Selwyn Safari Badges

The initial badge in 1982 was a dated ribbon badge woven in white on light blue. For 1983 and 1984 the same badge was used, which was undated and has the same ribbon colour and design as the original, but is woven in gold instead of white. It was thought that this same badge could be used every year, but a few complaints in 1984 from trampers who had already received the same badge the year before meant a new badge was warranted. After all, to receive a cheap bit of ribbon for a weekend of slogging your guts out just wasn?t on !! The current design came about from a sketch by Molly Atkins, the mother of the then Canterbury Area Scout Leader. The tramping boot and mountain range are symbolic of the Safari. Each year a different colour for the badge is chosen. Mostly, the border colour matches the background colour. In 2005, the Pathfinder Award was instigated for those who support the Selwyn Safari. A scout attains this badge by attending his/her second Safari, while a Leader has to attend thrice. The maroon colour of the Pathfinder Award is the colour of the former Selwyn Scout District.

The badges for Selwyn Safari are now made by Christchurch badge maker Belgique Badges: www.belgiquebadges.co.nz