Glenorie has paid tribute to one of its longest-serving community figures by dedicating the Ray Whiteman Heritage Fence at the Glenorie Memorial Hall Precinct in February 2026.
The fence honours Raymond Charles Whiteman, known to generations of local Scouts simply as “Skip,” who passed away on August 1, 2019. For decades, Whiteman was a fixture of the Glenorie Scout Group, shaping not just its physical grounds but the lives of the young people who passed through it.
The Glenorie Scout story began in 1953, when a growing local population sparked interest in starting a troop. The RSL Subbranch hosted the first meeting, and the inaugural Group Committee gathered on December 9, 1953, with Ted Schwebel as President, Jack Connolly as Secretary, and Ida Coughlin as Treasurer.
The Glenorie Scout Troop held its first meeting at the Memorial Hall on March 18, 1954. Soon after, Whiteman was approached to take on the role of Scoutmaster. He accepted and received his official warrant on June 24, 1954.
From there, Whiteman became the driving force behind the group’s growth, overseeing the development of land, buildings, and facilities that made the Glenorie troop the envy of other Scout groups across the region.
His connection to local families ran deep. He first met Ron Major, a current member of the Glenorie Progress Association, while installing electrical wiring in the Major family home on Stevens Road. That chance encounter, around sixty years ago, led to a conversation with Ron’s parents that drew the young boy into Scouts — and into a relationship that would shape his life.
Under Whiteman’s guidance, Scouts learned to read maps, tie knots, pitch tents, and navigate the bush. He led hikes, caving trips, camping expeditions, snow skiing adventures, and sailing outings that became treasured memories for the boys in his care.
One of the most vivid recollections from that era is a freezing camp on the banks of the MacDonald River, where the first sunlight didn’t break through until 11 am, and tea towels and washing-up water froze solid overnight.
Whiteman’s influence extended beyond his own troop. On April 29, 1970, during the Bi-Centenary re-enactment of Cook’s landing at Botany Bay, Scouts under his guidance sailed out to meet the Britannia near the heads of the bay — a moment of local pride tied to a much larger national commemoration.
Many of those he mentored went on to take up leadership roles themselves. Ron Major later became a Cub Leader with the 1st Glenorie Cub Pack, carrying forward the values Whiteman had instilled in him.
The new heritage fence, and the Scout pier at its entrance, stand as a lasting marker of that legacy — a tribute shaped in part by the community members whose lives Whiteman touched.
The Glenorie Progress Association meets at 7:15 pm on the second Thursday of each month at the Glenorie RSL Club. Membership costs $20 annually, $40 for two years, or $80 for five years, with sign-up available at glenorieprogress.org/membership or by direct debit.
