Fr Britt pioneered Scouting in Rupununi

Although he was then in his 80´s Fr. Britt, as he was known among the Amerindians of the Rupununi, assisted in setting up a Scout troop for the children of the central Rupununi. In 1998 a small scout troop was set up in St. Ignatius where Fr. Britt was the resident parish priest. The group was formed from the desire of the children of the area to be engaged in worthwhile church-oriented activities. The group began with 12 children and a young leader, Mr John Waine Joseph who was elected by the church community to take on the responsibility of leadership, but with supervision of Fr. Britt. From its inception, the scout group expanded in numbers over the years and began to reach out to other Amerindian communities in the Rupununi. These scouts also attended a Jamboree in Geogetown.

The scouts’ presence in the communities, especially through their activities of camping, campfire, discipline, altar serving and other activities, had positive impacts on the lives of the young people in the communities, which contributed much to the building of the local church in that part of the Rupununi Mission. For a while, due to the illness of the leader Mr. Joseph and the deteriorating health of Fr. Britt, the scout group was inactive, but was resuscitated last year, this time with a new generation of youngsters. Their aim is to carry on the legacy of Fr. Britt through the continuation of the scout group in the Rupununi. This will also serve to make a positive contribution to the lives of the young people of the Rupununi.

Medino Abraham