Photo: West Vancouver Brownie pack in the great outdoors, 1961
Several troops of Girl Guides were established on the North Shore in 1921. It was a time when the City of Vancouver was a ferry ride away and Marine Drive had not yet reached Whytecliff Park. Physical isolation did not prevent the modern world from reaching West Vancouver. Women like Phyl Munday, Gwladys Davis, Lucy Smith, and Ruth Thompson championed the Guiding movement. Teachers, politicians, and business owners, these trailblazing local women volunteered their time to teach girls self-reliance and independence.
To mark 100 years of Guiding in West Vancouver, long time resident and Guider Daphne Hales will speak on the British origins of the Guiding movement, and how Guiding arrived and flourished in Canada. Historic photos and archival movie clips will accompany stories about visiting dignitaries, early camping adventures to Bowen Island and Wilson Creek (later named Camp Olave), and the creation of the Phyl Munday Nature House in Lighthouse Park.
Next time you visit the library, don’t forget to view WEST VANCOUVER GIRL GUIDES: A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 1921-2021 from June 18 to August 31 in the Library’s Art Gallery (Main Hall).
West Vancouver Memorial Library
