In true guiding style, the adage “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong sort of clothing” is as true for County Commissioners as it is for the rest of us!
One uniquely Cornish tradition at the change of County Commissioner is ‘The Investiture of the Mac’. At over 70 years old, this navy gaberdine mac has quite a history…
It originally belonged to Dame Jocelyn Woollcombe, who was the Director of the Womens' Royal Naval Service (WRNS) from 1946 to 1950 and a leader in Plymouth. She was a life-long friend of Annette Bowen, and introduced her to guiding.
Annette became County Commissioner in Cornwall in 1961, and Dame Joycelyn gave this mac to Annette for wearing with her guiding uniform. It was worn on many occasions, and in 1970 it was handed down to the next County Commissioner, Myra Bellingham...and that was the start of the tradition!
The mac has been passed to all nine of Cornwall’s County Commissioners since then, and is now in the care of Sue Harris, it’s 12th custodian, for her time as County Commissioner.
Keep an eye out for it at county events...