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The
Women of Guiding
Profiling Lady Olave Baden-Powell and Lady Mary Pellatt
©
Outdoor Adventure Canada
Last year my great-niece
joined Girl Guides and her effort to earn her Lady Olave Baden-Powell
badge sparked my interest in the woman. My original intent was
to write only about Mrs. Baden-Powell but during my research I
also discovered another interesting woman, Lady Mary Pellatt.
Both of these women were ahead of their time and they influenced
the personal growth of so many young women.
Lady Olave
Baden-Powell
 "Discipline
yourself daily by having a plan… not just vague, wishful
thinking. Commit yourself daily to do something however small,
for somebody else, for by making other people happy your will
find true happiness yourself." - Lady Olave Baden-Powell
Born Olave St. Clair
Soames, she was raised in England and enjoyed many outdoor activities
in her youth. On a trip to Jamaica she met Robert Baden-Powell
and the couple fell in love despite their 32 year age difference.
Olave was taken with
the Scouting activities of her husband and later became the Chief
Guide for all of Britain. She set up the Guide International and
Imperial Councils and in 1920 the first World Conference was held
in England where Princess Mary was enrolled as a Guide.
During the 20's the
couple lived in Pax Hill, Hampshire and entertained visitors of
the scouting and guiding community from all over the world. Her
husband passed away in 1941 but she continued to be available
for visits from Scouts and Guides. Her availability was marked
by the World Flag in her apartment window. Olave visited France
at the end of WWII where 40,000 Guides and Scouts paraded past
her on the Champs Elysees.
When travel opened
up after WWII Olave visited countries throughout the world including
fifteen visits to Canada. Lady Olave Baden-Powell loved her work
and was instrumental in making Guides what it is today.
Lady Mary Pellatt
 Another
interesting character from the history of Girl Guides is Lady
Mary Pellatt, a Canadian woman who lived at Casa Loma in Toronto.
It must have been amazing to visit the castle in 1913 with 250
other Girl Guides. Events were held at both Casa Loma and Lady
Pellatt's country home in King, Ontario.
She was a woman who
had challenges; in fact she was in a wheelchair and even had to
have an elevator, Toronto's first, installed at Casa Loma. This
did not stop her from volunteering for many organizations. During
the First World War she encouraged Guides to contribute items
to children throughout Europe, Britain and Canada. Then in 1918
the Girl Guides of Canada donated over 16, 000 pairs of boots
for people in France.
Not only was Lady Pellatt
the very first person to be the Chief Commissioner of the Dominion
of Canada Girl Guides, but she was also given the rank of Lady
of Grace in the Order of St. John of Jerusalem because of the
extent of work she did for Girl Guides. She even convinced other
women to join the Guiding community including Lady White and Lady
McKenzie.
During her life Mary
Pellatt had earned the Silver Fish award which was the highest
honour in Guiding and had been given the Girl Guides' Thanks Badge
by Lieutenant Gov. Sir John Gibson. She was instrumental in opening
the Canadian Headquarters for Guides and worked with the CNE to
make Girl Guides a part of the Women's Day Activities.
In 1921 Lady Mary Pellatt
was forced to step down from her position as Chief Commissioner
as her health was now failing. She passed away in 1924 at the
age of 67 and was buried in her Guide uniform.
Today Girl Guides continues
to help girls to grow through helping others, attending camps,
making friends and doing badge work because of the legacy of these
two women.
Special
thanks to the City of Toronto Archives and GSUSA for the photographs.
For more articles
please view the archives.
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