THE bayside lifestyle neighbouring one of the nation's premier marine parks does carry some costs – including insect repellent. Those who are particularly sensitive to sandfly and mosquito bites sometimes will turn their backs on the natural beauty and escape to the concrete jungles of inland suburbia. For many, there is no escape, and they must learn to brush off any insect phobia with a proverbial 'wave of the hand'.
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ISSUES and tensions arise in the battle of bayside humans with biting insects. An open screen door can start a row. Insect irritation can 'get in the way' and interfere with enjoyment of special occasions and life generally. For generations, girls and their mothers in Victoria Point have had to cope with insect-related issues. Local mother Nanette Clissold this week told how they plan to solve them. She is support group president for Victoria Point Girl Guides and trying to raise $7000 for insect protection on the century-old guide hut in Point O'Halloran Road. "It's a big job because the old-style windows open outwards and to have modern screens we must replace the windows," Nanette said. "The local heritage listing means we also have to pay for special permits. "Trying to get the windows done has been an ongoing issue for us in excess of five years. We would like to be able to open the windows to ventilate the building because it gets so hot."
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NANETTE said the guide unit still needed to raise about $3000 for the project and hoped its annual jumble sale would make a significant contribution. Each year the unit promotes its sales in our Classifieds, first seeking donations, then following up with another Garage Sale notice – a strategy that is popular with community organisations. This year the guides received donations of furniture and household items. Nanette said her daughter, Laura, 9, enjoyed her involvement with the guides.
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THE movement has three divisions: Brownies, aged 5-10; guides, 10-15; and rangers, 15 and over. Victoria Point had about 25 brownies and more than 60 members overall, Nanette said. Girl Guides Australia says it provides leadership and personal skills development to its 30,000 members, including 22,000 youth members. "We provide a non-formal educational program that is dynamic and flexible while offering values based training in life skills, decision making and leadership," GGA says. "Our mission is to enable girls and young women to grow into confident, self respecting, responsible community members." Nanette said the girls definitely benefited from the sense of belonging and mentoring in life skills, gaining confidence and self-esteem.
This column has appeared in The Redland Times
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