(Illustrations: Brownie Collage)

I joined the Brownies at the age of seven, which were held each week in St Pauls’ Church Hall, Howdon. For the first few weeks, new starters went along in their normal every-day clothing, but soon they were longing for the day when they could get enrolled and put on their brand-new Brownie uniforms, like everyone else there.

The uniform comprised a brown dress, a brown leather belt, a brown beret, and the most beautiful yellow triangular tie which was folded into the shape of a rabbit. Once we learned our Brownie promise and our Brownie Motto, (‘Lend a Hand, Lah, Lah, Lah) and the Brownie Law, the rabbit ears of the tie were fastened around our necks, under our collars, and a brownie badge was placed on the folded part below.

There were six groups of six brownies. There were Pixies, Fairies, Gnomes, Sprites, Elves, and Imps all little people like ourselves, and I was put into the Pixies.

Each group was led by a Sixer, and she had a deputy called a Seconder. It was a real honour to be chosen to perform those roles. I know because I became Seconder when I was old enough, and then Sixer later on.

I loved Brownies. We played games, tied knots, and worked hard to earn badges, but best of all, we sang songs round the toadstool:

‘Ging Gang Goolie; Land of the Silver Birch home of the beaver, The bear went over the mountain etc.

We even had our own little ‘six’ song to sing as we danced around the toadstool.

‘Here you see the laughing Gnomes, helping others in the home’ was one such rhyme.

Another was:-“We are fairies bright and gay, helping others every day.”

Then there was, “This is what we do as Elves, helping others , not ourselves.”

The Pixies sang, “Here we are the jolly Pixies, helping people when in fixes!”

As you can tell from these rhymes, we all had to aim at being very helpful and kind!

My absolute favourite song which eventually got banned later on for being rather gruesome, was about a bird eating worms. I can still remember it even now. We used to request it each week when brown Owl asked; “We’ve time for one more, what would you like to sing?”

We always chose the one about the bird eating a worm, but I’m not printing it here as it was banned!

It began with the words,

“Nobody likes me, everybody hates me,

I’m going down the garden to eat worms.!

We also were given the chance to go on a Pack Holiday to Whittonstall, in Northumberland where there were more of the same activities, only this time we got to learned how to pitch tents, and make campfires by cutting the turf into an H shape and rolling back the grass to make way for kindling. Later, once the fire was out and the ground was cool, we simply rolled the grass back into place, and no-one was any the wiser.

We all slept in a large wooden building, called Pax Haven, as Brownies, but later when we became Girl Guides, we got to sleep outside in tents, which had to be aired during the day, by rolling the sides of the tents up. 

Toilets then for Brownies were tall tents erected over dug trenches, and one former Brownie reminded me not long ago, that we were fed desserts of rhubarb and prunes, (perhaps this was to encourage us to make use of these conveniences!)

We ate meals out of doors, and went on hikes. We loved camping, but were eager once it was over to get home and see our parents again.

Years later, when it was time to move up to Girl Guides, there was a small ceremony, where we had to jump over a chair or was it the toadstool?

Brown Owl and Tawny Owl held our arms as we leaped over into Girl Guides; no longer little Brownies. More of the same was waiting for us, more badges to collect, and a brand-new uniform in two shades of blue.

My sister Joan was a brownie and guide too, as was my daughter Sarah.