I was a member of the Bonegilla Scout Troop of 25-30 members from 1958-1969.

It was centred on the post-war Immigration Camp at Bonegilla.

The Troop was formed by Senior Constable Alf Besford, who was the only Police Officer at the camp. Some Troop members were the children of staff.

Others lived locally, so we were a mixed bunch.

The funding for the Scout Troop was supplied by the Immigration Department, many of the migrant parents didn't have much money.

We had four Patrols, and for many boys, it was one of their first group involvements with the English language.

I don't recall us having language difficulties.

It was an early attempt to get equality.

We had no trouble communicating.

Going camping, Alf Besford would pack us into his old vehicle with our swags and sometimes with tents, and take us up to "The Walnuts" public land where we'd camp.

We'd take a roll of fishing line, some might take rods, rabbit traps and snares. We might fish the Little Scrubby Creek between Mitta and Dartmouth, catching perch or we might make a cage with an entry funnel into which ducks would go to eat our baits of oats. Our traps or snares would provide us with plenty of rabbits.

It was the time towards the end of the rabbit plague.

We would never take rifles.

Sometimes someone might have a bow and arrow. But we were expected to catch enough food to give us plenty to eat.

In the winter, we would smoke the rabbits out of their burrows or set springers with a bush noose, so the rabbits would be caught in the noose as the springer was triggered.

If we set them on a very still night, we might tie a bell on the springer and when the bell rang, we'd get out of bed and kill the rabbit and re-set the trap again.

We'd get three or four rabbits a night in that way.

Sometimes we'd ask a farmer if we could trap on his land and one night about eight of us got 60 pairs of rabbits. The farmer's eyes nearly popped when we gave them to him.