Cub Scouts MemorialPrint Page 
The monument commemorates the 50th anniversary of the drowning of thirteen cub scouts in 1943. A plaque on the monument also recognises the contribution of former Mayor Alan Dahl, who was closely identified with the Cub Memorial Project and the restoration of the graves.
On December 11, 1943, 28 cubs were on their annual Christmas picnic on Susan Island under the watchful eye of a handful of senior scouts. When a storm began to close-in, the party was loaded on a flat-bottomed punt to row across the river to reach shelter.
Unfortunately the punt became unstable in the stormy conditions, capsized and threw the entire party into the water - few could swim and 13 of the boys, mostly aged between six and nine, drowned.
Location
| Address: | Prince Street, Memorial Park , Grafton, 2460 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -29.693291 Long: 152.931983 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Tragedy |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 11-December-1943 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 11-December-1993 |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | 1993 |
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Memorial to the Cub Scouts accidentally drowned
11 - 12 - 1943
This memorial overlooks the scene of probably the worst river tragedy on the Clarence since Europeans arrived in 1838.
Late on the afternoon of Saturday December 11, 1943, thirteen members of the Grafton Cub Pack drowned when their punt was swamped while returning from a break-up picnic on Susan Island.
The thirteen Wolf Cubs - four from Grafton & nine from South Grafton were aged eight to ten years, They were among a party of thirty one on the punt.
A Coronial Enquiry on February 1 & 2 1944, returned a finding of accidental drowning.
This memorial was erected by the citizens of Grafton & District to mark the 50th anniversary of what the State Commissioner for Cubs described in 1943, as the worst tragedy in the history of the Boy Scouts Association in NSW.
Cub Scouts accidentally drowned
11 - 12 - 1943
[ Names ]
Alan Dahl
Mayor of Grafton
1991 - 1993
Served as a Councillor of the Council of the City of Grafton from June 1975 to August 1993, first elected aAs Deputy Mayor in 1977 & subsequently served in this capacity from 1985 until 1991 when he was elected Mayor.
Alan was very closely identified with the Cub Memorial Project & the restoration of their graves in Grafton & South Grafton commemorating the 50th anniversary of the tragedy, it is fitting that his commitment to this cause is recognised on this memorial.
