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Page Updated:
August 23, 2008
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Mark Purcell (80,81,82,83,84,90,91,92)
 January
8,
2008 - Mark "officially" worked at HSR for eight
summers from 1980 to 1984 and 1990 to 1992 where he served as Rifle Instructor,
Assistant Store Manager, Composite Skipper, Outtripper, Environmental
Improvement Specialist and Assistant Cook but he has continued to assist at HSR
as a volunteer almost every year he was not officially employed!
Mark has been involved in
Scouting for most of his life. Mark’s parents signed him up with the 5th
Lansing group in the Yonge and Sheppard Area of Toronto at the age of seven for
something to do, so that he could escape his three sisters. Little did anyone
know it would be a life long commitment.
As a scout, Mark started
working with the cub pack at 5th Lansing and along with fellow alumni
member, the late Tom Donaghy (80-81), ran the pack for several years.
Mark spent the summers of
76-78 as a staff member at Adventureland where he worked with John Jansen
(78-81,85,93) and Dale Warburton (80-83). He also met
John
Stephens (82-84, 99-01) for the first time while there.
 In 1982,
Mark left 5th Lansing and started volunteering with the 6th
Willowdale Group in the Bayview and Sheppard Area of Toronto where he was Cub
leader, Scout Leader, Venture Advisor and Rover Advisor … sometimes all at the
same time. During his fourteen years with the group, he “conned” fellow alumni,
Dave Taylor (83-87), Kent Taylor (86-90), Greg Taylor (91-95),
Chris Wren (91-93), Jeff Bonnin (93-95), Brian Tsuji (93-96),
Dennis Cook (85-87), and Dave Sandomierski (95-97) into becoming
staff. Mark also briefly lived with
Jack Dobson (72-88) from 1985 until
Jack’s death in 1989.
Mark attended
Seneca College in
the Recreation-Parks Operations and Services program, followed in
1991 by
Culinary Management at
George Brown College, and is currently completing the post-graduate
Food and Nutrition Management program at
George Brown.
Mark has worked for
Scouts Canada for many years
and is currently working full time for the Central Ontario
Administrative Area responsible for the management and
administration of seven camps.
Mark has been a member of the HSR Staff
Alumni Executive and served as Co-Advisor of the 1st Kennabi Rover Crew.
Over the years Mark has been involved as a volunteer at several levels with
Lupus Canada and currently is Treasurer for the
Hong Kong Veterans
Commemorative Association, a cause that is very close to his heart
He is living in
Oshawa, Ontario and can be reached at
mark.purcell@sympatico.ca
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