Lake View Park International Scout Centre (

Sinhala language Sinhala ( ; , ''siṁhala'', ), sometimes called Sinhalese (), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka, who make up the largest ethnic group on the island, numbering about 16 milli ...

: ලේක්විව්පාක් ජාත්‍යන්තර බාලදක්ෂ මූලස්ථානය.), is a scout campsite, Scout Activity Centre, training and conference centre for

Scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

groups, which belongs to the 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group. This 57-acre site is located in

Kandy Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. Lake View Park International Scout Centre is modeled on the

Gilwell Park Gilwell Park is a camp site and activity centre in East London located in the Sewardstonebury area of Waltham Abbey, within Epping Forest, near the border with Chingford. The site is owned by The Scout Association, is used by Scouting and Gu ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, and consists of rally grounds,

camp sites A campsite, also known as a campground or camping pitch, is a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using ten ...

, a campfire circle, the den, kitchen complex, lecture rooms and dormitories. The 57-acre land, belonging to

Dharmaraja College Dharmaraja College ( si, ධර්මරාජ විද්‍යාලය), founded in 1887, is a boys' school in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is a Buddhist school with around 300+ teaching staff and around 5000+ students. The school has many notable ...

, was allocated for the scout group by P. de Kularatne, the college principal, in 1924. The founder of the

Scout Movement Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

Robert Baden-Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; (Commonly pronounced by others as ) 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder and first Chief Scout of the worl ...

, visited the site twice during the 1920s. In 1984, the scout centre was named as the ''Lake View Park International Scout Centre'', and its highest point was named ''Baden Powell hill'' to mark the historical visit of Baden-Powell. Parallel to the RISGO – Centenary celebration of the 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group, Lakeview park international scout center was renovated with several new constructions. A memorial statue of the J.H. De Saram – founder of the 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group was unveiled on 18 February 2013, at the RISGO by his son J.H. De Saram Jr. The center is located in a summit which is approximately 2.5 km away from the heart of

Town. This is surrounded by other mountains like

Knuckles Mountain Range The Knuckles Mountain Range lies in central Sri Lanka, in the Districts of Matale and Kandy. The range takes its name from a series of recumbent folds and peaks in the west of the massif which resemble the knuckles of clenched fist when viewed ...

, Hanthana Mountain Range, Hunnasgiriya and Alagalla and provides a panoramic view of the surroundings, including

Temple of the Tooth The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic or Sri Dalada Maligawa, ( si, ශ්‍රී දළදා මාළිගාව) is a Buddhist temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which ho ...

and

Kandy Lake Kandy Lake ( si, බෝගම්බර වැව/ කිරි මූද), also known as Kiri Muhuda or the Sea of Milk, is an artificial lake in the heart of the hill city of Kandy, Sri Lanka, built in 1807 by King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe next ...

. Lake View Park International Scout Centre consists of rally grounds,

, campfire circle, the den, kitchen complex, lecture rooms and dormitories.

1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group

Lake View Park International Scout Centre is owned 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group ( Sinhala: පළමුවන මහනුවර ධර්මරාජ බාලදක්ෂ සමූහය) is the Scout Group of

. It is known to be the oldest continuous scout group in the

Sri Lanka Scout Association The Sri Lanka Scout Association ( si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා බාලදක්ෂ සංගමය ''Shri Lanka Baladaksha Sangamaya''; ta, இலங்கைச் சாரணர் சங்கம்), is a Scouting organization in Sri ...

History

In 1913, six years after

introduced scouting to the world, scouting arrived at

. The 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group is the second Scout Troop in Ceylon and the 1st group in Kandy District founded by late Mr. John Henry De Saram under the Principalship of late Mr.K.F. Billimoria. 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scouts had the rare opportunity to honour the founder,

Lord Baden Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; (Commonly pronounced by others as ) 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder and first Chief Scout of the worl ...

when he paid a visit to Dharmaraja College in 1921. Dharmaraja scouts had felicitated the founder on three different occasions when he visited Sri Lanka. As part of centenary celebration, 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout group established a Guinness world record by creating the world largest neckerchief measures 53.7 m x 37.1 m x 37.1 m (176 ft 2.4 in x 121 ft 8.4 in x 121 ft 8.4 in) and the largest woggle measures 1.03 m (3 ft 4.55 in) in diameter and 1 m (3 ft 3.37 in) in height on 20 February 2014.

