Olave Baden-Powell
Lady Olave Baden -Powell, GBE ( born February 22, 1889 in Chesterfield, England, † June 25, 1977 Birtley House, Bramley, England; born Olave St. Clair Soames ) was co-founder of the Girl Scouts movement ( World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, WAGGGS ) and wife of Robert Baden -Powell, the founder of the Scout Movement.
Life
Olave was the daughter of the brewery owner and artist Harold Soames and the former governess Katherine Hill. She was always taught by a nanny or her parents and never went to school.
In January 1912 Olave met on the ocean liner Arcadia, on a trip to New York, the war hero and Boy Scouts founder Robert Baden- Powell. They fell in love, despite the age difference - she was 23, he 55 - was significant. To escape the press, they were married on October 30, 1912 secret. They later had three children (Peter, Heather and Betty ). As Agnes Baden- Powell, Robert's sister, was replaced to Olave began to get involved in the Girl Scouts movement. In 1914 she offered the Committee of the Girl Scouts to help. Initially this was rejected. However, a short time later she was asked to organize the Girl Scouts work in the county of Sussex. At the conference of regional leaders in 1916 it was voted the top leader ( Chief Commissioner ). She traveled as leader of the British Girl Scouts around the world and built new groups. In 1930 she was elected leader of the World Girl Scouts. 1932, she was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire. In the same year, it opened in Adelboden in the Bernese Oberland ( Switzerland ) is the first WAGGGS World Centre " Our Chalet ".
In October 1939, Olave and her husband left Pax Hill, Bentley (England) and moved into their new home Paxtu in Nyeri (Kenya ), where he died in January 1941. In 1942, Olave came back to England and lived in Hampton Court Palace, which was a great honor by the royal family.
Olave remained working for the Girl Scouts movement. She wrote articles, gave interviews and traveled around the globe to promote the Boy Scouts and the international understanding. In 1956 she participated in the inauguration of Our Cabaña, Mexico, one of the four world centers of WAGGGS, in part. In 1957 they bought a new house for Our Ark ( Our Ark ), for the former world center of WAGGGS in London.
In 1961 she suffered a heart attack, diabetes finally in 1970 with 80 years established. Olave died on 19 June 1977. Their ashes were buried next to her husband in Nyeri.
Scouts call the common birthday, 22 February, Thinking Day, to commemorate the work of Mr. and Mrs. Baden- Powell and celebrate it. The WAGGGS World Association gathers each year on Thinking Day money for poorer Guide associations.