64 Guides (made up of 15 patrols) and 24 Leaders put on their ‘determined camper’ hats recently, for the 2023 State Lady Stradbroke Cup — and had an incredibly rewarding and fun time doing so!
As our only state competition patrol camp for Guides, Lady Stradbroke Cup is not exactly considered ‘easy’. This year’s competition, which had an imaginative ‘Myths and Legends’ theme, was no less challenging than previous years. 10-17 year-old girls were required to work in their teams (patrols) to set up and take down their own tents, cook all their meals, and overcome any challenges that cropped up over the weekend.
These activities and challenges require Guides to step outside of their comfort zones and draw on the outdoor camping skills they do have, while developing new ones in a competitive environment. But our Guides well and truly rose to the challenge.
And they did so with an amazing sense of calm, according to our Assistant State Commissioner Deborah Abbs. Deb paid participating Guides and Leaders a visit with State Commissioner Linda Kors (pictured below having dinner with our winning patrol!), and fellow Assistant State Commissioners Billie Tranter and Rebecca Cartwright.
The calm environment of the 2023 Lady Stradbroke Cup is a testament to the brave space created by our Guiding Community at this patrol camp, year after year. This is the kind of space where girls are supported to try new things, learn as they go, and draw on their own unique strengths to help their patrols thrive. The kind of space that makes Lady Stradbroke Cup not just a competition, but a platform for our talented, intelligent and determined Guides to showcase their skills and strength, and perhaps most importantly, their sense of camaraderie.
Bravo to the The Hunters of Artemis patrol from Whitehorse for winning this year’s Lady Stradbroke Cup, and the Toast Ghosts patrol from Thornbury for winning the 2023 Rising Star Award!
We’ll leave you with this quote from Bec Mierisch, Eltham Echidna Ranger Guides Unit Leader, which sums up the essence of this year’s Lady Stradbroke Cup perfectly:
“My favorite part was seeing all the girls at the campfire, singing along with each other, and trying to learn the songs as they went, all giving each other a fair go, and respecting those who were teaching the song. It was a lot of fun!
As a leader, this has definitely been my favorite camp so far, I loved all the connections I made with not only the youth, but the other young adult leaders. We bonded really well, and it was awesome to get to work with people my age, who shared the same love for guiding as I!”
