Warragamba Waratahs

ACE 2010

2009-12-29T22:41:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are, four days from Jamboree..... and I for one am getting a little excited. I went shopping this week and bought my inflatable bed and new bags. The clothes shopping is complete and now all I have to do is begin the labelling!

The swaps are ready to go..... what have you made? Mine will be a surprise!

I am looking forward to another jamboree (Banksia and my third one) and my last as a guides leader. I cannot wait to share this experience with our girls and rangers, and all the leaders I know. If only the plane wasn't leaving at 6:00am!!!

Banksia and I will be working in operations..... I think this may be the first aid support centre. I hope I remember all my first aid techniques!!! Michaela thinks she will be seeing a LOT of us (you all know how accident prone she is..... and to think she is going surfing! Hope there are no sharks!!!

I will blogging from time to time from the camp..... get your parents to log on from time to time and I will try to update them about what you are all doing.

Have a fabulous time girls!!! XXX

Where Has the Term Gone?

2009-10-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

As you can see it has been quite a while since our last blog entry. The term began on a bittersweet note with our beloved Banksia leaving us to establish Warragamba's first ever Rangers Unit. They are know as the Southern Cross Rangers (for girls aged 15 - 18). Our four older guides moved on and upwards to Rangers, leaving our unit much, MUCH quieter!!!

Lorikeet and I have now officially taken over the Waratah unit and the girls have had a very busy term!

Here are some of the things we worked on during the term:

First aid night (complete with simulated wounds.... very gross girls!) Watch this space for photos. I especially loved Emma's wound complete with cut up bits of plastic cup embedded in petroleum jelly...ewww.
Creative cooking... popping popcorn over tea lights and making crepes full of chocolate, marshmallows and jam. Dubiously delicious!
Father's day portrait painting - not only did the girls get to paint portraits of their dads, but the dads then reciprocated....very hilarious!
Knots and lashing (thanks to Mr Blakey for sharing his expertise and to Banksia who returned to help us out)
Unfortunately we had a fair amount of rain this term so our campfire did not eventuate.
Farewell to Tara camp - for those of you not in Australia Tara was a beloved campsite used by girl guides NSW for the past 40 or so years. Unfortunately, it had to be sold recently. The farewell camp was an amazing and tearful experience for many.
Another Bunning BBQ.... all proceeds to the support group who pay our bills.
Eagle patrol night - army night.
karaoke and guitar hero

The term passed by very quickly and with next term only being nine weeks we will be packing excitement into every week.

June

2009-07-28T03:48:00.000-07:00

Thank God You’re Here! Like the TV show, we have discovered that our girls have a wonderful imagination and sense of humor to ensure this night was full of giggles and belly laughs.

The end of June saw us visiting one of our favourite activity centres, Don Bosco. Don Bosco gives the girls the opportunity to play basketball, snooker, pool, table tennis or work out on the trampoline. A game of basketball was started with siblings and guides taking sides and friendly rivalry started to show through. No one really knows who won (if you ask either side, they both say they did!), but the smiles say they both did!

Campfire - June

2009-07-28T03:07:00.000-07:00

Campfires, songs and toasted marshmallows...who could ask for more? Emma, Jemma, Abby, Suzanne and Ann did a wonderful job leading the campfire songs. A big thanks to Beth who brought along her guitar for a little back ground music to assist in our sing alongs. Lorikeet brought along some damper and syrup to top off a night with the girls cooking the damper over the coals which was an experience.

On such a cold night it was wonderful to see the girls enjoy the toasty warmth created by the fire.

May

2009-07-28T03:04:00.000-07:00

With the cold weather drawing in on us throughout May, we moved inside where we took a trip back to the 60’s and learnt how to tie dye. Shirts, pillow cases and tea towels got a make over worthy of any hippy’s wardrobe. Laura’s shirt was a hit, as was Brookes work of art! Brooke has since confessed that she has been begged by her siblings to create some more for them; Bravo Brooke!

