General News
31 October, 2025
Thoroughgood celebrated
Maryborough's Harriet Thoroughgood has been awarded the peak achievement for youth members of Girl Guides Australia.
Maryborough Girl Guides’ Harriet Thoroughgood has been awarded one of the organisation’s highest honours, the Queen’s Guide Award, for her leadership and community focus.
Earlier this month, Ms Thoroughgood was celebrated, not only for her award, but for her commitment to the community and those around her.
The Queen’s Guide Award is the peak achievement for youth members of Girl Guides Australia.
It required Ms Thoroughgood to complete almost two years of challenges across six skill areas: creative thinking, communication, character, collaboration, community, and commitment to learning.
From wrist banding at Energy Breakthrough for almost 25 hours over three days, to caring for her siblings for 15 hours a day over multiple weeks, to helping teach younger girls to dance at Martin School of Dance — Ms Thoroughgood said one activity stood out.
That activity focussed on positive body image through the schoolyard fun of chatterboxes.
Together with the younger Girl Guides, they made the paper pyramids and filled them with eight things they liked about themselves.
It’s an almost expected highlight given Ms Thoroughgood’s focus on supporting others.
“I love helping people, so I want to be able to do that more often,” she said.
It’s a passion she attributes to her mum, Caroline Thoroughgood, who volunteers at the local toy library and the Australian Breastfeeding Association.
“It’s probably driven by my mum because she’s always been helping people, so we’ve always been helping people,” she said.
“I’ve pretty much been volunteering since I could walk.”
It’s not the only family legacy she continues either with her aunt, Helen Hendrickson, achieving the same award in 1973.
Central Goldfields Girl Guides district manager Belinda Pritchard said seeing Ms Thoroughgood’s journey, like the Girl Guides before her, has been a highlight.
“I get an immense sense of achievement ... just watching them grow and challenge themselves,” she said.
It also inspires the other Guides, Ms Pritchard said, with younger girls now wanting to receive their own Queen’s Guide Award.
Should any of them need support or encouragement, Ms Thorough-good will be there to help.
“I like being able to make people happy,” she said.
“Help them reach their goal that they want to do.”