Scouting in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

is predominantly represented by a branch of

Scouts Australia Scouts Australia is a trading name of The Scout Association of Australia, which is the largest scouting organisation in Australia, with an estimated 55,038 youth participants in 2021, and a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movemen ...

and Girl Guides Western Australia, a member organisation of

Girl Guides Australia Girl Guides Australia (GGA) is the national Guiding organisation in Australia. Its mission is to empower girls and young women to grow into confident, self-respecting members of the community. Membership is open to all girls and young women fro ...

. Scouting began in Western Australia in 1908 when eighteen-year-old Frank Roche from Spearwood established the first

Scout Patrol A Scout (in some countries a Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or Pathfinder) is a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split ...

. By the end of 1909 there were 416 members in 16 groups. In 1912, the Founder, Robert Baden-Powell visited

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. Girl Guides started in Western Australia in 1915 in a very formal way when the Women's Service Guild staged a public meeting, under Vice Regal patronage, in the

Town Hall on 28 June 1915. The Governor moved, "That a Girl Guide Association be formed in this State and that we apply to the Girl Guide Association of Great Britain for a warrant". __TOC__

Scouts Australia

The Branch is organised around districts: Perth Metropolitan Districts * Wanneroo * Joondalup * Swan Valley * Central Swan * Sunset Coast * Stirling East * Bilgoman * Kalamunda * Woodloes River * Three Rivers * Minderup * River Ranges * Melville * Beeliar * Minnawarra * Beeloo * Osprey Regional Districts * Kimberley * Pilbara * Avon * Moresby Ranges * Goldfields * Stirling * Forrest and Vasse * Central Great Southern

Activities

A Scout

Gang Show A Gang Show is a theatrical performance by members of Scouts and Guides A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others t ...

started in Perth in 1962 (and currently in recess). Two Australian Scout Jamborees have been held in Western Australia in 1979/80 and 1994/95. Sea Scouts in Western Australia are active. The premier Sea

Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

Competition in WA is the Master Mariners competition. The Junior Shield is currently held by Canning Sea Scouts, the Senior Shield by Canning Venturer Sea Scouts and the Rover Oar by Pelican Point Rover Crew. There are currently 10 sea scout groups in WA. There is a Scout Water Activity Centre located in

Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label=Comasco dialect, Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and ...

that land-based groups can use. An annual regatta is held there.

Air Scouts Air Scouts are a part of the Scout movement with a particular emphasis on an aviation themed programme and/or flying-based activities. Air Scouts follow the same basic programme as other Scouts, but they devote certain amounts of time focused o ...

is currently represented by the Bullsbrook Air Scout Group.

Facilities

Scouts WA Adventure Centres

*Scouts WA Adventure Centre Eaton. On the banks of the

Collie River The Collie River is a river in the South West region of Western Australia. The Collie River was named by Lieutenant Governor Stirling after Alexander Collie who, along with Lieutenant William Preston, in November 1829 was the first European t ...

at Eaton in the Shire of Dardanup, just 8 km from Bunbury. *Scouts WA Adventure Centre Gilcreek. On the bank of the King River, 12 km from Albany. *Scouts WA Adventure Centre Manjedal. Near Byford about one hours drive from

is the Branch's major Camp Site and Training Centre, established in 1967. *Scouts WA Adventure Centre Vasse 280 km south west of Perth near

Busselton Busselton is a city in the South West region of the state of Western Australia approximately south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destination for Western Australians; however, the closure of the Busselton ...

Other facilities

* Northam Scout Camp. 97 km east of Perth and 4.5 km west of Northam. The campsite's southern boundary is the north side of the Kep Track, which follows the Goldfields Pipeline in the area and is used for hiking, walking, cycling, and horse riding. * Toowacka Campsite.

Bay of Isles The Bay of Isles is a bay wide and receding , lying between Cape Buller and Cape Wilson along the north coast of South Georgia. It was discovered in 1775 by a British expedition under James Cook and so named by him because numerous islands ...

, Esperance. * Scout Water Activity Centre, in

, near

Canning Bridge Canning Bridge is a traffic bridge which is the most downstream crossing of the Canning River in the city of Perth, Western Australia. The bridge is a part of Canning Highway, and it connects the suburbs of Como and Applecross. The Canning Rive ...

in Perth.

