its members receiving a collective award of the Bronze Cross, "in recognition of their courage and devotion to duty in the face of continuous enemy action in the war for freedom". The Maltese Boy Scouts Association was then formed in October 1966, right after Malta became an independent nation earlier in 1964. In October 1966, an extraordinary general meeting of The Boy Scouts Association Malta Branch dissolved the branch and the Malta Boy Scouts Association was formed independent from The Scout Association of the United Kingdom. The Association became a member of the Boy Scouts International Conference in December 1966. The vice-president of the International Conference, Lady Olave Baden-Powell, presented the registration certificate to the Chief Scout of Malta. In the years which followed, the Association changed its name to The Scout Association of Malta (TSAM). In 1966, the Association became an independent body and a full member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). In 1976 the name of the Association was re-styled as "The Malta Scouts Association", and by a further amendment of its Policy, Organisation and Rules (P.O.R.) of 31 October 1978, in order to comply with the provisions of Act XXII of 1978 of the Laws of Malta, the name of the Association was established as "THE SCOUT ASSOCIATION". In 2007, TSAM inaugurated the Beaver section in its training programmes. Since its foundation, Scouting has been one of the "most active and strongest youth organization on the Island" ("Brief History," 2012). TSAM's motto in Maltese is "Kun Lest", translating as Be Prepared in English. The official logo and membership badge of TSAM features the Maltese eight-pointed cross and the Scout fleur-de-lys logo motif. History of Guiding in Malta In 1909, the founder of the Scout Movement, Lord Robert Baden Powell held a rally for all the members of the movement in Crystal Palace, London. He remained undoubtedly impressed by the thousands of boys parading past him. He was even more surprised when a group of girls filed by. When asked who they were, the girls courageously answered "We are the Girl Scouts." History doesn't relate exactly how many ‘girl scouts’ turned up, but they obviously made quite an impression as within months they had their own name and programme. Baden-Powell chose the name Girl Guides after the famous guide corps in India and it did not take long for them to make an impact.