W.F. "Bill" Waters | |
|---|---|
 Bill Waters in 1940 | |
| Born | 22 August 1897 Traralgon, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 8 October 1968 (aged 71) |
| Resting place | Investiture Point, on the Bogong High Plains 36°54′0″S 147°17′28″E / 36.90000°S 147.29111°E |
| Occupation | Civil Servant |
| Employer | Australian Public Service |
| Organization | Scouts Victoria |
| Title | Headquarters Commissioner for Rovers |
| Parent(s) | Francis William Waters, Eva Waters (née Hillard) |
William Francis "Bill" Waters (22 August 1897 – 8 October 1968[1]) was Scouts Victoria's Headquarters Commissioner for Rover Scouts between 1930 and 1965.[1]
Through both the Rover Scouts and Melbourne Walking Club, of which he was Chief Leader between 1934 and his ascension to the Club's Presidency in 1967, Waters introduced thousands of young people to the then-new sports of bushwalking and cross-country skiing. Bill would often contribute articles on his treks to the magazine of the Melbourne Walking Club, the Melbourne Walker, both on the treks themselves through the previously unexplored wilderness of Victoria and on the history of the areas he visited.[2]
Waters led the Australian Contingent to the 5th World Rover Moot and was Camp Chief of the 1961 Seventh World Rover Moot in Melbourne. He was a member of the party which was a part of the first winter ascent of Mount Bogong, the highest mountain in Victoria in 1928.[3] He began to take groups of Rover Scouts on week-long treks to explore the Bogong High Plains in 1932. The success of these treks would necessitate the construction of the Bogong Rover Chalet before winter 1940.[4]
Waters was presented with the Silver Acorn by Lord Baden-Powell himself in 1934, and received a Bar to the Silver Acorn 20 years later. Waters was presented with the highest award of The UK Scout Association, the Silver Wolf, at Surfmoot 1961, following the Seventh World Rover Moot.[1][2]
In recognition of his unequalled contribution to Rover Scouting, Scouts Australia's Adult Recognition Award for service to the Rover Section is known in Victoria as the WF Waters Rover Service Award.[5]
- ^ a b c Harper, Melissa (2002). "Waters, William Francis (1897–1968)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
whowas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "WF Waters Lodge – Who was WF Waters?". Retrieved 7 August 2015.
- ^ "Bogong Rover Chalet – Chalet History". Retrieved 7 August 2015.
- ^ "Victorian Rover Scouts – WF Waters Award". Retrieved 6 August 2015.