Major branch events

* OneCamp 2023, a new event for April 2023, for all sections for one major camp, for the Swan Valley Adventure Centre. *Branch Venturer Council held every second month. * Nighthawk: A night-time orienteering event for Scouts. * Rottnest Invasion: Held at

Rottnest Island Rottnest Island ( nys, Wadjemup), often colloquially referred to as "Rotto", is a island off the coast of Western Australia, located west of Fremantle. A sandy, low-lying island formed on a base of aeolianite limestone, Rottnest is an A-class ...

where Scouts and Venturers do community service. * Youth awards: New Australian Scout Award, Queen's Scout and Baden-Powell Award recipients every February are presented their certificate by the State Governor. * Campwest: Held every three years, Campwest is a small scale jamboree, held between Australian jamborees. The following are the major competitions that are held in Western Australia. Scouts * Cargeeg Challenge Shield (Scouts) – the Premier Camping competition in Western Australia for Scouts at Manjedal Scout Centre, is currently held by Donny Brook Scouts Troop. * Master Mariners Junior Shield (Scouts) – the Premier Boating competition in Western Australia for Scouts, is currently held by Canning Sea Scouts. * Swan Tiki – a Bi-annual Rafting event for Scout section, the overall trophy is currently held by Bibra Lake Scouts. * Orienteering – held annually at a national park in Perth. There are many categories in which teams compete to collect the most points. Venturer Scouts * Master Mariners Senior Shield – premier boating competition in Western Australia for Venturers, currently held by Fremantle Venturer Sea Scouts. * Mission Impossible * Vencarna is a car event similar to the Rover Baja Car Rally. Rovers * Master Mariner Rover Oar, a premier boating competition in Western Australia for rovers, is currently held by Pelican Point Rover Sea Scouts. * Mission Impossible. * Rover Motor Sports, the Rover Baja Car Rally. Water Activities/Sea Scouts (involving more than one section) * Swan-A-Bout, the 30 hours sailing Marathon for the Scout section and above. The overall Trophy is currently held by Canning Sea Scouts. Waylen Bay Sea Scouts holds the dinghy, seaboat and keelboat classes while Canning Sea Scouts hold the catamaran and red-witch classes. * Pelican Point Regatta is held bi-annually with other Sea Scout troops holding the regatta every second year. The last regatta was held as Waylen Bay Regatta in 2006. The shield is currently held by the Waylen Bay Sea Scouts. * Como Regatta: The annual regatta is held at Scout Water Activity Centre at Como. The trophy is currently held by Waylen Bay Sea Scouts. * Rowing Record: There is rowing challenge open to all Scouts and Venturers. It is between Nedlands and Applecross jetty. The current holders are the Waylen Bay Venturers, setting the record in 1984 in the sea boat Lyn Ward.

History

In 2015, Western Australia's biggest scout group's meeting place and hall (1st Mandurah Scouts) was bulldozed, after the City of Mandurah sold the property to supermarket giant

Aldi Aldi (stylised as ALDI) is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 10,000 stores in 20 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946, when t ...

Girl Guiding Western Australia

Girl Guides Western Australia is one of the seven member organisations of

Girl Guides WA has around 2,600 members. Girl Guide units operate throughout the state and are organised into regions: * North Metro * Joondalup * Whitfords Coastal * Seaward * Darling Swan * Peel * River SeaWay * Southern Foothills * Capricorn * Avon Hills * Great Southern * Three Rivers

Centenary

From 28 June 2014 to 28 June 2015, Girl Guides WA celebrated 100 years of Guiding in Western Australia. A number of events and special projects were organised for the occasion, including a Centenary Dinner for adult members, past members and supporters, "Jamboree with a Difference" and collection of information for the state archives.

Our Barn

Girl Guides WA operates "Our Barn" in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

The original building on the property is from the Victorian Era and was originally the stables of Haversham House. It has a rich history, and was used by the Red Cross in World War II as a convalescent home for the armed services. Our Barn was converted into a dormitory by Girl Guides WA in the 1970s and officially opened as a Guide Property in 1977.

References

External links

Branch web pages
{{Scouting in Australia West Australia, Scouting in