Girl Guides started in Western Australia in 1915 in a very formal way when the Women's Service Guild staged a public meeting, under Vice Regal patronage, in the Perth Town Hall on 28 June 1915. The governor moved, "that a Girl Guide Association be formed in this State and that we apply to the Girl Guide Association of Great Britain for a warrant".[full citation needed][self-published source]
Sea Scouts in Western Australia are active.[vague] The premier Sea Scout Competition in Western Australia is the Master Mariners competition.[citation needed] The Junior Shield is currently[when?] held by Canning Sea Scouts, the Senior Shield by Canning Venturer Sea Scouts and the Rover Oar by Pelican Point Rover Crew. There are currently[when?]10 sea scout groups in Western Australia.[citation needed]
There is a Scout Water Activity Centre located in Como that land-based groups can use. An annual regatta is held there.
Facilities
Scouts Western Australia Adventure Centres
Scouts WA Adventure Centre Eaton. On the banks of the Collie River at Eaton in the Shire of Dardanup, just 8 kilometres (5mi) from Bunbury.
Scouts WA Adventure Centre Gilcreek. On the bank of the King River, 12 kilometres (7.5mi) from Albany.
Scouts WA Adventure Centre Manjedal. Near Byford about one hour drive from Perth is the Branch's major Camp Site and Training Centre, established in 1967.
Scouts WA Adventure Centre Vasse 280 kilometres (170mi) south west of Perth near Busselton.
Other facilities
Northam Scout Camp. 97 kilometres (60mi) east of Perth and 4.5 kilometres (2.8mi) west of Northam. The campsite's southern boundary is the north side of the Kep Track, which follows the Goldfields Pipeline in the area and is used for hiking, walking, cycling, and horse riding.
OneCamp: a new event for April 2023, for all sections for one major camp, for the Swan Valley Adventure Centre. It is now a recurring event after another was held in April of 2026 at the same location.
Nighthawk: A night-time orienteering event for Scouts.
Rottosplash: Held every year at Rottnest Island where Scouts and Venturers do community service.
Youth awards: New Australian Scout Award, King's Scout Award, Baden-Powell Scout Award and Scout of the Year Award recipients every February are presented their certificate by the Chief Commissioner and Chief Scout.
Campwest: Previously held every three years, Campwest was a small scale jamboree, held between Australian jamborees, with the last event occurring in 2021. Campwest has been replaced by OneCamp.
The following are the major competitions that are held in Western Australia.
Scouts
Cargeeg Challenge Shield (Scouts) – the Premier Camping competition in Western Australia for Scouts at Manjedal Scout Centre, is currently held by Donny Brook Scouts Troop.
Master Mariners Junior Shield (Scouts) – the Premier Boating competition in Western Australia for Scouts, is currently held by Canning Sea Scouts.
Swan Tiki – a Bi-annual Rafting event for Scout section, the overall trophy is currently held by Bibra Lake Scouts.
Orienteering – held annually at a national park in Perth. There are many categories in which teams compete to collect the most points.
Venturer Scouts
Master Mariners Senior Shield – premier boating competition in Western Australia for Venturers, currently held by Fremantle Venturer Sea Scouts.
Mission Impossible
Vencarna is a car event similar to the Rover Baja Car Rally.
Rovers
Master Mariner Rover Oar, a premier boating competition in Western Australia for rovers, is currently held by Pelican Point Rover Sea Scouts.
Mission Impossible.
Rover Motor Sports, the Rover Baja Car Rally.
Water Activities/Sea Scouts (involving more than one section)
Swan-A-Bout, the 30 hours sailing Marathon for the Scout section and above. The overall trophy is currently[when?] held by Canning Sea Scouts. Waylen Bay Sea Scouts holds the dinghy, seaboat and keelboat classes while Canning Sea Scouts hold the catamaran and Red witch classes.
Pelican Point Regatta is held bi-annually with other Sea Scout troops holding the regatta every second year. The last regatta was held as Waylen Bay Regatta in 2006. The shield is currently[when?] held by the Waylen Bay Sea Scouts.[full citation needed][self-published source]
Como Regatta: The annual regatta is held at Scout Water Activity Centre at Como. The trophy is currently[when?] held by Waylen Bay Sea Scouts.
Rowing Record: There is rowing challenge open to all Scouts and Venturers. It is between Nedlands and Applecross jetty. The current[when?] holders are the Waylen Bay Venturers, setting the record in 1984 in the sea boat Lyn Ward.
History
In 2015, Western Australia's biggest scout group's meeting place and hall (1st Mandurah Scouts) was bulldozed, after the City of Mandurah sold the property (to supermarket giant Aldi[relevant?]).
Executive Leadership Team
The Executive Leadership Team (ELT) comprises people from a range of vocational backgrounds. The ELT hold positions that provide direction and support to members. The current ELT began their 3 year terms on 1 July 2026 and are as below:
Chief Commissioner Scouts WA: Gavin Satie, JP
Deputy Chief Commissioner Scouts WA: Jane Hamilton
Assistant Chief Commissioner Professional Standards: Vacant
Assistant Chief Commissioner Marketing and Communications: Jack Leighton-Jones
Assistant Chief Commissioner Support Services: Jack Lambert
Assistant Chief Commissioner Learning and Development: Jason Thomson
Assistant Chief Commissioner Safety Environment and Wellbeing: Peta Baer
Assistant Chief Commissioner Program Support: Sharni Jagger
Assistant Chief Commissioner Youth Empowerment: Oliver Murfin
Girl Guide units operate throughout the state and are organised into regions:
North Metro
Joondalup
Whitfords Coastal
Seaward
Darling Swan
Peel
River SeaWay
Southern Foothills
Capricorn
Avon Hills
Great Southern
Three Rivers
Centenary
From 28 June 2014 to 28 June 2015, Girl Guides WA celebrated 100 years of Guiding in Western Australia. A number of events and special projects were organised for the occasion, including a Centenary Dinner for adult members, past members and supporters, "Jamboree with a Difference" and collection of information for the state archives.
Our Barn
Girl Guides WA operates "Our Barn" in York. The original building on the property is from the Victorian Era and was originally the stables of Haversham House. It has a rich history, and was used by the Red Cross in World War II as a convalescent home for the armed services.[citation needed] "Our Barn" was converted into a dormitory by Girl Guides WA in the 1970s and officially opened as a Guide Property in 1977.
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