Lions, stars and a night to remember for Young Girl Guides

For three Young Girl Guides, a night at Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo meant cold bedrolls, stars overhead, lions roaring through the darkness — and one kangaroo getting a little too close for comfort. Matilda, Mackenzie and Thea joined 176 participants from 36 Guiding districts for the Great Guide Sleep Out, an overnight adventure combining wildlife, friendship and fundraising for the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater. For the Young girls, it was also their first time seeing so many fellow Guides gathered in one place. Young District Girl Guide Manager Pauline Davidson, known at Guides by her camp name Adina, said the opportunity to meet other Guides who had travelled from across the state was an important part of the weekend. “All three of our girls had never ‘seen’ so many other Guides together at such an event before,” Ms Davidson said. Once night fell, the zoo offered a very different experience from an ordinary camping trip. “We could hear the lions a lot, from midnight,” Thea said. “It was kind of annoying but pretty cool.” From her bedroll, she could also look up and see the stars. “It was cold, but I wasn’t as cold as last year because I did a better job with my bedroll,” she said. Guide leader Pip Bryant-Hill, known at Guides by her camp name Blossom, said she loved seeing how excited the girls were the following morning after listening to the lions roar through the night. She was also impressed by the way they looked out for each other. “I was impressed with the girls’ kindness towards each other, especially their willingness to help each other carry all the gear into camp and set up their bedrolls,” Ms Bryant-Hill said. The lions were not the only source of excitement. A kangaroo or wallaby came so close to Blossom during the night that the girls joked it almost jumped on her head while she slept. And during an evening tour, wire vulture sculptures in the trees suddenly screeched in the darkness, giving the group a jump scare before the fright quickly turned to relieved laughter. The girls also took part in evening and morning zoo tours, when many of the animals were particularly active. Thea especially enjoyed seeing the siamangs and lemurs and hearing from their keepers, while Mackenzie listed the wild horses among her favourites. For Thea, who hopes to become a wildlife keeper when she grows up, the weekend brought together two things she loves — Girl Guide camps and zoos. Matilda had needed a little more convincing. She was initially hesitant about attending, but encouragement from Adina persuaded her to give it a go. By the end of the weekend, she had completely changed her mind and said she would definitely attend again. Alongside the adventure, the girls were also raising money for Regent Honeyeater conservation — and their efforts would prove to be something worth celebrating. But for Matilda, the simplest measure of the weekend came afterwards. She told her leader it was “probably just the best day that I’ve had this year”.