Scouts SA welcomes it's 17th
Chief Commissioner
20 July 2012 : Chief Commissioner Chris Bates commences his appointment following a moving ceremony at the Association's Annual General Meeting last night.
President Graham Coates congratulates Chief Commissioner Chris Bates.
A Cub Scout hands Chief Commissioner Chris Bates the Branch Kudu horn, having received it from Chief Commissioner, John Derbyshire as part of the handover ceremony. The Cub Scout ceremonially asks "Will you please be our Chief Commissioner?"
Chief Commissioner John Derbyshire delivers his farewell speech.
Chief Commissioner Chris Bates gives his first address as Chief Commissioner.
5th July 2012 : Chris Bates invested as Chief Commissioner at Government House.
Scouts SA’s new Chief Commissioner, Chris Bates was invested today, by the Chief Scout, Governor of South Australia, His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce AC CSC RANR.
Hosted by the Governor and Mrs Scarce, and in the presence of Scouts SA President, Mr Graham Coates and Jill Coates and CEO Dan Ryan and Sharon Ryan, Chris reaffirmed his Scout Promise to the Governor. The ceremony included two leaders, Happy Valley Cub Leader, Jill Coates and Branch Commissioner for Performing arts Jacqui Mulady and five youth, one from each section, representing the 5000 youth members in our state.
Chris's family including wife (and Scouts Australia National program co-ordinator), Janis Bates were in attendance.
Chief Commissioner, John Derbyshire will officially hand over to Chief Commissioner Chris Bates at the Association's Annual General Meeting on July 19.
Thank you to the youth from Camden Park, 1st Salisbury, Taperoo and Ace Rovers and to our Leaders Jill Coates and Jacqui Mulady. Thank you also to Correnna Sheehy and Scott Rickards.
19 April 2012 : Scouts SA President, Mr. Graham Coates (left) welcomes our Chief Commissioner Designate, Mr. Chris Bates
On the afternoon of July 5 The Governor of
Scouts SA’s new Chief Commissioner, Chris Bates will be invested into this pivotal leadership role for the largest youth organisation in SA position at Government House today, by the Chief Scout , Governor of South Australia, His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce AC CSC RANR.
In this, 2012 National Youth Week, Scouts SA welcomes Mr Chris Bates as our 17th
Chief Commissioner. Chris has been selected after an exhaustive statewide and national executive search and will take ‘the reigns’ at the Association’s upcoming Annual General Meeting on 19 July 2012. Our current Chief Commissioner, Mr John Derbyshire is completing an outstanding six year term in office, and we are planning some exciting activities that will acknowledge the brilliant contribution he has made to Scouting in SA.
Chris will take responsibility for the operational delivery of an exciting, adventurous, challenging and rewarding Scout program to over 5,000 young South Australians and also, he will take the lead role in supporting, training and guiding our dedicated and geographically dispersed Leader and adult helper base which is so vital to our youth movement.
Chris brings with him a wealth of Scouting and professional experience. He is recently retired from a distinguished career in the Australian Public Service in various management roles. He led the Centrelink National Emergency Response Team responsible for assisting clients through national and international disasters such as the West Coast Bushfires, the London bombings, the Equine Influenza, and the Gawler River Floods. Chris has been awarded an Australia Day medal and a national “Responsive to Government” award for his tireless and dedicated service in the interests of others. He is also very aware of the needs and challenges existing in both rural and metropolitan South Australian communities having held public management positions right across the State.
Chris grew up on a farm in Lameroo, where he joined Cub Scouts. Chris’s sons joined Pt Lincoln Scout Group in the late 80’s and it wasn’t long before Chris became a leader. Since then he has held various Scouting roles including Scout Leader and Branch Commissioner, International. He was a Jamboree troop leader at the 17th Australian Jamboree in Perth and again at the 1998 18th Australian Jamboree in Springfield, Brisbane. Chris led a contingent to the World Jamboree in Chile in 1999 and then in 2001 was a Sub Camp Leader at the 19th Australian Jamboree, AJ2001 at Cataract Park in Sydney. Chris led the International team at our own 2004 Jamboree at Woodhouse and in 2005, led the second course of training for our Young Leader Development Program (YLDP). Chris has had a break from Scouting since 2006, although he has not been too far removed, as his wife Janis has continued her involvement in senior leadership roles in Scouting both nationally and locally.
Chris is excited to be returning to Scouting as the Chief Commissioner for South Australia and is looking forward to leading the development of young South Australians as well as the challenge of guiding our dynamic Adult Leadership into the future. He himself, comes from a lifetime of community and public service and this, together with his existing Scouting credentials, places him in the very best position to steer us through the challenges ahead. Chris is very keen to meet as many Leaders at the ‘grass-roots’ level of scouting as he can, and will make it his ‘first mission’ to visit as many Groups and Districts as possible in his early settling-in period.
Please welcome Chris in his new role as he visits activities and Groups across the state, and feel free to ‘pen’ your invitations to him for visits to your part of Scouting – he wants to meet you.
Congratulations to our current Chief Commissioner, Mr John Derbyshire
John’s term as Chief Commissioner will be recognised and celebrated closer to his handover to Chris in July. It is timely however, to reflect on John’s outstanding six year term here.
John has provided the most positive and encouraging focal point for all of our volunteer Commissioners and Leaders through his personable, encouraging and very professional approach. He has provided very strong guidance and support to his senior management team in South Australia and has also been very keen to engage our youth membership at every opportunity, and, at every level. John has been everyone’s Leader! He has been affectionately referred to as ‘Pappa John’ – just another indication of the high esteem he has within our movement.
John has led a significant increase in the Association’s professionalism and capacity to deliver quality programs through an unprecedented focus in the training (and therefore the quality) of our adult Leadership. Through this approach, John has ensured that our Leaders, Groups and activity sections have been focused on the delivery of the most exciting, adventurous and rewarding programs to our young people. This focus, has directly resulted in our continued membership growth through increased retention rates (as more and more young people stay with the Association for longer periods than ever before). This has been a very clever, and very carefully planned path he has steered for us – and one that will stand the Association in great stead for the future.
At the same time, John has profoundly contributed and represented our Branch so magnificently well at the National level of Scouting. His contribution to policy-making and our long term strategic thinking has been outstanding.
We sincerely thank John for the most achievement-orientated six years at the highest management level in our Branch. And even more than this, we thank him for the courage to lead us with such distinction.