Lithgow girl guide Cara Elwell-Cook has achieved one of the highest honours in the Australian guiding system. Her completion of the Junior Baden-Powell award was celebrated at Lithgow Guide Hall on Monday, November 21, with local guiding leaders and federal MP Andrew Gee.
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Cara has been working towards the award, which is the highest junior accolade in the guiding system, for three years. It involves performing 12 challenges in six different aspects of guiding including service, outdoors, guiding traditions, promises and law, world guiding and patrol systems.
“At one point I wasn’t sure if I would finish,” Cara said.
Throughout the award Cara has completed a range of tasks such as leading her patrol in games, making a poster that explains the planetary system, contributing to Clean Up Australia Day, camping and making toys for cats. The challenges are assessed by the other members of her unit.
Cara received a pin and badge acknowledging her completion of the award.
“It takes a lot of support and encouragement to complete the award from friends and family, including the guides at Mt Riverview where Cara started guiding,” Joanne Martin, the guides district manager said.
“Badges are not the be all and end all of guiding, I know guides who are the embodiment of guiding principles like self confidence and leadership who never get a badge, but badges do reward what the girls have done.”
Federal MP Andrew Gee travelled to Lithgow to present the award to Cara.
“What Cara has done is set a goal and she has had to plan out that goal over three years, that’s a big commitment,” he said.
“You’ll have this for the rest of your life.”
Lithgow guide leader Cheryl Rutherford said that Cara had aspirations of completing the senior version of the award, which guides can begin once they have turned 10.
At the ceremony Sasha Walsh took the guiding promise to officially become a member with the Lithgow unit. Mikayla Hutchison also renewed her promise to start her work towards the Baden-Powell award.
Junior guide leader Lainey Holmes was also officially inducted.
“The guides have really enjoyed her company. She’s putting the youth back into guiding,” Ms Rutherford said.