we took note of all the unusual sights that flew past us, appearing like a movie picture projected on a screen, exposing the beds of dried-up salt lakes, thirsty stunted shrubs widely spread over the loose yellow sands of the desert and the derricks of the mines of Kalgoolie and Coolgardie, which broke the monotony of the scene. Green grasslands, traversed by numerous rivulets and dotted with thousands of sheep, took the place of the waste lands of the Nallabor Plain as we approached Adelaide. On our departure from the South Australian capital, we journeyed through passes and tunnels, and after an uncomfortable night, the express steamed into the famous city, Melbourne. An hour's travel by electric train followed by a rough motor-coach trip brought us to our destination, Yarra Brae, where hundreds of scouts welcomed the Malayan contingent.
At the end of the day, the camp-site, known as Wonga Park, was transformed into a fairy town with low white tents, clustered like patches of mushrooms, bordered by the clear winding Yarra and the stately gum-trees with a background of a vista of overhanging rocks combined to present such a panoramic view that many tourists visited this newly sprung up town to meet the representatives of the neighbouring countries.
On the opening day, the Chief Scout, Lord Rowallan, the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, Mr. McKell, and other high officials took up their positions at the grandstand and took the salute at a March Past by about fifteen contingents. The Chief's rousing speech and the warm welcome by the Governor-General aroused our enthusiasm and the next few days' camping kept us in health and high spirits promoting world brotherhood. The rich spirit of friendship made us feel the true essence of a democratic government, and it was with regret that we finally broke camp. The Chief Scout, in his final address, confessed that this was one of the best Jamborees he had ever seen and encouraged us all to practise the Scout Law in life. After his inspiring address he handed to each contingent leader a Jamboree emblem mounted on the wooden wings of a wonga (dove).
The people of Brighton (the suburb of Melbourne) showed their interest and friendliness by providing homes for the Malayan contingent after the breaking up of the Jamboree. The family with whom I put up treated me like one of their own that I feel I actually have another family in Australia.
A two-thousand-mile motor trip by road to Canberra, Sydney and Newcastle completed my sojourn in New South Wales, where I had the opportunity of seeing Botany Bay, Mt. Kosciusko, the main stream of the Murray, the sheatlands, the orchards and sheep and cattle station. Besides visiting the woollen, paper, fruit-canning and butter factories I had the chance of going to the steelworks in Newcastle and the aero-works at Melbourne, which raised my geographical conceptions to reality.
On my return trip across the continent to Perth, before I stepped into the M.V. Gorgon, I silently thanked the Malayan Boy Scouts Association and my parents for having given me such a glorious opportunity of gaining the marvellous experience which I would not have missed for anything in the world.
The V.I. Web Page