Brownies - Ephemera

Subcollections
Overview

Item 1 & 2 printed card
Item 3 & 4 printed card
Item 5. Paper booklet
Item 6. Printed card
Item 7. Printed card certificate

Historical information

Originally, "Rosebuds" (the idea being that they would ‘blossom into Guides’), were first organised by Lord Robert Baden-Powell (founder of the Scouting movement) in 1914 to complete the range of age groups for girls in Scouting. They were first run as the youngest group (aged 7-10 years) in the Guide Association by Agnes Baden-Powell, Lord Baden-Powell's younger sister.

In 1915, the following year, Lord Baden-Powell renamed the group to "Brownies" after the girls complained about their original name. The new name comes from a children's story "The Brownies" in a book titled "The Brownies and Other Tales" written by Juliana Horatia Ewing in 1870. In the story, two children, Tommy and Betty, learn that children can be helpful brownies instead of being lazy bogarts (bully).

In 1918, his wife, Lady Olave Baden-Powell, took over the responsibility for the Girl Guides and thus for Brownies.

Details

Details

Registration number
cwa-org-124-2020.616
Material
Contextual information

All members of Guiding in Australia are now known as Guides (no longer is the term "Brownies").
This name change was made in 1996, along with the introduction of a national uniform and a new Guiding Program.
No more brown or blue pinafores.

Historically, a group of Brownies who meet together is called a Unit. Brownies work in small groups called Sixes, with each Six named after either fairies or woodland creatures; Junjarin; Mulloka; Lalagulli; Woorail; Moora Moora; Tookonie or Tintookie. A Six is led by a Sixer, and has a Second who acts as deputy.

"Brown Owl" is the name for the leader of a Brownie Unit, a tradition that comes from the wise old owl in the Brownie story. The leader is often named Brown Owl, with other adult volunteers being called "Tawny Owl," "Snowy Owl," or another owl name.

Keywords
Primary significance criteria
Historic significance
Social or spiritual significance
Last modified
Friday, 10 October, 2025
Completeness
83
Busselton Historical Society

Busselton Historical Society

Brownies
Brownies
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Brownies
Brownies
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Brownies

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