We also had a night of pamper with foot massages, facials and manicures...oh, and chocolate with marshmallows! The girls finished up with a session of yoga with Trudie assisting with some sun salutations, and getting in harmony with their inner self, along with the background music from Twilight, and alot of giggles due to uncoordination a fun and informative night was had by all. And the floor got a good mopping due to all the spilt water from the foot spas!

Trivia Night

2009-07-09T03:37:00.000-07:00

Last night we invited Glenmore Park Guides to join us for a night of trivia fun. We also invited our district leader, Bursaria, and our Region Leader, Kowanna.

5 girls from Glenmore unit turned up (sickness took a hold on their unit) and we began to introduce ourselves. Before long the games and questions were flying thick and fast. Interestingly enough the leaders' table did NOT know everything about guiding!!!

Congratulations to the winners of the night.... and to all the girls who won spot prizes of chocolate.

Convict Camp 2009

2009-04-06T02:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we embarked (as all good convicts do) on a journey to the land down under.... Terra Australis. The journey from jolly old England was fraught with danger and terrors not for the feint hearted!

Actually, we drove about 1km to our beloved (and soon to be gone) Tara Campsite in NSW. But we were convicts for all purposes.

The girls had made convict costumes for the camp and looked fabulous. Each girl received a new identity with the crime they had committed imprinted on it for all to see. All the names were women who had been sent to Australia as a convict and the crimes were real. Imagine someone being deported for impersonating an Egyptian or for showing their bottom in church!

Our first night was full of excitement and hard work as we made camp. Those bell tents were expertly raised and the patrol shelters were fantastic. Considering that we had quite a few girls who had never outdoor camped before Banksia and I were very impressed.

The next day began with slight disappointment as our bush tucker man didn't show up! Luckily Lieutenant Collins and Captain Tench knew a bit about bush craft and a great walk around the bush site was experienced. Banksia was full of knowledge about how the local flora was used by aboriginal people to make tools, medicine and weapons.

After lunch we departed for our wide game - "Escape From Parramatta". I'm not sure how many convicts survived the trip over the "Blue Mountains" to freedom, but we sure had a lot of fun trying - semaphore activities, tracking, building humpies out of fallen bush litter, first aid (snake bite!), raft building to cross the Nepean River, spear throwing and finally a quiz on all things Bush Tucker related. Congratulations to both patrols on a game well played.

Dinner was a bit of concern to the girls. They were presented with meat and vegetables to cook in a dixie over an open fire. What was the meat? Well, they were told it could have been anything from possum to koala, or even kangaroo! Funny how it all tasted just like lamb! Dessert was a hit with coal baked bananas with marshmallows and choc chips, smothered in whip cream.

After cleaning up it was time for the traditional campfire - organised by the two patrols. One patrol presented the songs while the other patrol encouraged us to join in the interactive stories. Great job girls. Special mention goes to Brooke who managed to keep the whole campfire cohesive and entertaining.

After a struggle to get our younger girls to bed Banksia and I enjoyed a game of "Spotlight" with our older guides. Who ever would have thought that Bethany could stay so quiet and so still for such a long time?????? Not me!

After a good nights sleep (and a little sleep in) we rose and began to break camp. The aim was to pack up all our tents, patrol shelters and cooking gear before the commencement of the Great Convict Games. I must admit, playing "Bash a Rat" was one of the funniest things I have ever done on a Guides camp.

Thanks goes to Naomi and Gillian for selflessly giving up their weekend to be our QM's and general helpers. BRAVO ladies!

And on a personal note I would like to thank Banksia for all her help with my accreditation in outdoor camping. I couldn't have done it without you Banksia!

Now to start planning the next camp.........

Ghostbusters!

2009-03-19T01:14:00.003-07:00

Last night the Girls (and some very brave parents, brothers and sisters) headed off to lovely Picton for a Ghost Tour. Everyone met at Subway for dinner and then we talked to the tour guide. Here is Michaela's account of the night:

"First of all we went to the old police station. We had a look around and the tour guide told us all about the ghost that lives here. We also went to the old post office. There was a ghost of an old drunk postman called the "Fresh Air Freak". He got drunk and he died. He hates it when everything is closed. So when everything got locked up for the night he would sneak around and unlock and open everything. When the workers came in the next day everything was open.

