The 1st Somerset West Company Boys’ Brigade celebrates nine decades of winning boys for Christ by teaching values like discipline and self-respect through fun-filled engagement aimed at fostering leadership.
“In its 90 years the Boys’ Brigade has never gone into recess and has remained constant,” said a proud Emile Wessels, a captain in the brigade. “We have had the privilege of sending numerous members to international leadership camps as far afield as England, Scotland and the Bahamas.
The company has also produced numerous members who have formed part of the Battalion executive, and at least one served as president of Boys’ Brigade South Africa.
While the brigade maintains many cherished traditions and long-standing activities, such as the marching drill, Wessels said it has adapted to changing times by reinventing its weekly programmes to offer contemporary items its young members can relate to, while still upholding the age-old brigade-march musical traditions.
“We’ve found that a blend of the two creates a platform where we both give and take, and this seems to be a winning formula,” Wessels said.
“Spirituality is another pillar of our programme. We’ve observed some of the boys often struggle to answer even simple questions about the Bible and biblical events. It’s particularly fulfilling to teach a biblical lesson or skill that will assist in the boys’ personal growth.”
This way, Wessels added, the values and respect instilled in them remain with them for years after they leave the boys’ brigade. “One observes this when passing a former member in the street, and they will recognise one and still show respect by using one’s rank when greeting.
He added that the boys’ brigade had many notable leaders and individuals who shaped the organisation significantly throughout its history.
Based in Garden Village, the organisation not only exposes its boys to brigade norms and standards, but also church and mission work.
And despite finances being among its biggest challenges, the brigade remains embedded at the very heart of the community. As part of its outreach it currently offers drumming lessons and music-theory classes, with lessons in brass instruments in the pipeline.
“The boys’ brigade has a saying, ‘Once a BB, always a BB’,” Wessels said, and that this, along with members’ signature handshake, demonstrates the strong sense of community and belonging fostered among them.
A highlight for the organisation was being able to attend the annual Founder’s Day celebrations in Oudtshoorn last October and a recent youth-leadership development course in Melkbosstrand.
Asked what hopes and aspirations the brigade can look forward to, Wessels replied “to remain a 19th century vision with a 21st-century mission”.
To this end, he said, community members could help by offering lessons on the Bible, teaching members an essential skill, or other organisations can form partnerships with the boys’ brigade to engage the boys in, for example, informative talks on issues directly affecting them and having them in mind when fundraising for their own programmes.
“Please continue supporting the boys’ brigade, especially the mission work we do. To our members, stay true and, as our motto says, ‘Sure and Steadfast’. We haven’t remained relevant by simply letting time pass; we’ve stayed relevant by believing in our aims and mottos. By continuing to do this the boys’ brigade will endure for many more years.”
For the brigade this year’s Founder’s Day brigade is also its 90th anniversary, on the weekend of 24 to 26 October, when they will host other brigades. The highlight will be on the Sunday, when the boys’ brigade will march through the streets of Somerset West and attend a church service in the Somerset West Town Hall.
For more information on the event, contact Garth Adonis on 071 164 9246 or garth@dp2.co.za.
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