Scouts award pays tribute to Gib Sea Scout Pipe Band on Founder’s Day

The Gibraltar Sea Scouts Pipe Band has this year won the annual Salvador Baldacchino Award for services of a most exceptional nature.

Governor Edward Davis, Chief Scout of Gibraltar, presented the award at the celebrations of Founder’s Day and Thinking Day at the Tercentenary Hall on Saturday.

Hundreds of Scouts and Guides gathered for the annual traditional event which brings together both movements.

The award in memory of the late Salvador Baldacchino, bequeathed by his family in remembrance of his service to scouting on the Rock, is presented every year.

Making the announcement, Charles Collinson, said “Gibraltar Scouting and the local community would not be the same without this year’s award winner”.

The Gibraltar Sea Scouts Band joined the Movement close to 100 years ago. They very soon gained fame not just locally but has also been instrumental during all this time in taking Gibraltar Scouting abroad to places like the United Kingdom, Spain and Morocco.

The band and scouting on the Rock “have been intertwined with the community”.

Reacting to the news, leader and piper, Tony Galliano, who has been with the band for 53 years, told the Chronicle this was both a fantastic and great recognition and even more important because it comes from the Scouting Movement on the Rock.

“Even more special because Pepe and I served for many years together in Scouting and it really makes me very proud,” he said.
Mr Galliano said the band continued to be in excellent form.

“The band even 100 years on continues to move along in standard and we continue to progress slowly to reach a very high standard. Today the band has 24 band members.”

CELEBRATIONS

Addressing the scouts and guides family, Gibraltar’s Chief Scout Governor Edward Davis, told the hundreds of young people Baden and Olive Powell would have been very proud of them.

“For their commitment to making a difference and making an impact in our community, and facing all the challenges in the community for the benefit of everybody,” he said.

The Chief Scout also thanked the Government for all the support it offered both movements throughout the years.

Present at the event were members from Government and Opposition and former scouts and guides.

The Guides also presented awards to the guides – the Leadership Qualification award was presented to Sanya Chhugani, the Chief Guide Award to Lauren Foster, the Baden Powell Award to Hannah Sheriff, Cadie Pedder and Arianne Trico. Young Leadership Qualifications were also presented Madison Mifsud, Corrie-Ann Francis, Lauren Foster, Rhea Assomull and Chelsea Enriles.