Sophie was presented with the Queen’s Guide Award during an event at Deniliquin’s Four Post Camp last month.
It is the highest award that a Girl Guide can receive, and can be started at 14 but must be finalised before the recipient turns 18.
It took Sophie two years to complete all the requirements.
She celebrated her achievement in the company of friends, family, assessors, Guide leaders, her Duke of Edinburgh Award leader and other Girl Guides who were participating in the camp.
Requirements for the award comprise nine sections split into the Gold Endeavor, Interest, and Focus.
Within each section there were a variety of challenges that Sophie faced independently and within a group:
• Promise and Law - Sophie created an activity booklet and shared it with her Guide Unit - Horizon Lone Guides - as well as Queensland Lone Guides-Tirrikki Lones and her assessor, Ros Steel.
• Guiding Traditions - Sophie produced a booklet preserving family guiding stories, short activities from the BP program when her aunties and mum achieved theirs, and bingo with the badges her aunties and mum completed in guiding. Copies were presented to the Deniliquin Guide Unit, Horizon Lones Unit, Tirrikki Lones Unit the Trefoil Guild Ladies in Orange.
• For Service - Sophie learned how to knit and knitted trauma teddies for the Red Cross, developed a website comparing the Red Cross and the CWA, and a short activity.
• Outdoors - Sophie presented a variety of reports, a long-term experiment on water quality and scientific report on Finley Lake, collection of media about issues in conservation, and a detailed list of her own conservation efforts. She also quizzed the Horizon and Tirrikki Lones Units, presented a few short activities to the Deniliquin Guide Unit, and presented to her assessor Michelle Archinal.
• World Guiding - Sophie assembled a document about India, and short activities to present to Deniliquin, Horizon Lones and Tirrikki Lones Guide Units.
• Patrol Diary - Sophie crafted a diary of instances she was in a patrol group, a short activity for the Horizon and Tirrikki Lones Units and presented it to Faye Croft.
• Leadership Development - Sophie attended FLY (Fun Leadership 4 Youth) in Engadine, NSW to help 15-17 year-olds become great leaders. She reflected on her experiences in a document which was assessed by her Guide leader.
• Interest - Sophie immersed herself into dance by attending at least 1.5 hours after school dance practices and performing at Finley High School’s MADDD performance, viewing a live ballet performance of Don Quiote at Shepparton, and a full day dance workshop at Wagga Wagga High School.
• Focus - Sophie delved into Focus Arts with photography and graphic art. For photography, she undertook a five-week TAFE course, completed 27 hours of photography, and entered photos in local agricultural shows. For graphic arts she developed her skills through sketching everyday scenes from references, participated in the Riverina Art Camp in Albury, and William Dobell Drawing School at the National Art School in Sydney. She also continued her artistic ability through bullet journaling.
“I want to thank everyone who made my award possible, and lent a hand into completing a hard accomplishment that I will forever be grateful for,” Sophie said.
“This award was especially difficult, being a rural Girl Guide.
“But I have had some great experiences and gained knowledge, so I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
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