Edition 9
The bi-monthly newsletter of the
Ginninderra Girl Guide District
http://ginninderragirlguides.weebly.com
February/March 2012
Upcoming Events
Please mark the following events in your calendar
and look out for more info from your Unit Leader.
February
12 Multicultural Festival
22 Thinking Day, Lake Ginninderra
29 Support Group meeting, Guide Hall
March
4 Clean Up Australia day
7 International Women’s Breakfast *
12 Canberra Day public holiday
16-18 Regatta, Nords Wharf *
21 Harmony Day
21 Support Group meeting, Guide Hall
24-25 Olave Program Conference, Karingal *
25 District Support Group AGM
* see Girl Guides NSW & ACT website
https://www.girlguides-nswact.org.au/new_events/
District AGM
Sun 25 March 2012
Fun family activities
Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Where: Guide Hall, Walhallow Street,
Hawker.
Come along for a fun, family event
and find out about what is going on
in the District.
Support Group News
The District Cookbook is coming along nicely – the proofs look lovely we just need a bit more
funding to start the printing... so pre-orders are being taken now, and we are seeking more
advertising. If you would like to order a cookbook for $20 or have any suggestions re advertising
please send an e-mail to [email protected]. A copy of the proof is available in the Guide Hall
for viewing.
The next fundraiser is Herbs in a bag which will be coordinated by Mel Broadbent during Term 1.
Please support these fundraising initiatives – they are critical to the functioning of the District. They
raise funds for a range of things such as helping the girls pay for camps like Jamboree coming up in
April, maintaining a safe and clean hall and purchasing equipment.
All parents of girls in the District are members of support group through the payment of the District
fee and as such are encouraged to attend all Support Group meetings. You don’t have to take on
a role –your attendance and participation in discussions and decisions is extremely valuable.
Next meeting: Wed 29 February 2012 at the Guide Hall at 7:30pm.
Future meetings:
31 March, 24 April, 23 May, 27 June, 25 July, 22 August, 26 September, 24 October,
21 November.
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In the Spotlight…
Grub (Catie Smith)
Riddle me this...
Well done to Grub for
organising a wonderful night
for Family Christmas Carols.
She passed her FDN4
module as part of her further
development as a Leader.
What does this mean to you?
YY U R YY U B I C U R YY 4 me.
Last month’s answer: Two men play five games of
checkers. Each man wins the same number of games.
There are no ties. Explain this?
BRAVO
They were not playing against each other
Leader talk!
The leaders from Ginninderra District met at
Innabaanya on 14 January for Cocktail Camp.
This was a chance for us to relax, have a couple of
cocktails, and discuss a wide range of issues
including progression of the girls, goals for 2012,
Girl Guides Australia policies, and where we see the
District heading – what our priorities for growth are
and where we might need to make changes.
Lend a hand Challenge
– 12 hours in 2012
We are excited to announce the creation
of a District Badge for PARENTS to earn
– just like the girls do!!
All you need to do is: Volunteer for 12 hours
during 2012
The volunteering can NOT be:
 related to transporting your daughter to
events/activities/meetings; or

We lit a nice campfire (well, Red Gum did… I
am not quite sure what Coolibah was doing)
related to attending for your daughter’s
special events/activities.
It can be for Guiding in:
and sang our favourite songs as well as some

Ginninderra District;
new ones (make sure you ask your leader

ACT & SE Region; or
about the Llama song – it was fun).

NSW & ACT State.
It was a stimulating and fun way to do some strategic
thinking and planning for the District.
Alkoomi
Joke Time
Knock Knock
Examples of things you could do are:
 attend our AGM;

attend Support Group meetings;

help out with District fundraising activities;

help out at Innabaanya working bees;

