From joining the guide movement I have gained a lot of skills in leadership, teamwork and practical skills, as well as gaining confidence in a wide array of situations. I have also been able to experience different activities not widely available to the general community and I have met people from around the world. Guides have also given me the opportunity to meet many passionate and hard-working people who have inspired me in my service work. Many of the skills and experiences I have gained as a result of Guides have helped me to serve others less fortunate than myself in the community.

I think that the experiences and skills gained from being a member of Guides are invaluable ones. As a result of Guides girls are able to make new friends, gain confidence, participate in adventurous events only available through being members of an outdoor group and most importantly have a lot of fun.

 

There’s something about the smell of camp. The damp bush, the first wisp of smoke from the gum leaves as you light the fire under the boiler. Then there’s the inviting smell of bacon cooking or maybe sausages and onions. You eat your slightly burnt (completely charcoal) sausages and attempt to fend off the kookaburras. Camp mornings are slow mornings as you linger over the washing up and chat as somebody else slowly cleans the frypan. There’s something about those unit camps…something always happens. Like a huntsman in the toilet block, or a river pouring through your tent. When this happens you can learn a new skill…trenching. For those who do not know, trenching must be done in the middle of a freezing wet night, without permission. It involves using a shovel to cover your tent, and yourself, in mud while trying to dig a small ditch. The theory is that the water will then run through the ditch not the tent. A few sleepless hours later when the torch battery is dead you can decide whether or not this theory works.