A cherished girls’ group at Logan is celebrating its 50th birthday with a parade this week.
The 1st Beenleigh Girls’ Brigade involves school-aged girls, kindergarten to year 12, meet every Friday night to participate in activities like dancing, cooking, singing, camping, crafting, and bible devotions.
Girls’ brigades meet all over the world and have been for the past 125 years.
In Logan, the brigade is run by the Beenleigh Baptist Church.
Church representative Lesley Shliahov said all brigades were attached to a church of some sort, but were often interdenominational groups.
“It started in Ireland and spread around the world, and at Beenleigh, it’s been 50 years,” Ms Shilahov said.
“We are very excited about this, for an organization to be able to keep itself going for 50 years, it’s a real milestone.”
This 15 June, the brigade is holding a parade at Beenleigh Baptist Church, from 9 am, to celebrate. The private event will be attended by current and former brigade members.
The group is entirely self-funded. Participating girls pay a fee each year, and the church makes additional donations.
In addition to the activities available at weekly meetings, the brigade has a variety of courses available for girls to sign up for on weekends and during the school holidays.
Ms Shilahov said these courses, often centered around leadership skills and values, were highly regarded by employers and could be put on girls’ resumes.
“It’s a very worthwhile activity for girls,” Ms Shliahov said.
Brigade members are also encouraged to work towards badges. Once members complete a series of activities, including volunteering and community involvement over three years, they may be eligible for the Queen’s Award. A prestigious award in the community, presented by the Governor of Queensland at Government House.
Friendship and communities are large and valuable components of the brigade, which gives girls the space to make friends and meet girls in different age groups. Collectively, they learn about values and decision making, Ms Shliahov said.
“We’re all committed to the welfare of the girls and doing our best for them.”
