His years at the helm of the local Scout troop have been very satisfying, he said.
And last month he was thrilled to be one of 100 people invited by the governor-general to attend a special Scouting function at Government House in Wellington.
It was a celebration of 100 years of the governor-general being New Zealand's Chief Scout.
For the past 32 years, Mr Randles has been a warranted leader and has held various positions in Scouting. For 15 years he has been the group leader of the 1st Marton Scout Group.
The invitation to Government House was though his role as director of the National Scout Photographic School, which he helped set up eight years ago.
"The school operates for one week a year and teaches young people from the ages of 11 to 18 the many facets of photography. It covers equipment, composition and taking images to presentation and the industry," Mr Randles said.
In his speech at Government House, Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae said Scouting in New Zealand had started when the first troop was established in Kaiapoi in 1908.
Following Lord Baden-Powell's visit to New Zealand in 1911 there was the establishment of the National Council in 1912, with the governor-general becoming Chief Scout, he said.
Since that time, every governor and governor-general has agreed to be Chief Scout. Many of the later governors-general from Britain had been involved with the Scouting movement, and some of the New Zealand-born holders of the office had been Scouts or Cubs, he said.
"However, the agreement of the governor-general to be Chief Scout is not a given. At the start of every governor-general's term, a review of vice-regal patronage is done to assure the right fit. That I, like all of my predecessors, was keen to retain the connection with Scouts New Zealand speaks of the respect I have for Scouting and the fundamental values and activities that it promotes."
Scouting had retained vice-regal support because it offered programmes for young people that gave practical expression to its values, Sir Jerry said.
"The focus both on self-reliance and teamwork, outdoor activities, adventure and learning by doing resonate with New Zealanders' respect for all of humanity and our love of the outdoors and all things practical. Again, as Baden-Powell noted: 'A week of camp life is worth six months of theoretical teaching in the meeting room'."
Mr Randles said a passion for the outdoors was his biggest motivating factor. "I really believe that it's this kind of motivation that helps young people keep out of trouble, and I'm definitely all for that."
