CELEBRATIONS marking the end of an era for Cohuna’s links to Girl Guides occurred on Sunday.
Former members and leaders gathered at the town’s Guide Hall for the final time, with new owners to take over the recently-sold Belmont Street site later this week.
Opened in 1959 during a Back-to-Cohuna celebration, the venue became a key location for Guide meetings and other community functions.
Hundreds of girls and young women were members of Cohuna Guides in the following six decades, with two groups operating at one stage during the organisation’s peak period.
Fifty-five Guides also strived to achieve two of the organisation’s highest honours – the Queen’s Guide and Baden-Powell Award – with those in attendance at Sunday’s afternoon tea presented with a photo from the time when they received the award.
Three of those award recipients – Teresa Mason, Judi Mead and Wendy Monro – reminisced about their time as Guides and what obtaining one of the movement’s major individual accolades meant.
Mrs Mason and Mrs Monro received the Queen’s Guide in 1973, with Mrs Mead succeeding 12 months later.
“It helped that we all went to school together, so we could talk about what we were doing,” Mrs Mason said.
“If you were not into sport, there was not much else around to entertain.”
Those wishing to claim either of the two awards had to complete a number of tasks before they were a specific age – with the Queen’s Guide needing to be completed by the age of 16.
“Completing the Queen’s Guide meant that we had to work on our work, school and life balance,” Mrs Mead said.
“There were expectations that had to be met, so it helped set you up for life,” Mrs Monro said.
The afternoon tea enabled former Guides to catch up – with many not seeing each other for a number of decades.
“It is a bit sad to see the hall being sold, but that is the way things go, Mrs Mason said.
“There are many more things for young people to do nowadays. There is now netball, football, cricket and dancing – which was not around when we were young – and social media,” Mrs Monro said.
Guides Victoria Gannawarra district manager, Carol Hall shared the same sentiments, with local girls interested in joining the organisation encouraged to participate with the Kerang group after the Cohuna group closed three years ago.
“It is a bit of a watershed moment, but we have to move forward,” Mrs Hall said.
“There are many other things girls can now do in their spare time.”
