1703 days ago

1st Auckland Cavell Guide Unit Set to Celebrate Centenary

Caryn Wilkinson Reporter from Community News

One of the first girl guide units to be formed in Auckland is gearing up for its centenary.

The 1st Auckland Cavell Girl Guide Unit turns 100 in July and is seeking old girls to join the celebrations.

A social afternoon is planned for July 3, kicking off at 2pm with past guiding activities such as knot tying and marking arm slings.

Guests will be treated to afternoon tea and a birthday cake before photographs are taken of the girls.

The day will end with a singalong around the campfire.

The next day, a church parade will march through St Andrews Church, Epsom, where the unit has been meeting since 1921.

Parishioners are invited to a morning tea after the procession.

The unit, initially known as the St Andrew's Peace Scout Group, is believed to be the first guide company which has kept going since it was launched.

It all started when eighteen-year-old Mona Burgin wrote to the Dominion chief scout Colonel Cosgrove, a New Zealand Boer War veteran, asking about Girl Peace Scouts.

He arranged to meet her in Queen St, Auckland and wrote she would recognize him by the red flower in his buttonhole.

Soon after the meeting Burgin formed the troop on July 6.

Girl Peace Scouts wore khaki uniforms and the St Andrews troop wore a red open-ended tie.

In 1923, the Dominion Council became affiliated with the original Girls Guides Association in London.

*Former unit members can email cavellgirlguidesnz@gmail.com for details of the centenary.

More messages from your neighbours
1 hour ago

Rubbish bins:

Roy from Takanini

Recycle collection tomorrow so put your bins out in the morning, It is windy out there and your rubbish is blowing everywhere? Are you human with a brain or just ST- - -D?

14 hours ago

Poll: Do you set New Year’s resolutions?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

🎉 2026 is almost here!

We’re curious ... how do you welcome it?
Do you set resolutions, follow special traditions, or just go with the flow?

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Do you set New Year’s resolutions?
  • 9% Yes! New Year, New Me
    9% Complete
  • 21.7% Yes - but I rarely stick to them
    21.7% Complete
  • 69.3% Nah - not for me
    69.3% Complete
290 votes
11 days ago

By-election for Otara-Papatoetoe area

Ivy from Papatoetoe

Just to let everyone know that we have another by-election happening, and here is the reason why. Below are details and dates, so keep an eye on your letter boxes.

The Manukau Court’s Ruling

The Manukau District Court determined that the Papatoetoe subdivision result of the Ōtara–Papatoetoe Local Board election was invalid, ruling that the outcome had been “materially affected” by voting irregularities. Judge Richard McIlraith found that the scale and nature of the irregularities met the legal threshold required to void an election under New Zealand’s local electoral laws.

In his decision, Judge McIlraith stated that the evidence presented — including reports of stolen voting papers, fraudulent use of ballots, and other procedural irregularities — was sufficient to conclude that the integrity of the election had been compromised. The court noted that at least 79 voting papers were identified as having been cast without the rightful voter’s knowledge during a judicially supervised examination of ballot boxes.

While the judge acknowledged that the election had been administered “properly and in accordance with all requirements” by Independent Election Services and the electoral officer, he concluded that the fraudulent activity originated outside the official process and nonetheless impacted the final result to a degree that required the election to be voided.

As a result of the ruling, the court ordered that a new election must be held, with Auckland Council confirming that the fresh poll must be completed by 9 April 2026

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