By Esther Lauaki
There is a long line of Guides in Megan Riley’s family – and she’s at the top.
The Sunbury 18-year-old is a fourth generation Guide and has earned a Queen’s Guide award this month.
The Queen’s Guide award is the highest attainable award for members and takes nearly four years to earn.
Megan started working towards it when she was 14 years old and was required to complete a range of tasks and community initiatives.
“I’m pretty proud of myself,” she said.
“I’ve spent 13 years in Guides.
“My mum got her Queen’s Guide award too so that makes it more special.”
Earning the badge was no mean feat.
For the Girl Guide Promise and Law component of the award, Megan ran a discussion group about how the group’s values could have been applied during the Australian cricket scandal earlier this year.
“I did a presentation about women in the royal family and their involvement in Guides for another component,” Megan said.
Megan mentored younger members by running a camp as well as hosting events.
One of her most memorable acts of community service was a trip to Africa with her church.
“I went to Zambia to distribute handmade sanitary products to women and we ran workshops about personal care,” Megan said.
“It was an amazing experience.
“It was challenging being from a different culture … I experienced a real culture shock because they have very little.”
She encouraged others to join the Guides for their self development, confidence, to learn practical skills and make new friends.
