Shirt
Production date
1960s
Country
Australia
State/Province
Queensland
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Object detail
Description
1960s style Girl Guides uniform shirt
Classification
SOCIETIES Girl Guides
Production date
1960s
Media/Materials description
Fabric, cotton thread, plastic buttons, felt, metal
History and use
Related item: H49834
This button up shirt is a prime example of a Girl Guides uniform shirt in 1960s Australia. The shirt would have been worn with a navy skirt, maroon tie and leather belt.
The shirt is adorned with several badges, each with symbolic meaning. The waratah badge – a patrol emblem – is woven and sewn to the shirt. The colours of the waratah are replicated on the red and green tags on the shirt sleeve.
The shirt also has a 50th anniversary badge from the year 1965, celebrating 50 years of Guides in Australia.
A service star badge is also pinned to the shirt. The badge shows six years of service through the number 6 printed on the badge; underneath the metal pin, the brown felt represents time spent as a Brownie, and the green felt represents time spent as a Girl Guide.
On the shirt sleeve, a ‘title tape’ reads ‘1st Townsville’. This label denotes which patrol/company the guide is associated with. In this case, the 1st Townsville Company was the West Park district, located in the Pimlico suburb.
The other key badge on the shirt is the state badge, depicted by a Koala with a Q. This emblem has been used as the state badge design since before the 1960s, and was only recently changed for centenary celebrations.
The two white stripes on the front pocket of the shirt indicate the guide’s status as a second (deputy leader). This was also sometimes represented by badges with golden bars or stripes, either showing one for a group leader or two for a second.
The items were originally owned by Lois Brown (nee Cripps) when she was a Girl Guide in Townsville in the 1960s. The items were donated to the Museum of Tropical Queensland in 2012.
This button up shirt is a prime example of a Girl Guides uniform shirt in 1960s Australia. The shirt would have been worn with a navy skirt, maroon tie and leather belt.
The shirt is adorned with several badges, each with symbolic meaning. The waratah badge – a patrol emblem – is woven and sewn to the shirt. The colours of the waratah are replicated on the red and green tags on the shirt sleeve.
The shirt also has a 50th anniversary badge from the year 1965, celebrating 50 years of Guides in Australia.
A service star badge is also pinned to the shirt. The badge shows six years of service through the number 6 printed on the badge; underneath the metal pin, the brown felt represents time spent as a Brownie, and the green felt represents time spent as a Girl Guide.
On the shirt sleeve, a ‘title tape’ reads ‘1st Townsville’. This label denotes which patrol/company the guide is associated with. In this case, the 1st Townsville Company was the West Park district, located in the Pimlico suburb.
The other key badge on the shirt is the state badge, depicted by a Koala with a Q. This emblem has been used as the state badge design since before the 1960s, and was only recently changed for centenary celebrations.
The two white stripes on the front pocket of the shirt indicate the guide’s status as a second (deputy leader). This was also sometimes represented by badges with golden bars or stripes, either showing one for a group leader or two for a second.
The items were originally owned by Lois Brown (nee Cripps) when she was a Girl Guide in Townsville in the 1960s. The items were donated to the Museum of Tropical Queensland in 2012.
Associated person
Registration number
H49835
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