We went to the Country Bumpkin shop and there were little dolls arranged on ladders. Every time the owner returned to the shop the ladders would be out the back and the dolls would be on the floor. This is because the ghost hated ladders and had hung herself from a ladder.

We went to Redback Range Tunnel. The ghost here is called Emily. Emma got scared here! Emily was trying to get past the train but she forgot the timetable. She wasn't able to get to safety in time and she was hit by a train. If you listen closely you can hear her footsteps and if you looked into the dark sometimes you can see her. We weren't allowed to go into the tunnel because of Emily being there. It was a bit spooky.

The best part of the night was hearing all the ghost stories, being scared and seeing all the old buildings."

Michaela also bought a copy of the book that tells many of the ghost stories from Picton. If anyone would like to borrow it please let me know. But beware.... a note came with the book explaining that during printing many disasters happened and the author was afraid that one of the Picton Ghosts may have inhabited the book!!!

2009-03-05T01:09:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night we all met at the local park to participate in "Clean Up Australia". The object of this exercise is to try to beautify our local area. Somehow I think someone might have beaten us to our "site". Usually we collect lots of rubbish and, in the past, some very unusual items such as bed stands, car parts, tyres etc. This year the most unusual item we found was a rusty old lock and a tub of half eaten, very melted ice cream!

Maybe the community are finally learning not to dump their rubbish in the bush (I hope this was the case!) and are disposing of their waste in a responsible manner. Our girls could not believe the lack of garbage to be collected. After a one and a half search we eventually gave up and played some games as the twilight set in. I'd like to send a huge thank you to all the girls who turned up, gloves in hand, ready to beautify our already beautiful suburb.

Don't forget that next week is Service night..... we will be cooking morning tea for the residents at Emmaus Retirement Village to eat the next day. I hope the residents enjoy our efforts and that no-one decides to make toffee!

Have a great week everyone!

A Note to Other Guide Leaders....

2009-02-25T01:41:00.000-08:00

Recently it was brought to my attention that our blog is gaining a reputation (a good one I hope!!!) among other leaders. At a meeting last week Banksia was amazed - when she told the other meeting participants that she was from Warragamba she was greeted with

"Oh... are you the ones with the blog?"

That started me thinking. Always a dangerous past time for me.

If any of my sister Guide Leaders would like any more information about activities we have participated in or would like to share some of their successes with our followers please leave a comment. It's not difficult. Click on the (number) comments - it's in a different colour at the end of each blog post. This will open up a new window. Write your comment in the space provided and then choose open/URL and type in your Guiding name. This comment will then be emailed to me directly. If you do not want your comment published please specify in the comment and I will be happy to oblige. This will also provide me with your email address so we can communicate that way.

I hope to hear from you all soon!

Echidna

Anyone for Soccer?

2009-02-25T01:27:00.000-08:00

After a very disappointing week where we were rained out we finally had the opportunity to have a night of soccer. Scott and Nathan were fantastic at providing us with tips and strategies, drills and ideas for playing soccer.

It was a little slippery on the oval so a lot of sliding and laughing was going on. In a game of "dog and bone" Suzanne scored extra points for her dedicated grunting and Laura for the constant giggling while trying to kick the soccer ball! Emma and Bethany deserve a special mention for their almighty personal fouls!!!!

We continued the night (even though it began to drizzle) with a great game of soccer baseball. Jemma was the outstanding player of the game scoring a HUGE home run. Bravo Jemma!

The night concluded with storytelling games and much laughter as the rain came down a little too hard to play in.

Many thanks also go to Neville for organising the soccer goals, witches hats and balls for us to play with. He also stayed all night with us in order to turn off the lights.... now that's dedication from a local community member who doesn't even have daughters!!!

After tonight I think Harry Kewell should be worried about these rising soccer stars!

