The brownie guide pack of birmingham

[Fairney View]

Are the Brownie Guides a thing of the Brummie past? In early 1970's I 'promised to do my best/do my duty to God/serve other people/and something the brownie guide law' and got my little badge.
"Be Prepared" is still something I live life by!

 

[Wendy]

I was a brownie and girl guide at 1st Little Aston which was actually in Four Oaks. My cousin Geraldine Marston who recently passed away was very involved in Birmingham Trefoil which is the girl guide association.

 

[Pomgolian]

I too was a Brownie and Girl Guide with my sister in the 50's early 60's. We were Brownies in Highgate somewhere on Mosley Rd and Guides in The Central Hall Building Just off Corporation St Nechells. I still have my Girl Guide Tie Pin/Badge.

G/G Badge

Central Hall

 

[G G Jean]

I still have my girl guide book. Well I hope I have as the granddaughter borrowed it when she was in the Brownies. I was in Thrush patrol and patrol leader although we were the bottom of the badge list. My guider was a Mrs Morgan who lived in the Ridgeway and we would go and practice lighting fires in her garden. We went to camp a fair few times but I was always in trouble as I would be off catching frogs instead of doing my duties. Jean.

 

[sylviasayers]

I was in the Brownies during the 1940s, we met at the church (don't know the name) on the corner of Yates/Thomas Streets, Aston. Because clothes were on ration we all had second hand uniforms. When we were 11 years old we should have transferred to the Guides, which I think was held at a church hall at the bottom of Victoria Road, we duly turned up but I wasn't allowed to join because I wasn't quite 11. All my friends were born in the early part of the year, and my birthday is December, so in a show of support none of them enrolled and so none of us joined the Guides, pity.

 

[mah]

I was Tawny Owl for one of the three St. Michaels Church brownies.One pack at the Church,one i think was at Gilbertstone school,and my pack at Lyndon green school.One of my daughters was in my pack. This was in the early seventies. My youngest grandaughter has recently been enrolled and loves brownies. Margaret.

 

[G G Jean]

Sylvia we used to camp with the guide group from Victoria road and am trying to think of the Leader from there. I think she was a Miss Wells?. Didn't like me I am afraid. Jean.

 

[Pomgolian]

In Brownies I was in 'Little People' (wonder why? LOL) our badge was a funny little character in Yellow and Green strips and in Guides I was in 'The Robins ' again a very small bird. It's a wonder I don't have hang ups about being small LOL.

 

[dottieau]

I was in the brownies and guides at St Richards church Kitts Green. The guides if I remember right was 1st Lea Hall 112 Birmingham group. We used to go to the hospital at little Bromwich some Saturday afternoons learning how to do hospital corners when making the beds. I was in the snowdrop group. This must have been in the late 1940 early 1950. One of our leaders was name Anthea Gledhill. I remember going to one camp at a place called Preston on Stour..

 

[john bev]

Hello.
My Wife was the Brown Owl at the Blue Cross Church by the Hunters Moon Pub for over 25 Years and has done over 30 years service in The Brownies.But Unfortunatly because of lack of numbers her Brownie Pack The Birmingham 82nd has had to Finish. Its sad really when I think of all the time and effort she has put in and it came to this. A change in values and of course Tv and coputers are an easy option for children today

 

[bevjd10]

I was a brownie and girl guide too in the 1970s, at St chads church Sutton coldfield. Anyone belong to the same packs in the 70s, please give me a shout?

 

[Pamela Y]

I was in the brownies and the guides at St Mary's church Selly Oak in the late 40's early 50's, there was only the one Ranger company for all the churches we met at St Paul's Methodist church Selly Oak Captain was Miss Jones and Lieutenant Miss Annie,we were very lucky at Selly Oak as Mrs Christopher Cadbury was our District Commissioner and we could have days out and camping in their grounds near the top of th Lickey Hills,we had great fun camping with camp fire singing each night,we slept outside the tent one night untill it started to rain . All of us girls and Lieutenant worked at Cadbury's. In 1958 when The Duke of Edinburgh's Award started we were not chosen to join in but Miss Jones fought and won that we could take part ,as part of the award I was Tawny Owl at St Mary's. This year is 50 years since I finished the Gold award .
Where has all that time gone . Pamela

 

[A Sparks]

I was a Brownie at St John's, Perry Barr (Birmingham 219th if I remember correctly) in the late 50's/early 60's
My uniform is still at my parent's house and - would you believe - I can still get into it (though the sleeves are very short) !!

