Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Badge, Merit |
Title |
Brownie Dancer Badge |
Date |
c. 1958 |
Place of Origin |
Applewood/Mississauga/Ontario/Canada |
Description |
A brown, triangular cotton Girl Guides Brownie Dancer badge. The badge has an embroidered yellow Brownie dancing with the words, "Girl Guides" above. |
History |
This Brownie Dancer 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. This particular Dancer badge was produced between 1948 and 1967, though it likely dates to the early 1960s when Jo-Anne was a Brownie. In the Girl Guides's 1965 Policy Organization and Rules book, a Brownie must complete the following to earn the Dancer Badge: march, run, skip and leap in time to music, clap various beats, create a dance, do a courtesy, show the five positions of the arms and feet, and perform a simple folk dance from any nationality. |
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. |
People |
Storen, Jo-Anne |
Search Terms |
Applewood White Oaks Area |
Relation |
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