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Friday 22 October 2010

Milford on Sea Guides Reunion

More than a hundred of Milford’s past and present 1st Milford on Sea Guides and Guiders, friends and supporters of the Company came from across the country as well as locally and gathered in Milford Church Hall recently (16th October 2010) to celebrate the Centenary of the founding of the Girl Guide movement.

One side of the hall was given over to a display of photographs and memorabilia showing Milford Guides and their activities across the nine decades from the 1920s to the present day. Some former Guides brought their Guide and Brownie uniforms from the 1950s, 60s and 70s, their badges and even their camp blanket. Much hilarity and reminiscing resulted as ladies recognised themselves and friends of their youth. Recollections of camping escapades, map reading mishaps and the like abounded, comments such as “look at those hats” and “do you remember …..” echoed round the hall. Many of the photographs had very generously been loaned for the evening by former Guides and supplemented those collected over the years by the Company, with some coming from Milford’s Historical Society.

Milford’s present day Brownies and Rainbows entertained the gathering with songs they had learned at their meetings and this was followed with everyone joining in a selection of favourite campfire songs. After which came the ceremonial cutting of a Centenary cake by Mrs. Janet Parker the Guide County Commissioner who was helped by the youngest of Milford’s Rainbows present. It was then time for the Brownies and Rainbows to go home to bed, each taking with them a slice of the celebratory cake.

Following supper and more reminiscing, catching up and story-telling, Guide Arnewood District President, Mrs. Marcia Baker sprang a surprise when she announced a further celebration was to be marked that evening as the previous day had been the 90th Birthday of probably Milford’s longest serving Guide, and Captain of the Milford Company for 45 years, Mrs. Freda Cheyney (formerly Miss Freda Lane). With a resounding rendition of “Happy Birthday” Freda was presented with a floral decoration and a photograph album recording her Guiding years, which had plenty of space left for photos taken during the evening. She was then called upon to blow out her candles and cut the second cake of the evening, her own Birthday Cake.  Both celebratory cakes were made by Carole Deacon, Guide Division Commissioner.

The evening closed with the singing of the Guides’ traditional Taps but the reminiscing continued out into the car park and beyond.

Freda Cheyney

Freda, Freda Lane as she was then, first enrolled in Milford Guides in 1933 and her membership continued thus -
1st Milford-on-Sea Guide Company: Guide 1933-1938
1st Milford-on-Sea Rangers: Lieutenant 1938-1940
1st Milford-on-Sea Guide Company: Lieutenant 1939-1941
1st Milford-on-Sea Guide Company: Captain 1941-1986
Arnewood District Commissioner: 1975-1986

Under the rules as set down by the Guide Association Freda retired from active guiding at age 65 in 1986. However that was by no means the end of her association with Guiding in Milford, Freda is a member of the Trefoil Guild and also serves on the Milford Guide Hut Committee and continues still to manage the Hut bookings. Indeed at the recent Book Sale to raise Hut Funds, she was at her table by the door, cash box to hand collecting the entry money.

In July 2009 Freda was presented with a certificate to mark her 50+ years service to Guiding by the Guide County Commissioner.



The History of 1st Milford-on-Sea Guide Company

Milford Girl Guides were started in 1918 by Miss Mollie Woodd. The 1st Milford-on-Sea Guide Company was duly registered at the Girl Guides Association Headquarters on 5th July 1919. Until the mid-1930s the Guides met in the W.I. Hall which was in Keyhaven Road where they had a cupboard for their belongings, or in a barn in Lawn Road behind Carringtons. About 1935 Mrs Woodd bought what was then Ede’s Building Yard off Sea Road and presented it to the Guides. There was a tumbledown hut on the site which they could then use for meetings. It was apparently very draughty but the Guides scrubbed it out and were pleased to have their own home.

Plans were then drawn up and work started in 1937 to build a new, permanent, purpose-built hut so the Guides arranged various entertainments and a Jumble Sale was held raising £7 10s. 0d. to help defray the cost of furnishing, fitting out etc. To assist the fund raising a splendid dance held at Elmers Court raised £55 (all the accounts for that event have been saved and are now preserved in an album and very interesting reading they make too!).

The new hut was finished in about 1938 and the Guides moved in, delighted with their new home even if it did have a cess pit and elsan toilets.

With the outbreak of World War II in 1939 the Home Guard requisitioned the hut and the Guides returned to their previous accommodation in the barn behind Carrington’s until hostilities ceased. It was not all doom and despondency however, the Home Guard paid £40 a month in rent for the use of the hut and had main drainage installed together with “pull flush” toilets.

At the end of the war the hut was returned to Guides and there they, the Brownies and (since 1991) the Rainbows have continued to meet ever since.

Unfortunately Milford’s Guide Unit of some fourteen girls is currently without any Guiders as those who had run the Company all went up to Universities in other parts of the country in September and are, therefore, unable to continue. So if anyone is able to offer any help at all and is over 18 years of age please contact Mrs Carole Deacon (01590 678986) the local Division Commissioner. Milford Guides would be very grateful if someone would come forward and keep their unit running otherwise it may have to close.

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