An institution in Kyabram’s history has turned the final page on its last chapter, leaving many to wonder: what happened?
Kyabram Girl Guides has a long and proud history, with the Free Press reporting on the group’s activities as early as 1926.
A brief story was placed in the October 22, 1926 edition referring to the group as “a meeting of ladies interested in the Girl Guide movement”.
Just over 98 years later, group leader Thelma O’Keefe has announced the Girl Guide movement in Kyabram can no longer continue.
Thelma joined as a leader to see her two daughters through their own Guiding journey, and nearly 27 years later she is one of the last leaders standing in the region.
The reason stems from what Thelma believes is a lack of adult leadership figures in the group and a lack of interest from young girls.
She said she made the tough decision to close Kyabram Girl Guides after exhausting all options.
“I changed from a Thursday night to a Tuesday night because kids were leaving because they had netball on Thursday nights ... then kids would still leave because they had netball on Tuesday nights as well,” she said.
“That was the only night I had available, so I thought: ‘No, it’s time that I look after number one.’”
Thelma emphasised that the heart of the issue lay in a community-wide reluctance to volunteer, a trend affecting not just Guiding, but many local organisations.
“I think the whole thing is nobody wants to put their hand up to volunteer to do anything, and that’s anything, not just Guiding — anything,” Thelma said.
“I’ve been doing this for 27 years, and I don’t get paid; in fact, I’m going to get a pay rise, a 100 per cent pay rise.”
With a lack of adult volunteers combined with a lack of interest, Thelma made the tough call at the beginning of October, letting the five girls who were left in the group know that they would either have to move to a different group or leave Guiding all together.
Two of the girls have decided to move to Mooroopna Girl Guides, with plans already in place for carpooling and introductions between the two groups already made.
“The girls (were) not happy about it (when I told them) … but they have it all worked out, and it will be fine in the end,” Thelma said.
The Free Press reached out to Girl Guides Victoria regarding the closure of the unit, asking whether anything could have been done to save the unit, and what regional or rural Girl Guide groups could do to receive assistance.
Girl Guides Victoria assistant state commissioner Deborah Abbs said she had recently been made aware that the Kyabram unit intended to close.
“Kyabram Girl Guides has a long history in the area, and we are saddened to hear of this decision,” she said.
“We understand that planning to close a unit is usually driven by a range of factors, including local demand, volunteer support and costs, and is never an easy decision.
“Girl Guides Victoria offers a range of supports to Guide units and districts, and we are exploring options so that Kyabram Guides can continue to connect with Guiding.”
Thelma’s remarkable journey with Girl Guides will conclude.
However, the future of guiding in Kyabram remains uncertain.
The community faces the challenge of reviving this institution for future generations; but Thelma is not confident.
“Once it’s gone, it’s gone,” she said.
“(The Guide Hall) is going to get demolished.”
The Kyabram Girl Guides group’s last meeting is in December — the last page left to be read before closing the book on Guiding in Kyabram completely.
“It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to Kyabram Girl Guides — it’s going to be really hard.”