Girl Guides - May Yates Campsite

Subcollections
Overview

Item A: Metal sign with a yellow Trefoil (Girl Guide symbol) on blue background with the wording in yellow underneath.
Item B: Metal round badge with tent in the centre. Gold wording around the outer circle
Item C: Green metal rectangular badge with gold wording in centre
Item D: Wooden board, gold lettering, wooden trefoil in relief, and also metal plaque black background with gold lettering
Item E: Fabric badge enclosed in a paper greeting card.
Front of card and inside: black wording with yellow Girl Guide symbol with blue and black border.

Historical information

The "May Yates Campsite" was a Girl Guide campsite in Marybrook, Busselton, Western Australia, that was opened in 1958 and named in honor of May Yates, a prominent Girl Guide leader.

Item C: Leader's "Camp Permit" badge was worn by Pat Voyer, Busselton Leader.

Details

Details

Registration number
cwa-org-124-2021.212
Material
Inscriptions and markings

Item A : "May Yates Camp Site"
Item B: "Girl Guides - May Yates Campsite
Item C: "Camp Permit"
Item D: "May Yates Campsite, Busselton
Honorary Life Members from 1988
Connie Dawson
Colin Dawson
Muriel Blue
Dorothy West
Hilda Maidment
Eileen Cooper
Ruth Neale
Sir Stewart Bovell
Pat Voyer
Vicky Stevens
Phyllis Peach
Len Peach
Shirley Hunter

On the metal plaque:
"The Girl Guides, South West Division Campsite, Abbey, Busselton, WA
Officially opened by Sir Stewart Bovell MLA on the 19th November1958
The area was later named "May Yates Campsite"
Happy memories of camps, pack holidays & trainings, where 'guiding traditions' were instilled & honoured.
Campsite closed November 2011"

Item E: Front of greeting card: "May Yates Campsite Vasse - 40th Birthday, 21-22 March1998"
Inside of greeting card: "A souvenir to say thankyou for celebrating the May Yates Campsite 40th Birthday"

Contextual information

Evelyn May (May) yates was born in Halifax, Yorkshire in 1889. She was a Guide in the north of England from 1912 to 1917. She followed the arts, played the piano and guitar and also did wood carving.
After her marriage, she came to Busselton as the wife of the only doctor in the area in the 1920’s (Dr Walter Percy Yates). She was always interested in Guiding and the welfare of girls.
Guiding in Busselton had started in 1917, but records are sketchy, we do know that in 1928 the Country Organising Commissioner for W.A., Mrs C.E.F. Bull visited the area to form a local company of Guiders, and that Mrs Yates had been running a small informal company and was District Commissioner from 1920. The movement was formalised on May 30th 1928 when First Busselton Guides were formed.
Mrs Yates remained the District Commissioner and in 1931 she took up the post of first Divisional Commissioner for the South West, which was not only Capel, Busselton, Margaret River and Augusta but Bunbury, Brunswick, Collie and Darkan! All this in a time when horse and buggy were the main means of transport, although Mrs Yates had access to a car, her husband being a doctor and he was not called into the country she took full opportunity to use it. As well as Divisional Commissioner she remained District Commissioner for Busselton and outlying districts until 1958.
May Yates also gave up rooms in her house for Brownie and Guide meetings, trained leaders and was always there for all her “girls”.
In 1950 she received the Award of the Medal of Merit for outstanding service to Guiding.
She worked tirelessly to enable a campsite to be opened in the area, eventually this campsite was opened in 1958 and later named the May Yates Campsite in her honour. Unfortunately this campsite was closed in 2011.
In 1958 she handed over the District Commissioner’s job to another but continued as Divisional Commissioner until 1960 when she retired. She then became an elected member of the State Council of Girl Guides and remained involved with the movement for many more years.
Mrs Yates died in 1983 at the age of 94 years.

Primary significance criteria
Historic significance
Social or spiritual significance
Last modified
Thursday, 9 October, 2025
Completeness
83
Related Objects

Related Objects

Busselton Historical Society

Busselton Historical Society

May Yates Campsite Sign
May Yates Campsite - badge
Camp Permit - badge
Honour Board
Souvenir badge & card

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