Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Badge, Merit |
Title |
Golden Bar Badge |
Date |
c. 1961 |
Place of Origin |
Applewood/Mississauga/Ontario/Canada |
Description |
A rectangular Girl Guides of Canada Brownie Golden Bar (Second Class) badge. The badge is made of brown cotton with yellow stiching in the shape of a bar with the words "GIRL GUIDES" below. |
History |
This Brownie Bar Badge belonged to local Applewood Brownie Jo-Anne Storen, who was a member of the White Oaks Area Girl Guides. This style of badge was produced between 1935 and 1968. Jo-Anne likely recieved this badge sometime around 1961 or 1962 when she was a Brownie. Jo-Anne's older sister, two years her senior, was also a Brownie and Guide. Fond memories of her time with the Applewood Girl Guides linger in Jo-Anne's recollections. As Brownies, they convened at Westacres Public School, where Jo-Anne vividly recalls enchanting tales of brownies and fairies. A plastic owl with animated eyes served as a receptacle for their membership dues, and she took great pride in her Brownie uniform, diligently polishing her pins with a toothbrush and paste until they gleamed. Reflecting on those days, she chuckled, "[I] only realized much later that our cries of 'towit, toowoo' were owl noises!" Her Brownie journey included earning various badges, such as mastering semaphore flags, knitting, and housekeeping, the latter involving tasks like making beds and preparing tapioca, often in a leader's or parent's home. However, Jo-Anne was a desperately shy child and it was a great challenge for her to be part of a big group. To earn this badge, a Brownie must have passed the Brownie test by completing the following: Know the composition of the Union Jack (or Canadian flag after 1965) and the right way to fly it, sing "God Save the Queen" and "O Canada", observe and describe three things from the outdoors chosen by the Brownie, learn about the origins of the Guiding and Brownie movement, show two methods of sewing on buttons, make a picture or object from seeds and other natural materials, skip backwards, catch and throw a ball, play a balancing game, set a table for a meal and tidy up afterward, clean one's room, and clean a pair of shoes. |
References |
"Brownie Badges", Girld Guides Archives. Retrieved from: https://www.girlguides.ca/web/documents/on/archives/pdf_archives_brownies_badges.pdf "Policy Organization and Rules", Girl Guides of Canada, 1965. "Wartime Brownie Badges", Valour Canada. Retrieved from: https://valourcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Wartime-Brownie-Badges.pdf |
People |
Storen, Jo-Anne |
Search Terms |
Applewood White Oaks Area |
Relation |
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