Just a couple of reminders:

Camp - Convict camp numbers are needed very soon so please return forms and money ASAP.
Senior's lunch - please let Banksia know by next week if you are available to help with this fantastic event.
Bunning's BBQ in April - Let Banksia or Echidna know if you want to change time slots on the roster.
Picton Ghost Tour - money and forms needed soon. Remember, you can bring along friends and family. The more, the spookier!

Have a great week girls!!!!

Welcome to 2009!

2009-02-07T01:00:00.000-08:00

We are back in the swing of guides for a brand new year. It has been extremely hot the past few weeks and our poor little hall is not air conditioned. So, as good guides do, we planned our first few weeks around the great outdoors.

We welcome several new girls this year: Brooke - from Edensor Park, and Sarina and Deanna- graduating from junior guides to guides. All of you bring something unique and special to our group. Welcome to all of you!

Welcome back to our old girls. Deposits have been paid on Jamboree 2010 and excitement is in the air! Only another $500 or so to pay off!!! Fundraising: here we come.

I am pleased to also announce that Tracy (Lorikeet) completed her Leader training this weekend. Bravo Lorikeet!.... can't wait to have you on board.

Last Wednesday we had our traditional beginning of year Penny Hike. The girls split into patrols and hiked for close to 2 hours based on the flip of a coin to decide the direction. Penny hikes are a fabulous way for new patrol members to get to know the others as the chatting never stops as you hike. My patrol started at one end of Warragamba, made a detour to pick up one patrol member who had homework to do and ended up at the completely opposite end of town. On the way we told jokes, spotted "haunted" houses, met lots of people cooling off on their verandahs, had several competitions (great idea Brooke! - Let's hop to the next intersection. It was only half a kilometer away!), collected fallen frangipani blooms, and got to know a little more about each other.

Next week we are swimming! Hope the hot weather hold out.

The girls have planned some amazing activities for the term: soccer, ghost tour at Picton, Clean Up Australia service, Convict Camp, Trolley Push, BBQ Fundraiser, cooking for the elderly and a Promise Ceremony for our newest girls. Phew! Hope we make it through the term!

Mt Keira Hawaiian Camp

2008-12-30T18:30:00.000-08:00

Finally I have the chance to give you all the low down on what went on on our Hawaiian Camp.... No, we didn't quite make it Hawaii but Mt Keira, Wollongong was just as good.

We arrived on Friday evening (after a dinner at McDonalds). The girls were very excited about our plans for the rest of the camp. Echidna was just concerned about all the huntsman spiders that were living in the accommodation - I don't care if they were there to keep the fly and mosquito population down.... they are very creepy looking spiders!

After a reasonably early night the girls were up and at 'em! By this stage we had only had one leech attack so we were feeling very positive. Little did we know!

Firstly we hit the beach. It didn't matter that it was raining. We met up with the surfing instructors and they helped us get wetsuits on. Pretty funny seeing some of the littler guides in huge wetsuits. After practising the basics of surfing on the beach we entered the water and began surfing! Charlene and Abbey (from here on known as "Gidget 1" and "Gidget 2" were awesome and proved to be naturals. After a few injuries Emma got the hang of it too. Even Michaela and Jemma managed to catch a wave or two. By the end of our lesson every girl was able to stand up on a surfboard for at least a short period of time.

After drying off and having lunch we decided that it wasn't too wet for the sandcastle building competition to go ahead. The judges had a very hard decision to make as all creations were superb.

Back at Mt Keira (and a few more leech bites later) we prepared for a scrumptious dinner of fish and chips. We all ate until we were fit to burst. Movies came next as the girls watched "Drop Dead Fred". After the younger guides were sent to bed the older girls and leaders watched "Edward Scissorhands".

The next day we all shared our previously prepared parts in a Guides Own set in the beautiful Chapel. Lots of leeches attended too.

Finally we headed for home. I think I can speak for all the girls when I say... "What a camp!"

Publish Post

Stay tuned for photos... having camera issues at the moment.

