The Gilbert Lodge started with the Nelson Girls Brigade using the then existing shearing shed for camping in the early 1960’s. As they were using the shed on a frequent basis, they decided to put in the longdrop toilets which are still in use today.
In the late 60’s early 70’s the Nayland Avion Scouts began using this area also through their contacts within the Girl’s Brigade.
In the early 1970’s the existing surrounding farm became unviable to run so the Department of Conservation took over the land lease and Nayland Avion Scouts took over the shearing shed. During the early years the Scouts put in bunks and they also installed the coal range and the pot belly stove. The Hut became known as Gilbert Lodge after Stan Gilbert who was a Scouting Leader and who passed away in 1974. He was the driving force behind the Hut’s establishment as a place which the Scouting youth could use as a camping base and for overnight adventures and as a training venue.
During the 70’s and early 80’s the hut was used at least monthly by Scouting groups from the top of the south. By the late 80’s the hut had become popular and was being used on a fortnightly basis by Scouting and other groups. During a storm in the late 80’s the north west section of the roof was blown off and required replacing. Nayland Avion Scouts closed in the late 80’s and so the hut was taken over by the Nelson Scouting District (now known as Nelson Zone).
By the mid 90’s it had become rundown and the Nelson Rover Crew took over the Gilbert Lodge and its maintenance as a service project. They put in a new water system and tank, they renewed the older roof section and timber framing and put in skylights. They also installed a beam thereby removing the centre post that had been necessary previously. The old bunk areas were demolished, and two bunk rooms were constructed with built in bunks. This allowed for separate accommodation for Leaders and Children and slept over 30 people. The kitchen area had extra bench space added at this time also. Shutters were made for the windows which helped to reduce the vandalism that was happening, and the internal walls were lined with MDF. A new Yunca fireplace with a wetback for water heating was also installed. The long drop toilets had a cleanup also and were pumped out. Much of the heavy overgrown vegetation was removed and a timber deck was added to the southern end.
When the Nelson District closed down the running of the lodge was taken over by the Nelson Scout Area team. By late 2005 the Nelson Scout Area team mooted the closing down of Gilbert Lodge as it had fallen into disrepair and was not being used very often by scouts or cubs.
This concerned some of the scout and cubs current leaders at the time and also a few ex – scout people in the region. All agreed that they didn’t want to lose this asset for scouts in the region, it would be very hard to replace it ever again. A group of these people got together to form an associate group for scouting in the Nelson Zone to take over the running, finances and maintenance of Gilbert Lodge. This group decided to operate under the name of Friends of Gilbert Lodge (FOGL). A core committee was formed of a Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary and Maintainence Co-Ordinator and we have currently about 20 other associate members of FOGL.
FOGL only has few meetings a year and the AGM unless an urgent meeting is needed, or a working bee needs to be organised. They also try to have 1 – 2 working bees a year at Gilbert Lodge to do any work required. Our finances are very tight, and we rely on donations, grants and the minimal $3 a night charge for keas, cubs, scouts and venturers using Gilbert Lodge. No charge is made for Leaders or Adults helping with Youth activities and it is a requirement of the DOC Lease that the Lodge is only to be hired out for Scouting activities.
Over the past few years FOGL has been successful in receiving funding for new kitchen benches, solar power for hotwater and lighting (there is no power at Gilbert Lodge), installation of fibreglass (DOC type) toilets to replace the old longdrops, recladding of the exterior and reroofing and more recently for new mattresses and fire extinguishers. Gilbert Lodge has a generator on site with power outlets now enabling use of 240v appliances. A few years ago, we built a low ropes course and flying fox which has been a great asset and well used by the youth of all ages.
For many years Gilbert Lodge has been used for our Zone Founders Day Camp which involves several hundred youth and Leaders from all of the Scouting sections and Groups (including a few who come over from Marlborough) camping in tents on the site with the Lodge being used as the HQ for the camp’s administration, catering, first aid and management hub.
Numbers using Gilbert Lodge have been steady over the past few years and is enough to pay the minimal lease costs and for basic repairs and maintenance work. In order to increase the usage of this great facility we need to be proactive and look for ways to increase the usable space at the Lodge. Currently Nelson Zone hires the facilities of outside organisations to hold trainings for leaders and youth. Increased usable covered area would enable trainings to be held at Gilbert Lodge. Division of attendees at trainings into small working groups is usual and with an increased space we would be able to easily cater for several groups of adults or youth. The other positive result of this is that the outlay in cost for event venues would decrease and those funds could be spent on other things within Scouting or would reduce the cost of the Camps for the Youth. Often a significant portion of Camp costs are that of accommodation, lowering these costs makes participation more affordable for all.
As well as increased use for trainings the covered area will better serve all the Scouting Groups that use the Lodge. Kea, Cub, Scout and Venturers from all the Groups in the Zone use the Lodge for camps and overnight adventures, Scouts also use it for Patrol Camps.
The FOGL committee executive comprises a Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer as voted positions and we have approximately 3 meetings a year and an AGM.
There about 5 other volunteers in the committee. These volunteers are joined by other hardworking and enthusiastic volunteers who help at working bees. Many of these people help and do work at Gilbert Lodge at their own expense often not asking for reimbursement of expenses they may incur. One of the volunteers regularly visits and ensures that the grass around the den is mowed and does the weed eating around the native plants that were planted on the boundary a few years ago.
We see the future of Gilbert Lodge as an outdoors centre for the Scouting Community in Nelson where Groups can go and know that activities are available that the youth will enjoy on a low weekend budget and that Zone and Groups can use as a training facility for Leaders and Youth.
