THE KING’S COLOURS Compiled by Gympie Scout Historian Brett J. Green. *  From United Kingdom Scouting histories, King Edward VII (1901-1910) was sympathetic to the new Scouting Movement and considered a special award - The King's Scout - for commendable achievement to be given to scouts of high order in the United Kingdom for the year 1909.  The award was extended to all scouts in the British Empire from the beginning of 1910.  As the award gathered momentum and acceptance around the Empire, the King died on 6th May 1910. King George V (1910-1936) was proclaimed. *  The new King declared he would continue with the "King's Scout Award" and grant an additional honour "The King's Colours/Flag/Banner/Standard" for Boy Scout Troops of not less than 24 members throughout the Empire.  The winning troop would be in the country with the largest number of King's Scouts registered up to 30th September each year with the first competition ending on 30th September 1911. The winning troop would become the "King's Personal Troop" in the Empire during the competition years *  In early 1911, Mr J. S. Aspinall was appointed the Senior Staff Scoutmaster of the 1st Gympie Scout Troop - his assistants were Troop Scoutmaster Mr G. A. Buist and Assistant Scoutmasters Mr. G. McDonald and R. A. Grant.  They carried on with the training of boys in the troop for the new Kings Scout Award instigated by earlier leaders - the Reverends A. E. Fox and A. Robinson and Mr R. F. Outridge. Under their guidance, Scout Sidney John Aspinall became Gympie's first King's Scout (believed to be the first in Queensland and possibly Australia) on the 19th November 1910.  Shortly afterwards before the end of the year, five other scouts in the troop achieved the award. *  The 1st Gympie Scout Troop on the 19th November 1911 became the first "Kings Troop" winning against all existing scout troops and thus made history as the first Australian Scout Troop to win the great honour bestowed by the King. On May 12th 1912, a special camp was held at Merthyr, Brisbane for the presentation of the "King's Flag" by Lord Baden Powell in the presence of the Governor, Political Leaders, early Scouting Officials and representatives of the Church of England to the Gympie winners of the 1910-1911 competition that included Troop Quartermaster and Senior Patrol Leader S. J. Aspinall,  Senior Patrol Leader A. H. Roffe, and Patrol Leaders J. Graham, A. Strugnell, R. Burbidge and J. Tweedale. With the six Kings Scouts were Senior Staff Scoutmaster J. S. Aspinall and his assistant Mr G. A Buist and they earned the distinction of being the first "King's Scoutmasters" in Australia. *  The 1st Gympie Troop won again each year until the end of 1913.  It is understood the "The King's Colours" was placed on intermittant hold during parts of World War 1 as Gympie Scouts and other Australian Scouts were called to duty.  During the war, the "Colours" passed to winners in South Australia and Victoria.  A special set of colours was commissioned by the Gympie City Council and presented to the Gympie Scouts to honour their great achievement. In the years following the war, the original presentation "Royal Colours" understood to have been held in Victoria then disappeared - a small remnant was recently located as a curiosity in a Victorian Scout Hall.  The King in due course did not grant a replacement for Australia and the awarding of the "Royal Colours" was discontinued c.1922. *  The "King's Scout" Award has now become the "Queen's Scout" Award under the auspices of the present Monarch.  The unique replica held by the Gympie Scouts from the Gympie City Council was destroyed during the 1955-1956 floods when their Scout buildings and historical collections were flooded before they could be saved.  The loss was devastating to local Scouts. The fact remains however that Gympie can justifiably claim to have had the first "King's Troop"; first King's Scouts; and first King's Scoutmasters in Australia (even without the relic) earning the 1st Gympie Scout Troop an unenviable place in Australian Scouting History. *  The 1st Gympie Scout Troop in time became the 3rd Gympie Scout Troop (then Group) following on as the Queens Park Scout Group that closed c.2000 (9 years short of its centenary) due to extreme damage from the 1998 floods - its members merged with the Nashville Scout Group ending a long, proud heritage of many firsts and great scouting achievements.  Their original log cabin still stands awaiting historical preservation in the Queen's Park Reserve.