No New Posts?....AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH

2008-11-24T01:56:00.000-08:00

Sorry Girls..... it's been extremely hectic lately so I haven't been as reliable as I should in updating our events.

OK...let's see.

Last week we had a fantastic game of baseball against each other. I was running very late after having to attend a meeting, but the enjoyment was evident when I arrived. Lorikeet had everything under control and the game was hilarious to watch. Special thanks to the baby Lorikeets who came along to help out on the night - Daniel and Trudie you are legends.

This week we had our semi annual trolley push fundraiser. Hmmmmmmmm. I was paired with Emma and Jemma (they were tap dancing gurus..... for an extra $1). Seriously though, you girls are just too cute as so many patrons just donated money and didn't allow you to work at all.

So, Banksia and I have a plan. To make up for all the work that you girls DIDN'T have to do last Thursday night I believe a "chores night" may be on the cards sometime in the future!

Stay Tuned.

Orienteering by Torchlight

2008-10-26T00:35:00.000-07:00

What fun we had on Wednesday night traipsing around Emma's 30 acre property. Armed with nothing more than an instruction sheet, a torch and a compass the girls navigated their way around the orienteering course, collecting clue cards along the way.

All the girls had a fabulous time and it was so nice to be offsite for a change. The property was huge (views to the city at night just beautiful), but the course was relatively simple. Most girls remembered how to use a compass correctly but one patrol (shall remain nameless!!) had a bit of a challenge ahead of them.

Once the girls had collected all their clue cards it was time to solve the puzzle. Each card spelled out a word in the form of a rhebus (a combination of letter and picture clues). This was quite a challenge and many hints needed to be given.

Finally we had supper and, as it was such a cold night, the hot chocolate, chockie bikkies and raisin toast was just delicious.

Huge thanks to Emma's mum and dad for mowing lawns and cooking supper. Major thanks too to Jordan and Tracy who helped out a lot with reading compasses.

1 Week to Mt Keira camp.....YAY!

Lots of Overseas Visitors to our Blog

2008-10-16T02:16:00.000-07:00

Girls, have you noticed how many people from other countries have been coming on to our blog? Lots of them are from North America and Europe. Wouldn't it be wonderful if these people left a comment on our posts? How good would it be to be able to network with other guides from around the world?

Can you think of a way that we can entice them to leave a comment? (Paying them is not an option!) Let me know your ideas!

By the way have you noticed that I added a flag counter to the blog? This means we can track exactly what country our visitors are from.... cool huh?

Jamboree Photos

2008-10-10T20:16:00.000-07:00

Some of the Jamboree photos are up on the linked blog.....it's called "J08 - The Warragamba Experience" and the link to get to it is on the right hand side of this blog. Just click and you will get there. Don't forget to leave a comment..... click on the comments written in little letters under each new post and write what you want to say. Then click on username/URL and leave your name before clicking publish comment.

Jamboree 2008

2008-10-06T03:01:00.000-07:00

WOW! We did it!!! 8 nights and 9 days of camping onsite at Tara.... and what fun we had! Stay tuned for the J08 blog that will be appearing shortly via a link on this blog.

PS.... this is NOT a photo of us, just one I found!

Suddenly Thirty Wide Game

2008-09-26T02:17:00.000-07:00

What a finale to the term! Our Suddenly Thirty wide game was hilarious!

The girls entered the guide hall and ....suddenly found themselves at the age of thirty. The tasks ahead of them were challenging to say the least.

Every girl was busy for the whole two hours and they soon discovered that a mothers' life is not quite as easy as mothers make out.

I believe that all our guides mums will have a little helper around the house now! And...if that's the case.... our job here is done!

