Scouting came to Sarawak in 1915, about five years after it was introduced in Malaya (now Peninsula Malaysia). The Hockien Free, now renamed the Chung Hwa Primary School No. 1 was the first school in Kuching to start the movement through the effort of its Principal, Mr. Cox, who began familiarising a small group of pupils with the basic Scouting activities. At about the same time, an expatriate Mr. Currey from the SPG Mission also introduced the movement at one of its school, the St Thomas Kuching. According to historical record, the movement being new was naturally relatively unknown and unrecognised by the local authority as yet. Basic Scouting skills were taught by leaders through personal experience and from books on the subject brought in from England.
Although the Scout Movement began as a very small group, its popularity among school children was growing year after year. In 1940, the Movement had grown substantially to warrant its affiliation to the Scouting Headquarters in Great Britain, the place of birth of the Movement. This
gave the Movement in Sarawak further impetus to expand and garner public support financially enabling it to improve the basic training facilities.
Scout Movement in Sarawak continued to grow during the 50s and 60s especially so when the then British Colonial Government gave it the full recognition as an institution for the training of the local youth.
In the early days, only children in the urban areas who attended certain schools were privileged to become members of the Movement. But after the 50s, efforts were made to spread the Movement. Miri, the oil-rich town in Sarawak's Fourth Division became the first outside the State Capital to establish Scouting in 1952 followed soon after by Sibu, the administrative centre of the Third Division.
Sarawak's first Chief Scouts Commissioner was Mr. R. H. Hickling. His appointment was made by the then British Governor and this sparked off public interest in Scouting. There was spontaneous effort to spread it throughout the country and the Department of Education was tasked to it the necessary support to ensure success.
One positive step taken in this direction was the recruitment of a special assistant from the UK, Mr. G. W. Stevens, as the Co-ordinating Commissioner for Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei and he was based at the Education Headquarters in Kuching.
The first Scout Patrol Camp in Sarawak was held in 1962 in Sibu where Scouts from throughout the country gathered to socialise and exchange ideas on Scouting.
After the formation of Malaysia in September 1963, the Sarawak Scouts Association withdrew its affiliation with the Movement's Headquarters in Great Britain and became a branch of the Malaysian Scout Association.
Since then, the Sarawak Scouts Association has been involved in training thousands of youngsters in the Scouting skills and many became leaders in their own rights. Today, many who had left the Movement after school to become professionals in the various fields in both the public and private sectors have come back to rejoin it at various levels, thus giving it the much-needed input and support thereby increasing its credibility and public awareness of its useful role in the social development in the country.
In May last year, the Sarawak Scouts Movement has been given the honour to host an international Jamboree - the BIMP-EAGA Jamboree 2000 - which will be held at the 200-acre camp site at Matang, about 22 kilometres from Kuching.
Sejarah Pengakap Sarawak
Sejarah Pengakap di Sarawak bermula pada
tahun 1915 apabila Pengetua Sekolah Hockien Free (sekarang tapak Sekolah
Rendah Chung Hua Kuching No.1), Mr. Cox, menubuhkan Kumpulan Pengakap yang
pertama dengan melatih beberapa orang muridnya di dalam ilmu Pengakapan.
Pada masa yang sama Mr. Currey dari S.P.G. Mission Kuching juga menubuhkan
pasukannya di sekolah St. Thomas.
Cara pengelolaan Pergerakan pada masa itu juga berbeza dengan yang ada
sekarang, tambahan pula Pergerakan merupakan pertubuhan bebas dan belum
dikenali sepenuhnya. Segala latihan yang diadakan itu mengikut kepandaian
dan pengalaman pemimpin itu sendiri berdasarkan buku yang dibawa dari
England, tempat asal Pengakap. Walaupun pada mulanya jumlah Pengakap agak
kecil, namun Pergerakan berjaya melangkah ke hadapan setahun demi setahun.
Pada tahun 1940 Persatuan Pengakap Sarawak telah menjadi ahli cawagan Ibu
Pejabat Pengakap Great Britain. Secara langsung Persatuan Pengakap di
negeri ini mempunyai tempat untuk mendapatkan sumbangan and kemudahan yang
perlu. Beberapa langkah bagi mendedahkan ilmu Pengakapan dilaksanakan
termasuk Perkhemahan Ketua Patrol Pertama diadakan di Santubong pada tahun
1950. Pergerakan Pengakap di Sarawak berkembang dalam abad 50-an dan 60-an
bila kerajaan kolonial memberi perhatian sepenuhnya terhadap Pergerakan
sebagai satu daripada institusi latihan
kanak-kanak.
Bagi menyediakan Pemimpin untuk melatih Pengakap. Kursus Manikayu Pertama
telah diadakan di Santubong, Kuching pada 9-17 Ogos 1958. Pada awalnya
cuma kanak-kanak dari sekitar bandar Kuching yang belajar di sekolah yang
tertentu sahaja yang menjadi ahli Pengakap. Selepas tahun 50-an usaha
mengembangkan Pergerakan telah dilancarkan dan bandar Miri memulakan
Pergerakan Pengakap dalam tahun 1952, diikuti oleh bandar Sibu dua tahun
kemudian. Gabenor British di Sarawak pada masa itu telah melantik Mr. R.H.
Hickling sebagai Ketua Pesuruhjaya yang pertama. Sejak itu, perkembangan
Pergerakan Pengakap mula dirasai dan pihak kerajaan kemudian telah
melahirkan minat di dalam persekutuan ini dan berusaha meluaskannya ke
seluruh negeri dengan bantuan Jabatan Pelajaran.
Kemudian Mr. G.W. Stevents yang didatangkan dari England dilantik sebagai
Pesuruhjaya
Pengelola untuk Sarawak, Sabah dan Brunei. Beliau ditempatkan di Jabatan
Pelajaran Kuching. Perkhemahan Pengakap Berpatrol Sarawak yang pertama
diadakan pada tahun 1962 di Sibu untuk mengumpulkan Pengakap dari seluruh
negeri di samping memberi mereka kesempatan bergaul dan bertukar-tukar
fikiran dalam hal Pengakapan. Dengan wujudnya Malaysia pada tahun 1963,
Persatuan Pengakap Sarawak menarik diri sebagai cawagan Ibu Pejabat
Pengakap Great Britain dan terus menjadi cawagan kepada Persekutuan
Pengakap Malaysia. Dari dahulu hingga sekarang, Pergerakan Pengakap
Sarawak telah secara langsung membimbing beribu-ribu ahlinya dalam ilmu
Pengakapan dan setengahnya telah menjadi pemimpin dalam pelbagai bidang.
Sarawak telah menjadi tuan rumah Jambori Malaysia ke-4 pada tahun 1978,
dan pada tahun
1984 Pengakap Sarawak mencatat sejarah apabila Sulaiman bin Haji Daud
dilantk sebagai Ketua Pengakap Negara. Pergerakan Pengakap negeri Sarawak
telah menyambut Ulang Tahun ke-80 pada 1995 ini dan pelbagai acara telah
diadakan. Pengakap negeri Sarawak mempunyai 25,000 orang ahli Pengakap
dari 600 kumpulan seluruh negeri, termasuk tiga
kumpulan KLM (MPBL, MPR dan MPS) dan tujuh Kumpulan Kelana.