Olave Baden Powell Society Presentation 2004

Cavell Guides, OPBS (click for more photos)

In September, nine 1st Auckland Cavell Girl Guides attended the Olave Baden-Powell Society Presentation Ceremony at the Carlton Hotel in Auckland. This was the first time the ceremony has been held in New Zealand (and is perhaps the last time for a while) and the Cavell Guides were privileged to be chosen as the flagbearers for the evening.

Many of the girls had never been in a hotel so opulent before and they were over awed by its magnificence. A quick tour of the reception rooms was all they had time for before the guests arrived, bringing with them many souvenirs from their own countries, which they were happy to share with the girls.

The most important of these guests arrived once the rest were seated, HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark - the Patron of the society. The Guides formed a Guard of Honour for her arrival and then began their nerve-wracking walk up to the stage with the flags, most of them praying that they would not fall off.

When the colour parties were safely seated, the ceremony began. Although it was probably not intended for bubbly girls of their age to be seated for more than ten minutes, the girls managed to focus their attention on the ceremony well. The Auckland Girls Choir provided light entertainment at times throughout the ceremony.

Once the ceremony had finished and the flags safely removed, the Guides were endlessly photographed by the guests, while being complimented on their smart uniforms and wonderful performance. I think it is safe to say the girls were flattered by all the attention. This outstanding evening was crowned with a photo opportunity the girls had with HRH Princess Benedikte, a great memento of a wonderful evening and we were grateful for the opportunity of attending such a magnificent ceremony.