The challenges included:

making a vegemite sandwich (and wrapping it in cling film) for a school lunch
buying ingredients (from the worst shopkeeper ever) to make lentil burgers. (I fixed it Bev!!!!) The shopkeeper kept on distracting the girls so they had to leave the shop and re read their recipe for the next ingredient. Very very funny.
cook a SOFT boiled egg
cook and mash a potato
ice biscuits
sew on buttons
tend the injuries inflicted by their child on another - bloody nose and cut knee
get ready for a date in a french restaurant and choose items from the menu (all written in French.... interesting meal choices girls. I would NEVER have ordered chocolate mousse for an entree or roast beef for dessert!)
iron a shirt
sort the washing.... lots of tissues hidden in the washing pile
erect a clothes line and hang the washing
put a doona cover on a doona.... HILARIOUS!
sort the tupperware containers and find all their matching lids
shine a pair of shoes
match up socks with their partners..... lots of odd socks included

The girls ended the night with a visit from our Districs Leader Bursaria who had lots of notes and information for the girls about Damfest and other upcoming events.

Thank you to Naomi and Tracey who came along to help for the night...especially Tracey who could hardly move after straining her stomach muscles at work.

Term is over girls! Have fun for those going to Jamboree..... 2 sleeps to go.

See you on the abseiling course!

Fire's Burning

2008-09-12T02:45:00.000-07:00

Week 7 of the term was campfire night. We welcomed five visitors from the Trefoil Guild who really enjoyed our campfire. There was lots of singing, some interactive stories and lots of laughter.
Congratulations to our girls who organised the night.... you did a really good job!

And the marshmallows were delicious!!!!

Thank you to our Trefoil Guild visitors who brought us lots of goodies to share...

badges
swaps
hats
t-shirts
rain coats
badges

We are so lucky to have friends like you!

Photos Photos Photos

2008-08-29T03:52:00.001-07:00

Girls,
All our photos are now at the bottom of the blog....just scroll down to view them all. And don't forget to post a comment. I love to hear what you have to say.

Last Night Of Craft...... for 2009 (sorry Beth!)

2008-08-29T03:36:00.000-07:00

Well girls, we had our last craft night last Wednesday, and I am positive that Bethany will be soooooo devastated!!!!! She LOVES craft so much. In fact, I think Beth loves craft nights just as much as Echidna does!!!!!!

So...... we knitted, we crocheted (is that even a word??) and we sewed badges onto our camp blankets. It was one of the QUIETEST nights on record EVER!

A big thank you to Gillian and Tracy for giving up their time to come and help your craft challenged leader Echidna. Banksia is quite capable of holding her own on these nights, but poor Echidna just cannot cope with anything involving threads and needles of any kind. And, by the way, Laura ...you did not sew a single badge on your blanket so you should thank your mother profusely!

Well done to all the girls who have now passed their needles badge. We have a promise ceremony coming up soon where all girls will receive the badges they have earned over the past two terms.

WOO HOO!!!!! Our girls are FABULOUS!

2008-08-29T03:25:00.000-07:00

WOOHOO...... Patrol Challenge girls ROCK!

Only one years experience and our Patrol Challenge girls lifted their ranking from 10th overall in 2007 to.... wait for it....

FOURTH!!!!!!!!

We are SO immensely proud of you girls. It was a tough competition and you all did so very well.

From throwing lifelines to erecting a flagpole (and raising a full cup of water to the top) to making a fire on water and then having to cook on it...... My goodness you girls are talented.

Congratulations to Laura (Patrol Leader), Bethany, Charlene, Caitlin and Kayla

.......and well done to Beecroft, the overall champions.
Next year girls....... we will, we will rock you!

Patrol Challenge Day

2008-08-21T16:26:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we are sending four girls to the Patrol Challenge day at Glengarry. Our girls will have the opportunity to take part in some exciting and inventive activities, competing against other patrols from all over Sydney.

Some of these challenges will include cooking, orienteering, design and make tasks, first aid and safety.

We wish our girls the best of luck as they take on other patrols! (C'mon.... you can beat Beecroft!)

Don't forget to post a comment to let us know what you did and how you went.

