(click on the pictures for larger images)

In August 2004, Girl Guides of Canada and SEVEC teamed together to create a memorable exchange between the 14th Burnaby Mountain Pathfinders in British Columbia and the 1st Berwick Pathfinders in Nova Scotia.

SEVEC, Society for Educational Visits and Exchanges in Canada, a national, non-profit group specializing in arranging exchanges within Canada, assisted in developing this fantastic educational opportunity between our two Units.

After months of fundraising and planning, our Burnaby Mountain Pathfinders were thrilled to finally land at the Halifax airport to begin their big adventure. We were met by the Nova Scotian Guiders who transported us to the Berwick Lions Hall where we met the warmhearted faces of the Berwick Pathfinders and their families. They had kindly prepared an evening snack for us of veggies, sandwiches, chips and desserts and made a friendly environment for us to get to know each other. Soon we settled into our sleeping bags for our first night in Nova Scotia.

Berwick, we learned, has a population of approximately 2,200 and is the apple capital of Nova Scotia. The town dates back to the 1800's, is the core of the provinces apple industry - producing apple products and has been exporting acclaimed specialty apples since the 1900's. It's a place abundant with orchards and has just recently received its first traffic light.

Our first day in Berwick, we had a tour of the local apple manufacturing business, Stirling's Warehouse. Some Frenchy shopping was next on our schedule. It's a popular way to shop in Nova Scotia, stores stocking all sorts of used and new clothing and brand names. Afterwards, we made our way back to the Berwick Lions Hall for some jelly making - apple, of course. In the afternoon, the Berwick Pathfinders took us to the Oaklawn Zoo. The zoo started as a farming operation and now is home to exotic, wild and domestic animals. The zoo includes the heaviest lion in captivity weighing in at 807 lbs. and a part donkey/part zebra known as the "zonkey." We topped our evening with a family barbeque on the beach of the Bay of Fundy before going to our homestay families.

Over the week, we were treated to fun daytrips such as Ross Farm in Lunenburg County. Ross Farm constructs an understanding of Nova Scotia's past, the importance of the land and tells us what rural life was like in Nova Scotia over a hundred years ago. Here, we had a scavenger hunt and an unforgettable wagon ride before travelling to Aylesford Lake Beach for an afternoon swim. We also made a trip out to Prescott House which recognizes the life of one of King's County's most influential historical men, Charles Prescott. He was responsible for bringing in many apple varieties to the Annapolis Valley. His home gave us a look at his 19th century life.

We also had a wonderful weekend in Halifax where we arrived in time for the famous Buskers Festival. The waterfront festival, which features the very best in international street performers, also housed the acclaimed Tall Ships. Our two groups boarded the Silva, a Swedish ship built in 1939 and used in the Scandinavian fishing industry, for a sail around the Halifax harbour, which gave us the feel of that maritime charm. Our weekend also consisted of a trip to Peggy's Cove, a small fishing village with the well-known lighthouse, built in 1868 on huge, wave washed granite rocks. We visited the Fisheries Museum where we had a lobster demonstration and a presentation on rum runners which recreated the perilous time when fishermen bootlegged illegal liquor to the U.S. and Canada.

Our last night in Nova Scotia, all the Pathfinders, Guiders and Nova Scotian families were invited to the Berwick Lions Hall for a corn boil supper. We had lots of good food, fun and some tears. We had an early morning flight ahead of us, but were starting to get excited about showing our Nova Scotian friends our own city in just a few days.

Three days later, when our Nova Scotian counterparts arrived, we were eager to show them the sights of our beautiful city. Our first daytrip was to Grouse Mountain. The mountain boasts North America's largest aerial tram. This skyride takes you 3700' over the city of Vancouver and has fantastic views of the ocean, city and mountains. We watched the popular lumberjack show and toured the refuge for endangered animals. All of us enjoyed a chairlift ride down, and back up the mountain. Our groups then made our way the Vancouver Aquarium located in Stanley Park where we saw the beluga whales, a dolphin show and free-flying Costa Rican butterflies in the rainforest display.

The next day, we took a ride on the skytrain to downtown Vancouver where we visited the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. The garden is arranged in the feng shui style with the opposing contrasts of taoist yin and yang. We continued our day with a walk through Chinatown's markets, stopping to view the Sam Kee building - the narrowest building at 1.8 metres wide, on our way to Gastown. Gastown, which many consider the birthplace of the city was named after "Gassy Jack" Deighton. It has cobblestoned streets with heritage Victorian architecture now lined with shops, galleries, restaurants and native art. The girls stopped for a photo in front of the antique steam clock, which erupts with musical notes every 15 minutes. We stopped in to watch 'Storyeum,' a 70 minute theatrical presentation of BC's historical legends and stories which is played on 7 stages. Then, we all went for dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory which is decorated with artefacts and antiques, including trolley #53 from the BC Electric Railway Company. Lastly, we ended our day with a stroll around Canada Place.

Our days included a trip to the Vancouver Art Gallery which displays major international and Canadian artists, such as Emily Carr, and is currently showing prints and drawings of Andy Warhol. The group did some shopping along Robson Street and then travelled to the H.R. Macmillan Space Centre. Here we watched a laser pop show, took a virtual trip on the ultimate roller coaster and viewed a presentation on an astronauts life in space. We had a day a Metrotown, our largest mall in Burnaby and a day at Playland, known for its wooden roller coaster. The Pathfinders enjoyed a swimming night at the Eileen Dailly Pool and a cosmic bowling night at Rev's in Burnaby. As well as a trip to Charlie's Chocolate Factory in Burnaby where we learned about chocolate making and viewed the chocolate river, made with 136 kg of circulating chocolate. We were also fortunate to have families help to arrange several barbeques/get-togethers for us.

This exchange was a super experience for both Pathfinder groups. It has made a lasting impression on all the girls and many of them grew emotionally during this trip - some coming out of their shells with gusto. New friendships were made, including new friendships within the Units themselves which has bonded the girls together. The Guiders, Pathfinders and parents are so pleased with the success of this exchange. Our Pathfinders are already asking where they're going next year!

Yvonne J. Guider
14th Burnaby Mountain Pathfinders