Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Badge, Identification |
Title |
Gnome Six Emblem |
Date |
c. 1961 |
Place of Origin |
Applewood/Mississauga/Ontario/Canada |
Description |
A cotton Girl Guides Brownie Gnome six emblem. The badge consists of an embroidered white gnome holding a black broom on a brown background. |
History |
This Brownie Gnome badge belonged to local Applewood Brownie Jo-Anne Storen, who was a member of the 3rd Applewood Pack in the White Oaks Area Girl Guides in the early 1960s. 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. Following the introduction of the Brownie program aimed at providing Guiding for younger girls and the choice to base the program on The Brownie Story, which centered around mythical elf-like creatures called Brownies, an additional decision was made in 1919. This decision involved subdividing each Brownie Pack into smaller groups, each comprising six girls. These smaller groups within the Pack were referred to as Sixes and were distinguished by a Six emblem featuring the name of a mythical fairylike figure from folklore. In 1995, the term "Sixes" was replaced with the term "Circles," and the design of the emblems underwent a change as well. |
References |
"Sixer Emblems", Girl Guides of Canada-Ontario Council. Retrieved from: https://www.girlguides.ca/WEB/Documents/ON/Archives/pdf_archives_badges_sixer_emblems.pdf |
People |
Storen, Jo-Anne |
Search Terms |
White Oaks Area |
Relation |
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