Sit-a-pons and Scrunchies

2008-08-15T01:16:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night was a fantastic example of how our girls have learned to cooperate and assist other people. It was an absolute joy to see "old" guides helping "new" guides as we began making sit-a-pons for Jamboree. We also began making some to sell in our Guide hut... (Echidna hopes that this will mean that we NEVER have to sew again at Guides!!!) I was totally impressed by girls assisting each other with the pinning process and using the sewing machines. Special mention goes to Laura who helped the younger girls enormously.

So what is a sit-a-pon?

It is a waterproof mat that is padded for the girls to sit on when on camp or when participating in an outdoor activity. They are easily rolled up and secured for packing. Sit-a-pons are not difficult to make and the results were amazing. Of course, we chose our District colours of Lime green and Purple for ours.

Next week any girls who have finished making two sit-a-pons will have the opportunity to make district colour scrunchies.

A big thank you goes to Jan (honorary guide for two weeks - Guide name "Platypus") for generously offering her sewing machines, time and talent to help our girls.

Hopefully Echidna's phobia of sewing will be cured one day.... the nervous rash is fading as we speak!

Guides Take to the Air

2008-08-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

Well, we certainly have participated in a diverse range of activities this year. Who would have thought that a Guide could fly.... and fly we did.

The instructors at Camden airport led the girls through a fantastic day that included a tarmac walk, safety rules, aircraft identification, flying in a light plane and making and racing balsa wood planes.

All the girls flew for approximately 30 minutes in a route that took them out to Badgery's Creek, over Silverdale and then to Warragamba Dam. All the girls checked to see if Echidna's husband had hung the washing out to dry!

Every girl remarked at some point that it was a fabulous experience. The mums, dads and brothers that came along enjoyed the day also. A huge BRAVO goes to both Banksia and Echidna who were both on the Camden Air Day committee for organising such a wonderful day.

Check out the photos below to see some of the girls in action.

Roar and Snore...Guides Sleepout at Taronga Zoo

2008-08-09T17:58:00.001-07:00

Well girls, after all Echidna's doubts and Banksia's enthusiasm we finally did it! We camped out under the stars at Taronga Zoo. After a VERY long drive from Warragamba to the beautiful city of Sydney (hail to the bus driver, bus driver man!) we arrived at about 7:00pm. It was cold at this point, but not NEARLY as cold as it would get! After a delicious dinner of pasta carried all the way in hot boxes by Echidna and Banksia (wow! you should see the bruises on our legs!) we set up camp. No soft grass for our girls.... just dirt, leaves and sticks to make camp on.

We were entertained by a fantastic campfire, blown away by the spectacular fireworks over Sydney Harbour and were mesmerized by the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on the Big Screen. As the night grew progressively colder we kept telling ourselves it was 31 degrees (in Beijing, anyway!) and that we really weren't that cold at all.

Finally we bedded down for the night and MOST of us were as snug as bugs in rugs. If only we could have found Jemma a volume control switch for her tarp! Morning came all too quickly and after a quick breakfast and a long walk to the education centre we were ready to start exploring the Zoo.

Each girl nominated an exhibit they wanted to see and we planned our route accordingly. The Little Penguins, the elephants, the snow leopard the meercats and the dingoes were standout favourites, however the echidna and wombats rate a mention for their cuteness.

Finally it was time to go and I have never seen guides conk out so quickly on the bus trip home.

What a fantastic experience for the girls and for us leaders. We will DEFINITELY be returning next year, and hopefully more girls will come too.

Term 3.... What a busy start to the term!

2008-08-02T19:51:00.000-07:00

Hi Girls,

Wow! Who knew we had so many good singers in our group! Our karaoke night was so much fun and even when it wasn't our turn we still sang along and supported our performers. Honourable mentions go to Lisa and Aleisha on their top scores.... some of us may need to practice a little more to get over our "amateur" and "tone deaf" status!

Last week we held our parent meeting regarding fundraising ideas to get us all to Jamboree 2010 in Victoria. Thank you to all the mums and dads who attended. We floated a lot of good ideas including:

House number curb painting
chocolate drive
cookie dough drive
more Bunnings BBQs
smencils
slice drive

All these fabulous ideas should help us to raise enough to offset the cost of Jamboree. Meanwhile, we are all set for Jamboree 2008 with 10 girls representing Warragamba. Banksia and Echidna are very excited to be going for the whole camp!

