Sandford Brownies (Ranelagh) member Charlotte Dougherty was a special guest at Leinster House in February when the 10-year-old Donnybrook girl claimed top prize in a competition staged by Irish Girl Guides (IGG).
To enter the competition, members were required to submit an article and photo of a guiding event. Charlotte’s winning entry documented Sandford Brownies’ trip to Tibradden’s Zipit adventure centre. She was accompanied in Leinster House by her parents and the winners of two other age categories; guide winner, 12-year-old Lauren Mooney from Ballybay, Co Monaghan, and senior branch winner, 21-year-old Sarah Condren from Limerick.
Senator Jillian Van Turnhout, a former IGG chief commissioner between 2001 and 2007, was delighted to welcome the girls to Leinster House. “These young and aspiring journalists have promoted and brought to life the true experience of being an Irish Girl Guide,” she said. “They have captured the fun, adventure and challenge of girl guiding in their articles and it is a great pleasure to welcome these winners to Seanad Éireann.”
Author Sarah Webb (The Memory Box, Anything for Love) judged the competition, having led Killiney Brownies until recently. “The standard was very high and I greatly enjoyed reading all the articles about the Guide and Brownie events and meetings, vividly described by the young journalists,” she said. “I thought Charlotte’s article was a lovely, lovely piece and really well-written. I am proud to support guiding as I believe it is of huge benefit to girls in Ireland and internationally.” Webb rewarded each of the girls with a signed copy of one of her books.
Canon Ireland’s Marketing Manager, Jonathan Sultan, presented each of the girls with a Canon camera and a book on photography. “Taking good photos is all about practice,” he told the girls. “It’s about the power of the image and what an image can say. Hopefully you’re at the start of a long photographic journey. Congratulations!”
By Eric Hillis
