The Diamond Jubilee

In his diary entry for 1932, Lord Baden-Powell wrote: "The whole family went to Switzerland for the opening of the Chalet. Olave is very busy... with the World Committee each day, but is otherwise taking it easy and making a holiday of it. The youngsters (his children) are thoroughly enjoying life here".

By 1992, OUR CHALET had opened its doors to thousands of girls over 60 years, and all of them, like Baden-Powell' s children, had benefitted from their stays. Once again a large celebration which took place on the 31st of July - a sunny, clear day - marked the event. There were many guests, including the Hon Mrs Gervas (Betty Baden-Powell) Clay, who had been present at the opening in 1932. The original Juliette Low group, who had also been present at the opening, took the opportunity to have yet another reunion on Our Chalet's grounds.

After a magnificent buffet lunch the opening ceremonies began. Among the many speakers, Herr Müller of Adelboden thanked OUR CHALET for his life: in the early days, Falk had been the only person in the area with a car. When he was desperately ill she had driven him to the hospital in another town.

For eight days prior to the opening, 34 girls from 18 countries worked together to prepare a pageant of Our Chalet's history. Based on the theme of "The Past, a present for the future", the girls sang, danced and acted their way through the Chalet story. Between each scene they placed a large slice of cake on the stage to represent the passing of the decades. This presentation was performed three times in all, once on the 31st of July and twice on the 1st of August when friends from around the world gathered for a second day of celebration.

In her speech, Jessica Blooman, Treasurer of WAGGGS, told the guests: "As you know 60 years is a diamond anniversary. Diamonds do not just happen. They are the result of a lot of hard work. They are hewn out of the earth, fashioned, cut and polished before they emerge as a precious stone, valued and valuable, shining brightly and reflecting light back. So it has been with Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting over its many years, and so especially has it been with OUR CHALET."