Group Scout Leaders

*1913 – 1931 Mr. J.H.De Seram *1931 – 1934 Mr. J.N.Thomas *1934 – 1967 Mr. B.A.S.Wimalachandra *1967 – 1970 Mr. S.Rajakaruna *1970 – 1978 Mr. B.N.B.Dolapihilla *1978 – 1993 Mr. M.B.Weerasekara *1993 – 2007 Mr. S.K.P.Mataraarachchi *2007 – 2008 Mr. S.M.Keerthiratne *2008 – 2009 Mr. S.K.B.Weerakoon *2009 – 2015 Mr. M.Wijesiriwardhane *2015 – 2017 Mr. R.M.S.Rathnayake *2017 – Present Mr. I.B.Pulasinghe

International Expeditions

Dharmaraja scouts climbed the

Himalaya mountains The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

seven times from 1985 to 2007. In 2017, team of 12 scouts from Dhramraja Scout Group conquered the K2, the second highest peak in the world at 8,611 m (28,251 ft). This is the first time that a Sri Lankan Scout Group takes part in climbing the K2.

Awards and recognition

The 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group's very first great achievement, the "''King's Flag''" which they won for three consecutive years, that is in 1917, 1918 and 1919. This flag was traditionally awarded to a troop in the

British Colonies A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Counci ...

that had the largest number of King Scouts on 30 September in each year. In those years the number of colonies in the British Empire was quite a considerable number and no other troop in the Colonies could emulate that achievement. From 1993 up to 2006, Dharmaraja Scouts won the Island Merit Flag for being the Best Scout Group in Sri Lanka, consecutively.

Old Rajans Scout Association

Events at Lake View Park International Scout Centre are supported by the Old Rajans Scout Association ( si, 'ධර්මරාජ ආදි බාලදක්ෂ සංගමය) (or ORSA). This is an organization consisting of past scouts of the 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group ( si, 'පලවන මහනුවර ධර්මරාජ බාලදක්ෂ සමූහය) of

( si, 'ධර්මරාජ විද්‍යාලය),

. It was the first old scout association in Sri Lanka founded on 12 November 1978 at Lake View Park International Scout Centre. The ORSA was founded by late Mr. Saliya Rajakaruna, Mr. Shantha Madurawa and late Mr.V.K. Angammana as president, secretary and treasurer respectively under the principalship of Mr.A.P. Gunarathna and the guidance of then Group Scout Master of 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group Mr. M.B. Weerasekara. The primary objective of the association is to maintain strong ties with the 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group and work towards the betterment of

. ORSA has contributed to develop and maintain the Lake View Park International Scout Centre, and to organise a series of international scout Jamborees as part of its contribution to the scouts around the globe. Full membership is only awarded to the past scouts of 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group who have achieved the 1st Class Scout badge.

International Events

Together with 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group, the association has successfully organized seven international scouting events including

Jamboree (Scouting) In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouting, Scouts who rally at a national or international level. History The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom. Since then, there have been twenty-thre ...

, JIMs, Adventure Programs.

Dharmaraja Centenary JIM 1987

When

celebrated the Centenary year in 1987 (1887–1987), 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group and the Old Rajans Scout Association organized the Dharmaraja Centenary JIM 1987 from 18 to 22 February 1987. It was also the 75th Anniversary of the

. It consisted of

Cub Scout Cub Scouts, Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with Scouting for young children usually between 7 and 12, depending on the organization to which they belong. A participant in the program is called a Cub. A group of Cubs is called a 'P ...

Scouts Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

, Rovers and

Scout Leader A Scout leader or Scouter generally refers to the trained adult leader of a Scout unit. The terms used vary from country to country, over time, and with the type of unit. Roles There are many different roles a leader can fulfill depending on t ...

s totalling to 1000, which makes it one of the largest in the whole world. Then

President of Sri Lanka The President of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා ජනාධිපති ''Śrī Laṃkā Janādhipathi''; ta, இலங்கை சனாதிபதி ''Ilankai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of t ...

Mr.

J. R. Jayewardene Junius Richard Jayewardene ( si, ජුනියස් රිචඩ් ජයවර්ධන, ta, ஜூனியஸ் ரிச்சட் ஜயவர்தனா; 17 September 1906 – 1 November 1996), commonly abbreviated in Sri Lanka as ...

was the chief guest at the ‘Centenary JIM’, who also paid tribute to the then principal A. P. Gunaratna and then Group Scout Leader Bandara Weerasekera and the organizers for conducting a Jamboree of exceptional standard. The name JIM stands for Jamboree Indaba Moot. ;Jamboree : Jamboree was a name given by Baden Powell to the first International gathering of Scouts at Olympia, London, in 1920. When asked, "Why Jamboree?" Baden Powell replied: "What else would you call it?" ;Indaba : a Zulu word, means gathering of chiefs The first

