Joining the Brownies

Sprites are the best

Sometimes in life you get lucky enough to meet someone who makes all the difference. Someone who notices you and they help you to be yourself. Not though dictatorship, endless lectures or forced opinions, they just give you the chance to shine, whether you take it or not is up to you. It happened to me at just 7 years old.

I joined the Brownies. The person who runs a Brownie unit is called Brown Owl. Her real name was Mavis Poole, she was always smiling, nothing made her stressed and I thought she was wonderful. She didn’t make a particular fuss of anyone, she treated us all the same, with respect, care and joy. She saw the good in everyone, no matter how small the ember and she gave everyone the opportunity to shine their own light. Little wonder the quietly spoken, unassuming, shadow dwelling 7 year old loved Thursday evenings and going to Brownies.

One evening, for some reason unbeknown to me, Brown Owl decided to make me a Sixer. A prestigious part of the unit, the Brownie who is in charge of the other five girls in her group. Not an arduous task, but a coveted one nevertheless.

Each little group was named after fairy folk, I was in the Sprites. I was so proud of that badge and that Brown Owl had faith in a part of my spirit that no one else did. 50 years later I still have the Sprite badge and the two little yellow lines that declared me as their Sixer.

I loved Brownies so much I trained to be a Brown Owl running my own unit for many years. I modelled myself on my Brown Owl. A joyful time. I’d learnt it was much easier to see life as a game rather than a drudge. Brown Owl had always made it fun, that was my goal too. We had great adventures, went on pack holidays, did badge work, got out and explored the local world we lived in and laughed a lot. Young children find the wonder in everything if you just let them.

Soon my little village unit overflowed with a long waiting list. I told the Brownies to let their friends know there were two other units in the area that they could easily join, lots of vacancies there. I was soon put right by one of the Sixers who told me the reason no one wanted to go to the other units was because I was the best Brown Owl. That made me smile. I felt I had achieved what I set out to do. I had created the kind of Brownie unit my Brown Owl had.

One child in particular will stay with me forever. She was so quiet even her shadow didn’t make an appearance. She reminded me of the 7 year old I used to be. Strangely enough she was in Sprites too, I gave her the Sixer stripes. Her mum appeared a few weeks later to report what a change there had been in her daughter. No longer quiet she was helping at home, teachers reporting she was able to hold her head up and compete with her peers at school.

Those two simple yellow stripes had set the embers burning. She glowed and her mother beamed. I hope she continued to glow, to make a difference, because she certainly had the skills to do it.

A few years ago, I tracked my Brown Owl down. Mavis remembered me. Though she had no idea of the difference she had made to that quiet seven year old. I left her with no doubt that I had done my best to carry her kindness for 50 years and passed it on as much as it was possible to do. Smiling and laughing at shared memories, we were both glad I had made the phone call.

Being in the Brownies seemed like such a small thing, yet it created something so big, it brought me out of the shadows. Mavis always was and always will be my favourite Owl.