be a parent helper at a unit meeting,
camp, or activity; or

be a parent helper at a District or Region
event.
This list is not exclusive – talk to your Unit
Leader or District Leader if you need other ideas.
Who's there?
Abbott!
Abbott who?
Abbott time you answered the door!
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Leader changes...
Summer Canoeing!
As some of you will be aware we have had some
changes to our leadership team for 2012.
Those going:
 Wallaby (Tammy Hackett) has moved to
Gungahlin District;
 Pegasus (Jenni Cox) is taking a (hopefully)
short break from Guides; and
 Coolibah (Sara Vassallo) has taken a
contract to work on a Disney cruise ship.
Those coming:
 Frog (Joanne Allen) to be a qualified Leader
 Hakea (Caitlin McAnulty) to be a Guiding
Assistant
Those changing:
 Gecko (Melanie Broadbent) has decided to
change from Guiding Assistant to become a
fully qualified Leader
 Platypus (Kat Gamack) will be moving to 2nd
Ginninderra to assist Red Gum.
Victoria in a kayak
The ACT and SE region held two very successful
days of canoeing in January. On both days a
large number of girls attended to participate in “on
water” activities as well as “on land” activities
relevant to boating activities such as knotting.
Congratulations to the following girls for earning
a number of badges as follows:
Water badge: Phoebe Robertson, Tasman Butt,
Abby Roberts, Jennifer Guth.
Trefoil 1: Natasha Choo, Sammie Trafford, Meg
Townsend, Kylie Kiu, Jessica Guth, Sedrina Choo,
Issy Laing, Phoebe Robertson
Leadership Team summary:
Trefoil 2: Victoria Broadbent, Natasha Choo, Kylie
Kiu, and Sammie Trafford
District Leader: Alkoomi (Kaz Ely)
This is an excellent result for one district.
Assistant District Leader: Yewarra (Laura
Mukherjee)
Huge thank you to Gecko for the enormous
amount of effort she put into ensuring that these
canoeing days were successful.
1st Higgins:
 Bookoola (Rita Turnbull)
 Gecko (Melanie Broadbent)
1st Hawker:
 Grub (Catie Smith)
 Hakea (Caitlin McAnulty)
nd
2 Ginninderra:
 Red Gum (Peta Wright)
 Platypus (Kat Gamack)
 Quokka (Emily Cox – Unit Helper)
st
1 Ginninderra Tassie Devils:
 Quercus (Christine Macrae)
 Frog (Joanne Allen)
Holly and Victoria in a canoe
The 1st Ginninderra Tassie Devils have also been
doing summer canoeing. They ventured to
Kangaroo Valley where they canoed up the river for
3 days camping on the riverbank at night. It was
a new experience for the girls combining
lightweight camping, hiking and canoeing. They
had a great time, despite many mozzie bites and a
few bruises, and will prepare a full report for the
website and the next newsletter.
Did you know:

There are more pyramids in Peru than in Egypt

The Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt holds a constant
temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit
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Disney cruising...
Recently I made the rather life changing decision to apply for a job on the Disney Cruise Line. Those
of you who know me will know I am a bit of a fan. My favourite movie of all time is Disney’s
Beauty and the Beast and there is rarely a day that I’m not wearing a Disney character either on my
shirt, socks, or jewellery. I can sing along with nearly any Disney song, and I have the ability to be
quite annoying with my random pieces of Disney trivia. So when I found the opportunity to apply
for the Youth Activities Team I thought it was worth a shot. But there was a small problem – to pass
the first interview you needed to demonstrate at least two years of relevant work experience.
Well I had the opportunity to work at Walt Disney World for a year, and I’ve worked in the
Education section of a museum while I was studying…but I’ve spent the last eighteen months
working a desk job. Which is not very relevant to working with children!!! And then someone
pointed out that I can count my volunteer work with Guides as work experience.
Interestingly enough I had never ever thought of my Guide time in a “work experience” way. Sure I
spend a lot of hours each week working with children and delivering a program to enable them to
learn new skills...but the reason I'm a Guide is because I enjoy it and I love the activities and
friendships and experiences. But the more I thought about it the more I realised that it was because
of my experience as a Guide Leader that I felt I could do this job. It was actually quite a challenge
writing that job application and explaining what I do as a Guide Leader in a “career language” way.
But once I managed that I immediately passed that interview…and the next two. With the result
that I was offered a job onboard one of the Disney ships starting in March. It’s going to be a tough
career change in a lot of ways – I will be living and working in very confined areas and be working
70+ hours a week. However, I am SOOOO excited! I have found a job where I will be getting paid
to entertain and interact with children by running Guide-style programs based on some of my
favourite stories and characters!
One of the aspects of home that I am going to miss the most is Guides. I will miss spending time
with my unit every week, I will miss the opportunities to go camping, and I will miss my fellow
leaders. But I will be back!!! The District team has been amazingly supportive and I am looking
forward to getting back in five months and sharing all my new experiences with you all! This is such
an exciting opportunity for me that I literally would not have been able to achieve without the skills
that I have gained through my role as a Guide Leader. So yes, by attending Guide meetings you will
learn how to tie useful knots, sew on a button, and the benefits of soft-soaping a billy before putting
it on a fire. But as I realised the idea that Guides gives you “Skills for Life” can be taken much more
literally and more exciting than the skills may be discovering the opportunities those skills give you
later on. Walt Disney once said “Cinderella, believed in dreams…but she also believed in doing
something about them”. I am so grateful to Guides for giving me the skills to chase a dream…
Coolibah (Sara V)
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