World Scout Indaba The World Scout Indaba was a gathering of Scout Leaders from around the world. Created at the 1949 12th World Scout Conference in Elvesæter, Norway where The Boy Scouts Association of the United Kingdom submitted that of the great number of Scou ...

was held at

, in Essex, the training ground for Scout Leaders, in 1952. ;Moot :

Moot Moot may refer to: * Mootness, in American law: a point where further proceedings have lost practical significance; whereas in British law: the issue remains debatable * Moot court, an activity in many law schools where participants take part in s ...

was again suggested by Baden Powell as a gathering for

Rover Scouts Rover Scouts, Rovers, Rover Scouting or Rovering is a program associated with some Scouting organizations for adult men and women. A group of Rovers is called a 'Rover Crew'. Rovers was originated by The Scout Association, The Boy Scouts Assoc ...

. It comes from the old English meaning gathering of young men for discussion concerning the affairs of the community.

DESAI Jamborette 1994

1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group celebrated 80 years of scouting with DESAI (Dharmaraja 80th Scout Anniversary International) Jamborette from 18 to 22 February 1994. DESAI organized jointly by the 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group and Old Rajans Scout Association.

Rajans Venture '97

Dharmaraja College celebrated its 110th Anniversary in 1997 by organizing a series of events. As part of that, 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group and Old Rajans Scout Association jointly organized the "''Rajans Venture '97''" from 18 to 22 February 1997. It was the first adventure program to be held in Sri Lanka with, Water Activities, Hiking, and Ground Activities.

Rajans Millennium Jamboree 2000

1st Kandy Dharamaraja Scout Group together with Old Rajans Scout Association organized the Rajans Millennium Jamboree from 18 to 22 February 2000, to commemorate the dawn of the new millennium and to celebrate the winning of Island Merit flag for best Scout Group in Sri Lanka for consecutive years from 1996.

Rajans JIM 2003

The year 2003 marked the 90 years of scouting at 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group. To celebrate the 90 years, 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group and Old Rajans Scout Association jointly organized the "Rajans JIM 2003" from 14 to 20 August 2003. This was the 5th International Scout Program to be organized and held at the Lake View Park International Scout Centre.

RANSAI 2008

1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group celebrated its 95th anniversary in 2008 by organizing an adventure and leadership program named "''RANSAI - RAjans Nintyfifth Scout Anniversary International - 2008''" from 26 to 30 December 2008.

RISGO Centennial 2013

RISGO CENTENNIAL (Rajans International Scout Gathering Of Centennial ) 2013 ( si, 'රිස්ගෝ – සියවස් සැමරුම් ජාත්යන්තර බාලදක්ෂ එකමුතුව), was an International

Scout Jamboree In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts who rally at a national or international level. History The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom. Since then, there have been twenty-three other W ...

to mark the Centenary Celebrations of 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group (1913–2013) of

from 18 to 22 February 2013. The event included many scouting activities, and was open to all members of the

World Organization of the Scout Movement The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 million participants. WOS ...

(WOSM). This include Cub Scouts, Scouts, Rovers,

Girl Scouts and Girl Guides A Girl Guide or Girl Scout is a member of a section of some Guiding organisations who is between the ages of 10 and 14. Age limits are different in each organisation. The term Girl Scout is used in the United States and several East Asian co ...

, Leaders and Old Scouts from all around the world. It was organized as a joint venture by 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group & Old Rajans Scouts Association. The Chief Scout, the Hon.

Mahinda Rajapaksa Mahinda Rajapaksa ( si, මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ, ta, மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to ...

, (

) attended.

Other Events

Old Rajans Scout Association have organized scout development programs throughout its history with 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group. These events include many programs to benefiting different section of scouting community in Sri Lanka.

CENRAC 2017

CENtenary of RAjan Cubs 2017 is the cub scouts activity camp held on 7–8 October 2017 to celebrate centenary cub scouting at 1st Kandy Scout group. 1300 cub scouts representing 25 scout districts spent two days at the Lake View Park International Scout Centre and experienced more than 30 special activities and enjoyed other events specifically organized for cubs scouts aged 7 to 10. Mr. Meril Gunathilake, incumbent Chief Scout Commissioner of

declared opened the CENRAC on a colorful opening ceremony while, General Officer Commanding of 11th Division of

Sri Lanka Army ta, இலங்கை இராணுவம் , image = File:Sri Lanka Army Logo.png , image_size = 180px , caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army , start_date ...

, Major General Nishshanka Ranawana graced the closing ceremony as the chief guest of the two day event. During the closing ceremony, the Old Rajans Scout Association declared former Group Scout Master Mr. Bandara Weerasekara as the "Impeza of the Lakeview" in honor of his 50 years continues scout service.

References

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