Just a quick trip .

When the Gipp's Guides ventured over to the Tarra-Bulga National Park the did not leave enough time to really look into what was actually there.  Aas there are so many tracks to walk that a decision was made to

• 
  
  Initally walk the shortest route track.
• 
  
  To come back at a later date and eventually walk the track among the top of these ancient old  trees.
• 
  
  Visit more often,
• 
  
  Take more cameras
• 
  
  Not go on a Sunday when the coffee shop over the road is closed!
• 
  
  To take more foods and refreshments with them as the lazy late lunch after the walk was great.,
• Then of course one of the cameras run out of battery. The other ones owner still has not sent the promise pictures.

Meet Nosey Puppet

Created as a bit of artistic fun while at the Trafalgar Fireworks Display.

I was quite surprised that Samar had never made a sock puppet before.  So, introducing the completed Nosey Puppet is .....

Nosey herself.

Say "Hello" Nosey

And what does Nosey say:...

"Hello Nosey".

When used the puppets are shown to the Youth members, taken to fairs, shows, family inclusive happenings and District activities and events. But for now Miss Nosey shares space with Gorilla, Duck, Miss Rabit on top of the office filing cabinet.

dialogue becomes a visual collabration

Working collaboratively on the four paintings has given inspiration to members of the Gipp's Guides to be creative with in their Art genera.  Working with paint as a basic medium various effects have been gained when combining them paint and the 'canvasses'.  However when the canvase base changes so too do some of the methods. 

painting on wood being different to painting on canvas.  Again totally different to painting with skin as a canvas base.

Record it for use

one of the things that have not happened over the past 15 years [plus] is the recording of events, activities and service moments.

Then again there have been photos that once snapped walk away with the owner ofthe camera never to be seen again.

So a couple of years agao the Hazelwood and Churchill District spent some money and brought a couple of basic cameras for the Youth members to use.  When they are uncovered they will be stored in the office.  Used for events etc but down loaded on the District Leaders computer.

Face painting flowers

Flowers were a delicate touch, the brush stroes were minimal.  The end effect suited the wearer, her clothes and apparent personality.

Paintings at Old Gippstown

Old Gippstown in Moe [Victoria] invited the Hazelwood and Churchill Guides to attend the art and Craft show.

The challenge was passed onto the Gipp's Guides who -

• Demonstated painting with random homehandy man materials.  Much to the surprise of a lot of older male artisits / handymen.
• Painted faces.
• Displayed art from various artisits within Churchill as well as the four paintings that they had done.

Way to go

The four paintings the Gipp's Guide's created when they collabrated together to achieve are titled

• High Country
• Forest
• Desert
• Cities

Since Australia is such a large continent the thought at the time of the four individual paintings creation was to pictorially show that everywhere people go in Australia they will journey through a wide range of climates, horizons, cultures. Like the Gipp's Guides lives there are a multitude of things that follow, alter or cause change in the pathways we each travel. 

Already each of these Gipp's Guides have travelled a path the has taken them away, brought some back and moved scattered others. 

And then the Promise

Since Samar had one week earlier previously made her Promise Rebbecca was able to make her promise to Sumar.

The Ceremony was relatively simple. Which was good as by the time the fireworks finished the wind had gotten a cold chill factors in it.  We were all shivering.  Rebecca had chosen to make her Promise at the Trafalgar Fireworks evening

 Samar reaffirmed her promise.  Then as president of the Gipp's guides Samar asked Rebbecca to step forward.  Rebbecca confirmed that Yes she was ready to make her Girl Guide promise.  And yes she would appreciate the support of all there while she made her promise.  

Once made Samar then pinned on Rebecca's Promise Badge as well as presenting Rebbecca with the Olave Baden-Powell bar.

Rebecca made a comment later in the evening which sums up making a Promise well.  "I did not relaise just bhow making your Promise makes you feel inside.  It's like Wow!".

Now of course both Samar and Rebecca may start on their chosen OBP journey.

Boom went the night sky

 Wow the night went off with a bang.  Fireworks were long awaited for and well worth the wait. We all took lots of the fireworks photos... when we remembered that is.  We were to busy standing staring in wonder at the sky above.  Rebbecca and Samar forgot to be scared of the fireworks.  And the people and objects while in a public place in the dark.Which was a main objective of the evening.  While achieving one objective a side out come was all the photos taken... and while taking the photos each Gipp's Guide could be a little more comfortable within the crowd.  In fact with a camera in front of you it was found that there was no crowd.  You were to busy taking photos and looking for another good shot about to occur so you forgot about your crowd phobia..

The colors really lit up the sky.  Susan began to tell us how some chemicals  are used in a contained campfire setting.  Thus providing an added spectacular dimension to campfires.

Well away from the crowd

Well away from the crowd an area had been fenced off.  On the inside of this area squares had been painted on the grass.  Each square had a number.  Over these numbers walked a cow calmly eating the grass around.

What was the attraction.  As time went on more and more people [ mostly adults] went and stood near by.  Realivetly not much sound can from the crowd.

All of a sudden the cow pooped.  The crowd cheered.  Numbers were checked.  Someone had won a great deal of money as they had the winning ticket.... decided by where the cow had pooped. 

