A Luton Scout Leader has relived her extraordinary life as a youngster in Africa and her Scouting experiences during a wide ranging interview with presenter Ian Pearce on Three Counties Radio. The weekend morning programme was repeated during the Sunday evening schedules.

Nigerian born Mary Maybury, now a leader with St Joseph’s Scout Group in Luton and a staunch Roman Catholic, told listeners about her expeditions to the River Niger delta where she learned many woodcraft skills. It was an area well known to Baden Powell who used his experiences in nearby Ashantiland (now part of Ghana) to teach pioneering and knotting skills to his Scouts.

But that was only part of Mary’s inspirational story that was told to us. She recounted how she suddenly went blind at the age of nine just a year after joining her local Cub Scout Pack in the small town of Ogwashi-Uku. To begin with no one believed her until doctors confirmed her condition. But it did not stop this youngster. With a chuckle she remarked that it made following a blindfold trail dead easy. Mary added, “Camping out of doors amongst Africa’s wild animals was just normal for us. One day I was bitten on the leg by a snake and my grandmother cured me overnight with an old herbal remedy.”

Then, at the age of 17, Mary suddenly realised that her sight had miraculously returned. It was a life changing experience. Later, as a Venture Scout, she came to England with her family in 1976 and spent two years learning English before going to catering college to become a chef. It was a career move that gave her a head start at a time when TV cooks were beginning to make a name for themselves.

Mary joined GEC in Staffordshire to take charge of the executive dining room. There she looked after the needs of the company directors and visitors such as Prince Philip and the Reverend Ian Paisley. She is now a self employed caterer and delighted the Duke of Bedford when she organised a BBQ for him and his guests. She was also responsible for the catering at the Bedfordshire Chief Scout Awards ceremony earlier this year.

A devoted church goer, Mary and her Scouts have helped to raise thousands of pounds for charities such as NOAH and Mencap. Like Scouts of old, she whistles and smiles in all circumstances. When Baden Powell was writing ‘Scouting for Boys’ in 1907 he was probably thinking about someone just like Mary.

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