Testimonials from parents
While most Sydneysiders were… watching our sporting champions of the nation represent Australia at the opening of the Olympic Games, I was watching a different group of champions at work… I'm talking about the 150 Girl Guide leaders who volunteered to forgo the celebrations of the Beijing Olympics and spend the night instead on the ground huddled in a sleeping bag under the stars at Taronga Zoo. Don't get me wrong, they weren't alone. They were surrounded by 1100 Guides aged from nine to 18… Confusion was obviously plastered all over my face and a woman with a clipboard and a kind smile asked me if I was looking for someone. She wanted to help, because that's what Girl Guides do. You could hear the whooping and cheering from up the road as the buses pulled in from all over NSW chocked full of young girls, our women of tomorrow… Then the others arrived with our leader, Paula, who was clogged and stuffy with a heavy cold. She'd taken the week off work to ensure she'd make it to the sleep-out because she was a Guide, and Guides don't let the team down. The tweenie was walking tall, full of fight and confidence. Until mummy turned to leave. After a feisty hug in front of all her mates, she ran after me and threw her arms around my neck. "Mummy, I'm a little bit scared," she whispered.
But I wasn't. I knew she was in excellent hands. About 1000 pairs of them in fact.
Wendy Kay. Published in Wendy’s World column of the North Side Courier Wednesday 13 August 2008, Parent
“I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you both for the fantastic experience that my daughter India enjoyed at the Brownsea Camp. Given that this was the first time she had been away without family members, her mum and I were a bit apprehensive.
On the contrary India raved about the camp on her return home telling us about all the activities she had been involved in and the new friends she had made, particularly "Kensi" from the Coogee troop.”
John, Parent
“As a parent, I think Guiding has been an essential adjunct to my children’s education program. It offers girls the chance to operate in a setting with a strong values base, and meet children from other schools. It makes girls independent.”
Prue, Parent
Community Leaders
“Guiding has come a long way since the 70s! Today’s Guides are confident young women who show true community leadership. The scope and scale of the issues Guides take on today are way beyond those that challenged us 30 years ago.
The strength of the movement today is still underpinned by the empowerment it gives its members to make things happen. What has changed is a global perspective of where women are in society with today’s Guides being more aware of international comparisons of the challenges facing girls and women their own age.”
Terrie-Ann Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, Clean Up Australia
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