Friday, September 4, 2009

100 Years Ago Today - Crystal Palace

100 years today girls showed up at the Crystal Palace Rally for Boy Scouts.

Nesta Maude Ashworth was one of them!

She registered at Scout Headquarters by using her initials instead of her given names! She attended the Crystal Palace Rally in September 1909, with her friend, Rutha Orman, when they were sixteen years old.

Nesta wrote in her memoirs that Lord Baden-Powell came over to the group of girls and asked them who they were. "We're the Girl Scouts" they said, but he replied that there were no Girl Scouts. They quickly responded with "Oh yes there are, 'cos we're them!".

After B-P recovered from his surprise at seeing the girls at the rally, he asked his sister Agnes to organize something for the girls. Thus, Girl Guides was born.

The first Guide Company in Canada was in St. Catharines, Ontario. It was started by Mrs. A.H. Malcolmson. She travelled to England in 1909 and was at the Crystal Palace Rally. Back in Canada she registered the 1st St. Catharines Company of B-P Girl Guides and Agnes Baden-Powell, B-P's sister, signed the certificate.

Girl Guides were officially established in 1910 and will be celebrating 100 years in 2010.


This photo shows Blanche Lintorn Orman with daughter Rotha on the left and Nesta Maude on the right.


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