THE three-finger salute celebrated its centenary in Wagga at the weekend.
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The First Wagga Scout Group held a formal ceremony and open day on Saturday to mark its 100-year anniversary.
Leanne Kelleher, the only female scout leader when she joined 19 years ago, returned from Brisbane especially for the celebration.
There were six bases in Wagga when she first joined.
Now, just two remain.
"I came back here today, this is where I began," she said.
"It's just the fun of it, the satisfaction of serving the kids.
"My parents were scout leaders so it's in my blood.
"It's the sense of self, the sense of responsibility.
"They're all treated equally.
"They're not boys or girls in scouts; they're scouts."
John Lennon, 82, joined First Wagga Scouts in June 1939, when the hall sat on the corner of Berry and Forsyth streets, where Golden Seasons is today.
He recalled making camouflage nets during the war in his 10 years in scouts.
Scouts first started in England in 1907 and found its way to Australia the next year when the first club was established in Sydney.
Girls were only allowed to join in about the 1980s.
Mr Lennon said once you were a scout, you were a scout for life.
Cubs central district regional leader Lisa Bourke, who oversees 10 packs, acknowledged the universality of scouts.
"The appeal is it is a lifelong, fun adventure and it doesn't stop when you get older," she said.
"Wagga traditionally has been one of the strongest packs.
"Scouts is the oldest and longest running organisation in the country.
"There is no other youth group that has been running this long and that's testament to the lifelong learning.
"We are a big family.
"You mention you're a scout and out comes the left hand."
First Wagga currently has 10 scouts and 20 cubs.
The three-finger salute represents God, The Queen or Australia and helping other people.