Guides celebrate 60 years
A special luncheon will be held next month to celebrate 60 years of Girl Guiding on the Peninsula.
It is hoped that women from the 1949 to 1959 era of Brownies, Guides or Rangers on the Peninsula will attend, according to event organiser Ms Fay Donelly (nee Jessup).
Ms Donelly said the reunion at The Old Woy Woy Pub would be a wonderful way for former Girl Guides from the area to catch up and reminisce on old times.
Ms Donelly said: "Early in 1949, the first Ettalong Brownie pack opened under the leadership of Ruby Knight as Brown Owl.
"Brownie meetings were held in the old Scout Hall in the main street of Ettalong.
"The Ettalong - Woy Woy District had a district commissioner plus an active local association which was registered in 1949.
"In those days, leaders did their training on the Central Coast and trainers came from Sydney.
"In October the same year, soon after arriving in Ettalong, Norma McAsh took up the leadership as captain of first Ettalong Girl Guide Company which was registered in 1950.
"Keen young girls from Koolewong to Pearl Beach joined.
"During the year there would be fun day activities like a field day at Graham Park in Gosford, in competition with other companies in the division for a perpetual trophy. "Judging could include uniform, marching, semaphore signaling, First Aid and ball games."
Ms Donelly said another favourite activity for the girl guides was camping.
"The guides loved to camp.
"A campfire at night with singing and patrol skits was the highlight," Ms Donelly said.
"During the school holidays, the girls and their leaders would camp for a week on the South Coast or at the Glengarry campsite at Turramurra.
"Just a year later in 1950, the demand was such that second Ettalong Brownie pack was formed.
"By then, it was evident that Ettalong needed a hall.
"Intense planning and fund raising by the local association (support group) began.
"By that time Norma McAsh as guide captain and district commissioner and her husband Wal, who was president at the time of Woy Woy Rotary Club, pushed for a hall to be the community project.
"The grand opening of the hall took place in March, 1954.
"By 1955, the number of girls living in the Woy Woy area wanting to join Guides had increased sufficiently to establish a new unit in Woy Woy on Blackwall Rd.
"Later this area became the Broken Bay Division.
"The original, energetic, older Guides, by this time, were very keen to form a Sea Ranger Crew.
"With passion for Guiding and persuasion from the girls early in 1956, once again with Norma McAsh at the helm, the SRS Hawkesbury Sea Ranger Crew was formed.
"In 1957, a big thrill for a number of Rangers was to attend an international camp in Melbourne, and the same year two Sea Rangers represented Ettalong at the World Camp in England.
"These women together with friends made in London at the World Camp still meet every five years - proving Guiding can give you friends for life."
The 60 years of Guiding on the Peninsula luncheon will take place in the Old Pub Pelican Function Centre, The Boulevarde, Woy Woy, from midday on Saturday, October 17.
Reservations need to be made by October 4, with Jill Jones on 4382 1007 or Fay Donelly on 4362 1090.
Press release, 4 Sep 2009
Fay Donelly, Ourimbah