Every first Sunday in May, early birds wonder where the drum roll comes from in the distance. It is the drums of the Jamboree band that announce the passage of The Great Trek. This walking tour to Scherpenheuvel will start for the 92nd time on Sunday at 5 am under the tower of the Sint-Willibrordus Church in Berchem.
It was Jan Lamquet, founder of De Grote Trek and the Jamboree Band, who organized the first procession in 1931. He worked for a long time at Agfa-Gevaert in Mortsel and later became a physical education teacher. During the war years he was also the tutor of Princes Baldwin and Albert II.
Drums and flags announce the passage of The Great Trek. — © RR
But Lamquet was above all a scout. He was a boy scout and leader of the 4th Sint-Jan group and he served in the groups of Wilrijk, Berchem and the 7th Sint-Michiel Brasschaat, among others.
In 1931 he and some Antwerp scouts wanted to pay tribute to Mary by walking to Scherpenheuvel. “The first time, fifteen volunteers left the scout rooms of the 4th Sint-Jan on the Meir. When the group arrived in Mortsel, twelve participants dropped out. The three others did reach the basilica in Scherpenheuvel. That became the start of a tradition,” says responsible Erick De Cleyn of The Friends of De Grote Trek.
Once again this year, after the start in Berchem, the procession will pass through Mortsel and Boechout towards Lier, stopping there for breakfast at 7.30 am. After a passage past Aarschot, the arrival in Scherpenheuvel is expected around 4:15 p.m.
With the event, The Friends of De Grote Trek wants to connect participants and throw a sporting challenge at them. The Catholic story behind the pilgrimage has shifted to the background over the years.
The Jamboree band emblem always comes with you on the road. — © RR
“The scout world is strongly connected to the Great Trek to Scherpenheuvel. The Marian pilgrimage has existed for more than ninety years and remains popular. It remains a sporting meeting and in recent years devotion has no longer been put in the foreground. Scherpenheuvel has become a sporting concept, more than a Catholic pilgrimage site.”
Since its inception in 1937, the Jamboree band has walked with its emblem at the front of the group to indicate the pace and walking gait. “The logo of the Jamboree Band is derived from the logo of the world jamboree in the Netherlands in 1937, the Jakobsstaff. The multi-armed cross of Jacob’s staff is aimed at all religions. It has ten points, the same as the Boy Scouts law.”
Other participating groups and associations are allowed to take their flags and banners with them, because everyone can participate. “The Great Trek is a free event. You do not need to register in advance. The unique thing about this tour is that everyone is encouraged behind drums and flags. This creates an even greater group feeling,” invites De Cleyn. You can go out by leaving at 5 a.m. in Berchem or by joining in Lier at 7.30 a.m. at the VTI in Lier, around 10 a.m. in Heist-op-den-Berg at Brasserie Oud-Egypte or at 1.15 p.m. the Bekaf sites in Aarschot.
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