Newspaper Article – Guides’ barn still in original state

Guides’ barn still in original state

This aerial shot shows the Williams Family homestead (which is now the site of the Sunken Garden at Frimley Park) and surrounding area.

The barn, seen here in the trees, was gifted to Hawke’s Bay Guides after a fire destroyed the homestead 54 years ago.

The barn is where the Frimley Williams Brownies and Frimley Guides still meet.

The barn, which was the old wool shed, is still in much of its original state with no linings, sliding doors and no ceiling.

It still has the windows above with the shutes where the shorn sheep used to walk and the high wooden steps.

At a recent meeting of the Guides Hawke’s Bay St Aubyn District, it was decided to keep the barn in as original a state as possible, however the leaders agreed it needed to be more user-friendly.

At present there are no ramps for wheelchairs and no toilets – Guides use the park toilets. The building is very hot in the summer and cold in the winter. The Guide leaders are looking to improve some of the those areas during the next five to 10 years.

This year the Hawkes Bay Guides celebrate 80 years and they have a few special events planned to mark the occasion later in the year.

Frimley Guides is the third company founded in Hawke’s Bay.