Olave's Tours and Address Books

Olave used to send out 2000 specially printed Christmas cards - to all over the world.  You may imagine the cost was quite large, and she bemoaned it a bit.  It was suggested that she cut down. " I CAN'T do that !  These are my FRIENDS !"

She had THE most AMAZINNG memory - she used to give "finger lunches" for around 40 people.  On one occasion, someone mentioned a small town in the U.S.A.  "Oh, that's where [name] lives !" then followed detail of that persin's family.  And the dog. And the name of the dog.  And even the BIRTHDAY of the dog !

And she could come out with that sort of detail about almost ANY small town in the USA - or in the WORLD !

Olave's apartment at Hampton Court Palace had 400-year-old tall Tudor windows, (of course) only single-glazed, so the apartment was expensive to keep warm.  Thus for most winters she would arrange a tour, preferably of a warmer climate. As she was World Chief Guide, these tours were also a Duty.  Generally, she would stay with a senior Guide official and she had known most of them for many years - they were her friends.

Before she went on a tour, she would update the relevant address book, which held the names and addresses, and also "Aides Memoir" about them - perhaps the name of their dog ! 

But Olave died in 1977, and her foreign tours had ceased in 1970 - more than 50 years ago - so the people she mentions have all moved, or will now be "on the other side". These notes are therefore only "of historical interest".  You MIGHT find your Granny mentioned !

I have seven of Olave's eight address books and itineraries and they run to more than 1200 pages in total. I have scanned the pages of these books, but to transcribe them is a task beyond the time that I (at 82) have left, so if you would like to help, please visit this 
North America FaceBook Group 
or this
South, Central America & Caribbean FaceBook Group
or this
Australia FaceBook Group,
where images will be posted so that
(a) they are available, and
(b) you can transcribe an image and post the text as a "comment" on that image, and then I can copy the text (credited, of course !) into this WebSite, which is limited to 32 images. 

I have started with the Americas, and so far just the Itineraries - which are interesting in themselves.  So do pop along and have a look.

Olave had seperate address books for :-

Africa
Asia
Australia
Canada
Europe
New Zealand
South America & the West Indies
USA

Unfortunately, the one for Europe is missing - Olave's grand-daughter-in-Law, Patience (Lady Baden-Powell), the wife of Robert, 3rd Lord Baden-Powell, the elder son of Olave's son Peter - became Chief Commissioner for England, and it is thought that she took this volume as being of use, but left the others as they would not have been of any use to her.

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