Thanks too, to all the families and guides who came along last Saturday to sell Guide Biscuits at Nepean Square. Bursaria informed me today that we sold about 14 boxes..... BRAVO!

And thanks to all the Guides and families who rocked up to Bunnings at Penrith to cook sausage sandwiches. The money for today's fundraising will go to our very important support group and will pay for hall insurance, electricity, water and rates. Without our support group we would be in a pickle, that's for sure!

Photos....Finally!

2008-07-07T05:49:00.000-07:00

Well girls, I was finally able to upload some of the photos from Anzac Day and our Promise Ceremony. Don Bosco snaps to come! Stay tuned..... and tell me what you think!

Camp Planning

2008-07-02T04:31:00.000-07:00

Hi again girls. What a fun night we had tonight! We planned our camp to Mt. Keira and decided on a Hawaiian theme. This will fit in really well with all of our beach activities. Each patrol will be given a Hawaiian name and we will have to make some new "uniforms" to wear on camp.

Some of our activities for camp will be:

surfing
sandcastle sculptures
fish and chips on the beach
swimming
games
movie night

Don't forget to put the weekend dates in your diary.... October 31st to November 2nd 2008.

Let me know what you think of our planning.

We also had fun tonight with Play Doh Pictionary, Kill the Rooster and Fruit Salad. Banksia will sleep well after all our running!!!!

Knots, knots and MORE knots!

2008-06-25T19:08:00.000-07:00

After three sessions this term on tying knots we are now becoming something of experts! Congratulations to all the girls who gained their ropes badge last night by being able to tie six different types of knots. Well done girls..... we are certainly ready for Jamboree now!

Types of knots we have learned:

clove hitch (granny's glasses)

clove hitch (over the post)

sheet bend

bowline

figure of eight

reef knot

sheep shank

round turn with two half hitches

Additional rope work:

snake lashing

square lashing

What are your favourite knots? Which one did you find the most challenging?

What's New in Term 2?

2008-06-13T23:56:00.000-07:00

We have had a very busy term at Guides. Take a look at some of the things we have done already, and the activities we are going to do this term.

Knots and Flagpoles - we were so lucky to have Naomi and her dad come to Guides to teach us how to erect a flagpole from scratch. Our knotting skills are improving and we will be having another knots night later in the term.

Fundraising - What a great effort by the girls at the Trolley Push fundraiser. The money raised will help to send those girls who came to Jamboree 2008.

Scorpion Patrol - drama and high fashion was the tone of the night as the girls designed and created outfits using recycled clothes. Some of the clothes were a bit suspect... I wouldn't want them to be worn on the street! This was followed by lots of acting as groups of girls were given plays to act out. Very very funny!

Promise Cermony - Abby and Aleisha made their Promise for the first time... Congratulations girls! Michaela and Emma re-made their Promise as they had joined us from Junior Guides. Beautifully done girls!

BP Award - Laura and Bethany were the toast of Warragamba Guides as they achieved their BP Awards - the first girls to do so for a long time. They looked lovely at the ceremony at Abbotsleigh and did us very proud. Bravo Laura and Bethany!

Outdoor cooking - we made a dinner for one in a tin can. Cutlets, carrots, potatoes, pumpkin and beans all cooked inside a tin can over an open fire. This was followed by yummy golden syrup dumplings.

Movie Night - I just love watching Monty Python in my PJ's.

Coming up we have some exciting activities:

A night at the Don Bosco Sport and Recreation Centre

Bunnings BBQ fundraiser

more knots

tent training - come along and learn how to put up a bell tent, a patrol shelter and make gadgets.
Air Activity Day at Camden Airport - Girl Guides take to the air!

Don't forget to leave a comment telling us what you have enjoyed this term. You may even have some suggestions for future activities.