Jamboree On The Air - How it all started.

Jamboree On The Air is the largest annual international event in the Guides and Scouts event calendar, when thousands of Girl Guides and Scouts from all over the world gather for a weekend to contact each other by radio, share ideas, participate in many activities, make friends and learn new skills.

Like a lot of successful ventures, JOTA had a small beginning, and whilst Scouting utilised radio in its program in some areas for a number of years, it was not accepted as an official part of the Scout program until the 1957 Jubilee Jamboree at Sutton Park Coldfield, near Birmingham in the United Kingdom.

It was here that a very successful amateur radio station was
set up, but amongst the sixty plus operators present, only two were in uniform, one of whom Mr Les Mitchell G3BHK.

As this was the only activity at the Jamboree not conducted with a full Scouting Staff he was rather disappointed, feeling that in the true spirit of such a wonderful international Scout activity, all Scouters should have been involved in the manning and operation of this station.

His concern led him to call a meeting of overseas Scout radio Amateurs present at the Jamboree and during one of their meetings they decided to keep in touch with each other on air and ensure their availability, if possible, as station operators at future World Jamborees.

Initially one day a year was proposed, but thinking this over later, their nominated Organiser Les Mitchell suggested they consider inviting amateur radio operators throughout the world to join them instead in a special weekend each year for a Jamboree on the Air at which, hopefully, Scouts and leaders would be able to talk to each other throughout the world.

World Scout Bureau, after an initial approach from Les Mitchell, invited him to conduct the first Jamboree on the Air and to every ones surprise it was an outstanding success.
So much so, that it was decided that World Bureau should, in future, take over the conduct of future Jamborees on the Air.

Time marches on and Amateur Radio has enhanced the JOTA experience with many forms of contact apart from just speech transmissions. Slow Scan Television, Narrow-band PSK, AX25 Data and now Voice over IP techniques such as Echo-link and IRLP are just some of the ways participants of Jamboree On The Air use to contact each other, however the original aims of the event remain the same. That is with the help of Amateur Radio, help Guide and Scout members of all ages contact each other and discover the diversity of mankind, promote international goodwill and assist in the education of our leaders of tomorrow.

Source: Wireless Institute of Australia

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