What a cow of an idea for a fundraiser.

Face painting as a service

There was one lady in amongst the kids impatienly lining up for their faces to be painted.

Soon there was two face painters. Susan spent most of her time there helping the lady catch up to the end of the kids line.  The line did not go until well after dark.  Both facepainters just kept facepainting though.

Rebecca asked to be shown how to face paint. Samar had already been going to tafe for a beautician course.  How ever there were no finger nail or toes to be painted that day. Which left both of the Gipp's Guides attending free to wonder around seeing the sights and taking photos.

A sock puppet in the making

The children's area [which is where Susan ended up all evening] had a variety of things to do.  There were sock puppets to make, cards and posters to paint, faces to paint, craft and glitter to use.

So a sock puppet was made.

Now Ms Ribbit [the frog] the Gorilla and the Duck have a new puppet friend with which the Gipp's Guides [and Leaders] may use with the Youth Members as well as an assett on public displays.

Pop went the balloon

Samar won a prize.  After all that hard work deciding which game to play.  Then trying to figure out how to throw the dart... at the board not the ground.

Trafalgar Fireworks

Novemeber is when the Traffalgar bonfire and fireworks is ment to occur.  So off we travelled.

• The event started off with getting there. 
• After that an icream stand was found. The ice creams were licked to pieces.
• Prizes sort.
• Puppet were made.
• Faces were painted.
• Why were the cow over in that area.  The cow were walking around all over painted boxes on the grass.  What was the great interest?
• Then finally came the fireworks display.  What a show.
• The bon fire was not lit due to fire regulations.
• Out came the bun.
• Rebecca G's Guide Promise was made and Samars reaffirmed.

one lick and then another.

Heres Samar eating an ice cream while exploring the Traffalgar show ground.  There was light and it was hot.  What an excuse for having fun!

ice cream at the beginning and a bun near the end.

One hamberger bun.

First there was an ice cream and then there was the hamburger bun.


 Too busy laughing to take the photo properly.  Samar got up close and personal.  What a challenge.  Could not tell which has the most fun out of the two of them though.

Dialog then paint

So how do four Gipp's Guide members work through what their Guide Promise actually means to them? This was a necessary step towards each linking winto the Giupp's Guide Unit.

Following dialogue as to what the Gipp's Guides were going to do together they decided on creating four paintings to depict the way to go [ as in the compass needle within the Trefoil on their World Badge.  The Compass needle being central to the World Trefoil symbolized the Power of One.   

The Gipp's Guides invited a local artist to help them channel their creative energy with focus in order to get the canvases painted.

Clara making her Promise

Clara made her Girl Guide Promise while attending a Hazelwood and Churchill Guide District Presentation award night.

Who can deny..

Yum. Ice cream.  Especially delicious when the day is hot and the night activities seem so far away.

Catering for 'x'-box challenge

When some of the youth around asked the Gipps Guides to help them run an X-box challenge Rebecca G put her hand forward and offered to do the catering.  The challenge was one that Rebecca G would use towards her linking into the Gipp's Guides before making her Girl Guide Promise.

 The food had a great range.  The participants really enjoyed themselves.  The did the planning, organised others to help set the area up.  Forgot to get a game to play.  Then worked out an evaluation for that woul help others plan a future 'X'-Box challenge - or something similar as these participants would like another one in a year or two [- if not sooner]

Promise at Presentation

During one of the Presentations of Hazelwood and Churchill Guide District some of the Gipps Guides made or renewed their Guide Promise.

• Fiona, Tiffany and Melissa renewed their Promise.
• Clara, Sadie and others made theirs.

Linking in.

When a Youth member begins to link into the Gipp's Guides they select to do three personal challenges.

• Service
• to Guiding
• To the community
• collaboratively organise an activity where either
• the community may attend
• Youth members
• District Team
• Region Members

            or

• They bring their friends and other Gipp's Guide members together.
• The third is active participation with
• The Gipp's Guide events
• The District events
• If possible the Region events
• Also finding out about and participation with State and other levels of Guiding events.

At any time the Gipp's Guide may Choose to make her Guide Promise.  When this occurs she may then register to have the Promise Ceremony with another Gipp's Guide being there to 'take' her Promise - This Gipp's Guide of course has already made her Promise.

Who are they?

At one of th years Australia Day Ceremonies the local Scouts have not recognised that there are Guides over eighteen in the vacinity.  There were puzzled as to who and what they are.  We'll they are the Gipp's Guides, and also one fourteen to eighteen youth member [white shirt] who has since linked into the Gipps Guides Unit.  Actually attending this Service was part of Jess's linking in selection of activities.

As such when the organiser found out who Jess was and what she represented Jess and another member of Youth were asked to raise the Australian Flag during this Years ceremony.

Mixing with all levels

The Gipps Guides are part of the Hazelwood and Churchill District Guides.

As such there are many things where the Youth Members and the Gipps Guides may attend as individual members, family members or District Events


The Youth Members look up to and relate to the Gipps Guides as a comfortble linkage within their Guiding life.

Here the some of the Guides of both Hazelwood, Churchill and the Gipp's Guides are attending an Australia Day ceremony in Morwell.