An English Brownie

When Mollie arrived in Ballarat from overseas at the end of 2018, she was a 9 year old English Brownie. After making her Promise last week, she is now an Australian Girl Guide.

Mollie first joined Guiding in England as a Rainbow when she was 5 years old. Rainbows cater for 5-7 year old girls – the youngest Guiding section.  At age 7 she progressed to the Brownie section which she enjoyed for several years.

Conveniently, Mollie joined the Delacombe Junior Guides just after they had learned all about the Australian Brownie Guides of the past, and at a time when they were learning about Thinking Day and the history of Guiding. How appropriate to have a unit member from the country where Guiding began so long ago.

Mollie is enjoying Guiding in Australia and especially loves making new friends. She has already participated in weekly meetings, the Clean up Australia campaign, region canoeing activity and the Ballarat Begonia Festival Parade.  A Thinking Day greeting was sent to her English Brownie unit from our local Junior Guides.

All in the family

It may actually be that Mollie was born into Guiding. Her mother was a Brownie Leader for more than 25 years, and her Nana for 32 years.

It is common for Guiding to be a family tradition and we have many girls who are daughters and grand-daughters of previous Guiding members. In Ballarat we even have several families with multi-generations involved in Guiding.  Coincidentally, Mollie was enrolled on the special date when an older Guide, Kaitlyn, celebrated her 18th birthday (and 13 years of Guiding), creating 3 generations of adults in Guiding in the same family.

Mollie’s family chose to move from England to Ballarat because her mum met a Ballarat Guide back in 1989 and remained friends ever since.

The power of Guiding.