St. Robert Bellarmine
Troop 499 History
1974-1983
In 1978, we had our first bike trip to Lower Huron Metropark. We also had a group go to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico that year. The troop was chosen to serve as an Honor Guard on Mackinac Island for a week.
We continued to have our popular family campouts, where the entire family could enjoy the weekend at a State Park.
The troop started to help with a blind group in Detroit at Christmas. These physically handicapped persons enjoyed our chicken dinner and small presents we provided every Christmas season.
Most years, the troop had a high adventure trip to a different Scout High Adventure Base. We attended the base in Ely, Minnesota as well as ones in Maine, Florida, Canada, and Montana.
The troop developed a relationship with a Canadian troop in Branford, Ontario and had many joint campouts with them.
The Troop was one of the few that attended summer camp at the Silver Lake Camp near Indian River prior to the council selling the property.
The troop was a regular participant in the swimming program at Bryant Jr. High in Dearborn. Scouts earned the swimming skill award / merit badge and the lifesaving merit badge at the pool.
Under the leadership of Russ Mayotte, the troop held merit badge classes at the Detroit Edison Rifle Range for rifle and shotgun merit badges.
The year 1981 marked the end of the Jerry Redoutey era. Jerry served as Scoutmaster for fifteen years. He and his co-leaders positively touched many lives. Their efforts developed many young boys into fine young men with scouting ideals.
Irv Green was the Scoutmaster from 1981 to 1982. The troop went to the Bruce Peninsula on the Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada for summer camp. Eighteen scouts and ten adults participated with hiking up to fifty miles along the Bruce Trail. The troop enjoyed the trail so much that they returned many times in the years after. Although the northern section of this 435 mile trail is the most popular (with the troop having repeated the first fifty miles several summers), the troop endured 150 miles south of the trailhead in Tobermory.
Bill Condron became the Scoutmaster in 1982 and held it for the next six years. On the odd years of summer camp, the troop traveled back to D-Bar-A Scout Ranch in Metamora, Michigan. The scouts would earn merit badges on that weeklong campout. The troop also utilized Charles Howell Scout Reservation Camp near Brighton for the winter and CYO retreat spring campouts until it was sold.