About Our District

Our story began in April 1978 when a meeting was convened at Deception Bay State Primary School to gauge interest in forming a guiding group in the Bay. As I had been a guide and brownie leader in England for many years, I felt there was potential. A small group was formed and initially met in the pre-school once a week and during school holidays (when the school was closed) at the old shelter opposite the Kiosk.

The number of girls joining quickly grew and more groups were formed so more evenings were needed. It was obvious we needed to find another meeting place and eventually we were offered the old house on the comer of Bailey Road, opposite the Bowls Club. We shared it with Meals on Wheels and the newly-formed Deception Bay Scouts. It was here that we gathered mice liked music! As we sat around in our indoor campfire circle singing, eventually mice would appear from their comer holes, run along the skirting boards and disappear into the cracks. Somehow the leaders were able to keep the girls busy and their eyes on the makeshift fire in the centre, so there were no screams.

The old house was being demolished, Meals on Wheels moved into their new kitchen so we needed to find another meeting place. In 1982 we were lucky enough to be able to buy the old Brighton Hut for $500 and applied to the Caboolture Council for somewhere to put it. The Emerald Avenue dump had been closed so we were able to squeeze the hut alongside. We raised $7000 to move it, mainly by holding weekly cake stalls on the comer of Summer Street and Bayview Terrace. There was no electricity or sewerage connected so it was back to fund-raising. Electricity was first and then for two years we walked the girls mid-meeting to the Library Park for toilets. We held a three-day Festival and Talent Contest and raised enough to complete the hut and were able to officially open in 1984 debt-free.

By now we had two guide groups (11yrs-18 yrs) and three brownie groups (7yrs-10yrs). The hut was used each week night and often at weekends with special day camps or cooking activities or rehearsals for our Nativity Play performed at Carols by Candlelight or other community events.

Over the years hundreds of girls have learnt valuable skills whilst participating in the fun activities -basic cooking, first aid, crafts, environmental activities, hiking, camping, bush-walking, canoeing, abseiling, orienteering (even around Deception Bay). Brisbane Arts Theatre is a regular venue each term. Many girls have earned peck achievements such as Queen's Guide and Baden Powell Awards. For the last twenty years we have included the Duke of Edinburgh' s Award in our programme with many girls earning the Gold, Silver, Bronze, Bridge 2 and Bridge 1 Awards, a real privilege when presented at Government House.

We promote a sense of adventure and girls can do anything! Many of our girls have experienced working overseas and become nurses, teachers, doctors, engineers, child-care workers, vet. nurses and volunteers in the community. At present four of our leaders are former Deception Bay guides and we now have children and grand-children of our first guides enjoying guiding in the Bay.

Service is a major part of the programme. Girls have participated annually in Clean-Up Australia Day, Anzac Day, National Tree Day, Cancer/Red Shield/Polio Door-knocks. This last year they have collected clothes for tsunami victims and Burina, ring-pulls for limbs, donations for endangered species, first aid items/school items for Vanuatu and koalas. The girls themselves choose which community service they would like to support and each patrol takes responsibility for a service project.

2010 is our Centenary of Guiding and already we are planning exciting activities and looking forward next year to launching our special year of celebration.

What joy it has been sharing the lives and dreams of so many Deception Bay girls over the last thirty years.

M. Otto, District Leader, 2008.