Part of celebrating our Centenary year is looking back at some of the wonderful WA Guiding events, people and activities of the last 100 years.

On this blog, we’ve added photos in albums dedicated to each decade in our gallery page, and we’ve looked at significant events such as world wars and how these affected Guiding (including how Guiding contributed to society during those times). We have also highlighted events that created special Guiding memories for past and present members.

Remembering our past helps us understand where we are today – which prepares us for our future.

In this post, we look back at the Warara International Lones Camp, held at Ern Halliday Campsite, Sorrento WA, 6-13 January 1983. If you don’t know what a Lone is, it is basically a girl who lives too far away from any Girl Guide Unit to take part in regular meetings. This old photo shows a Leader setting off in a horse and buggy to enrol a Lone Girl Guide down near Albany, WA in the 1930s.

Ailsa Kirk sets out to enrol Lone Guides at Lowlands

A Lone Girl Guide participates in guiding either through written letters, on the radio, or on the internet. With WA being such a large state with many remote areas, we had quite a few Lones for many years.

Warara was the first International Lones Camp held in Australia and was attended by 124 campers including 37 Leaders. The countries and states represented were:

• Canada (1)
• New Zealand (11)
• New South Wales (23)
• Queensland (9)
• South Australia (8)
• The United Kingdom (3)
• Victoria (21)
• Zimbabwe (3)
• Western Australia (46)

On the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the week, the campers undertook a unique service experience when Aboriginal girls visited for Day Camps through an Outreach program.

Enjoy this little gallery of special memories for many adult women who were able to participate in Guiding by joining the Lones program.