Eileen Hawkes

I joined Guiding as a teenager in the 50s in my local Guide Company.  After a break of one year I returned in the role of young leader – as we would call it today – and in 1962 I received my first adult Leader Warrant as an Assistant Guide Guider.  Service has been continuous since then in various roles mostly within my own County of Oxfordshire.

Many of things stand out in my Girlguiding career as I have had a variety of appointments.  My journey for example to my current role of Heraldry Advisor was by becoming involved in the subject of Heraldry through Girlguiding.  I started to research my own family history, and during this period I found an advert in Guiding magazine for an Arts course at Hautbois which included Heraldry. Within my own family tree, I found an armigerous branch of the family and wanted to learn more.  This I did over a number of years and became entranced with the whole subject of Heraldry through the knowledge of the tutor the late Brenda Hughes who was then Heraldry Advisor for Girlguiding UK . At her retirement I became on her recommendation Heraldry Advisor for Girlguiding UK in 2006 and only ceased in that appointment when HQ decided to dispense with the position.

Heraldry is closely allied to Archives, and I am the Archivist for Girlguiding Oxfordshire. The Girlguiding National Archives, which include National Heraldry archives, are currently in storage and not accessible. I have therefore been appointed Heraldry Consultant for Anglia region and am here to answer any heraldic queries within the region. This in the main means advice and help with the design of new Heraldic Standards within the Region. My current role also involved helping Counties identify Standards within their own County and this has proved most rewarding for all concerned.