IN 1937, as an 11-year-old, Princess Elizabeth was registered as a Girl Guide.

There’s a portrait of her hanging proudly in the Queanbeyan Girl Guides Hall, a reminder of the Queen’s visit there in 1977.

“She’s a great example of what a Girl Guide is,” says Christine Butler, a Guide herself of more than 50 years and Queanbeyan’s 2022 Citizen of the Year, 

“I think people have a stereotypical view that Girl Guides just sell biscuits, but what we have always been about is a learning environment, one that teaches girls leadership and resilience so that they can go out there and do great things.

“Look at the Queen, she drove trucks during the war, and it’s a skill she started through Girl Guides.”

Christine was six when Girl Guides first sparked her interest in 1968. 

She had watched as her older brother enjoyed being a Scout and wanted to do similar things.

“There is no such thing as ‘boys stuff’ when it comes to Girl Guides,” says Christine.

“Girls want to do crafts, they can do that; they want to do science or camping or archery or caving, they can do all that, too.”

Among Christine’s earliest memories of being a guide are canoeing in the Queanbeyan River, hiking up Mount Jerrabomberra and selling hundreds of lamingtons at lamington drives. Visiting the old Queanbeyan Fire Station as a young girl is among her most special.

“It was the most exciting thing for me as a kid. I remember we got to go all over the trucks and use a hose,” she says.

“I had to pass some challenges to get my badge and I thought that was the most amazing experience.”

It marked the beginning of a life devoted to the organisation. Now, she’s been recognised as Queanbeyan’s Citizen of the Year, nominated by the parents of the girls she’s left an impact on.

“We have a motto about empowering girls and it’s exactly what we do,” says Christine.

“We hope these girls will go out and make such a contribution not only to their society but to the world.”

In NSW, Girl Guides marked a century of service last year, and the Queanbeyan branch is not far behind, this year celebrating 95 years.

Christine says being a part of the community is one of the most important things about the organisation.

“We teach girls that you should give as much as you take and we strive to give back to Queanbeyan with community service,” she says.

“We support charities like OzHarvest, we’re patrons of George Forbes House and the girls do regular service at the Lions Community Book Shop as well.”

Queanbeyan’s original Girl Guide hall was located just near the showground, but one of Christine’s proudest achievements is being part of the fundraiser to build a new and much safer hall in 1986, which is located nearby the riverside cemetery.

Today it’s used every week and is home to equipment for a sweeping range of activities, including newly installed archery facilities.

“It’s up to the girls how they want to challenge themselves,” says Christine.

“A few of the girls challenge themselves to get their driver’s licence, for example; it sounds easy but it’s not for some people, and if those people can get the confidence they need to learn an important life skill it can be a big deal.”

Throughout her own time as a Guide, Christine has been no stranger to challenging herself.

“The biggest challenge for me as an adult was when I went caving. I am terribly claustrophobic,” she says.

“That was terrifying for me, it was so tight in there I had to take my helmet off to get through some gaps, but I was responsible for the girls in that cave so there’s no way I was backing out, I just had to rise to the challenge.”

Christine says the organisation also helped her daughter find her calling.

“From her youngest days all the way through until she was about seven, my daughter didn’t want to be a Guide,” says Christine.

“She eventually came to it on her own and later would go on to win the Queen’s Guide, the highest honour the Girl Guides can achieve.

“Now she looks after the senior guides, the 14-to-18-year-old group, while holding down a job as a teacher taking those leadership skills she learnt through Guides.”

To Christine, it’s one of the clearest examples of the impact that the organisation can have.