 

[jennyann]

Fascinating that you can still get into your Brownie uniform ASparks and the fact that your parents still have it. I was in the Brownie's and we used to meet in the hall at Marsh Hill Junior and Infants School. I am not sure why this was since most Brownie groups met in Church Halls. I lived just up the hill from Marsh Hill so it was very convenient. I was a Sprite and remember the badge very well. It was a brass badge you pinned on. I used to be responsible for getting out the paper mache mushroom that we used to sit around. I really can't remember ever going camping or getting any badges. This was several decades ago. I became a Tawny Owl when my daughter joined the Brownie's here in Vancouver. I enjoyed being involved very much.

 

[suemalings]

I have been intersted to read about the Brownies and your experiences. Also it is sad that packs are closing in Birmingham. I live in Cambridge now and have just taken my last session with Rainbows. After two years I decided to hand over to someone else. I was never involved with the Guiding Association as a child and had no idea what Rainbows was all about until I decided to take over. Rainbows are girls age 5 - 7, the group before Brownies. I had 13 girls in my group and 6 on the waiting list. We also have very thriving Brownies, Guides, Beavers and Cubs groups in this area. A Cubs group was recently started in our village and already it is quite established. Over the last two years every one of my Rainbows who reached the age of 7 moved up to Brownies and hopefully, some will carry on to Guides.

 

[batmadviv]

I was a member of the 104th Birmingham Brownies in the late 1950s and Guides from 1960 until I was too old to stay in. Brown Owl was Mrs Potts and the Guide Captain was Vera Greene. We used to meet at the YWCA at the corner of Bordesley Green East and Richmond Road, Stechford. The skills Miss Greene taught us were invaluable and ranged from First Aid to woodcraft skills. We regularly went camping at the King's Norton camp site and she gave up a week or 10 days of her annual leave to take us further afield camping in the summer holidays. Happy days.

 

[sandracoley]

did anyone attend the brownies /girl guides at st patricks school hall in highgate .in the fifties.

 

[Pomgolian]

Sandra where in Highgate was St Pat's Hall? Because it was somewhere in Highgate that I went to Brownies in the 1950's and think it was around the Mosley Road area but could be wrong. If I know the location of St Patrick's Hall I could work out if it was there.

 

[sandracoley]

hi..st patricks school/church was in highgate street ..off belgrave road ....the church is no longer there but the school is.....its not far from the mosque in belgrave rd. ....if you had the mosque on your right coming up belgrave rd youd turn left into what was frank st and then right .the school is there ..........

 

[Pomgolian]

Sandra after looking on my old map of the area it looks like it's the right place as we lived in Dymoke St and back then it was much longer than it is now, the part we lived in was demolished in the late 50's.

 

[sandracoley]

hi got to be there then i dont remember another brownie pack in the close area......me and my sister went on into the guides ...wendy and sandra leake we lived in conybere street......

 

[Brownowl40]

As a child I went to Brownies at St Oswalds road church in Small Heath. I know there was also Guides there as my sisters attended. My Aunt Doris Poole was a captain in the guides in Kings Heath. As an adult in the 90's I helped at st John's Rainbows and when that closed started rainbows at Perry Hall Methodist church in Perry Barr ( Rocky Lane)with Pat joyce and Melanie Cox - we were known as Tulip, Poppy and Rose. I also helped out at the Brownies with Janice. Now I run Brownies at Admaston in Telford.

 

[Tracey P]

I was a member of the 104th Birmingham Brownies in the late 1950s and Guides from 1960 until I was too old to stay in. Brown Owl was Mrs Potts and the Guide Captain was Vera Greene. We used to meet at the YWCA at the corner of Bordesley Green East and Richmond Road, Stechford. The skills Miss Greene taught us were invaluable and ranged from First Aid to woodcraft skills. We regularly went camping at the King's Norton camp site and she gave up a week or 10 days of her annual leave to take us further afield camping in the summer holidays. Happy days.

Hi I am brand new to this forum and came across this thread looking for information on the 104th. I have been clearing out the garage at my local church and came across a wooden box marked up 104 BROWNIE ? I notice that you are talking about Bordesley Green area. The box itself was from a church in Tile Cross. Its taken me back in time as i was a member of the BROWNIES at st Johns in Spark hill, then St Marys and St Ambrose on the pershore Road Edgbaston/ Balsall Heath where i became a guide and a Ranger.. They were Happy Days