Gladys Selby "Jim" Buntine (née Spurling; 7 September 1901 – 15 July 1992) was the Australian Chief Commissioner of

Girl Guides Girl Guides (or Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) are organisations within the Scout Movement originally and largely still for girls and women only. The Girl Guides began in 1910 with the formation of Girlguiding, The ...

from 1962 until 1968.

Biography

Spurling was born at

Fitzroy, Victoria Fitzroy is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, northeast of the Melbourne central business district, located within the City of Yarra Local government areas of Victoria, local government area. Fitzroy recorded a population ...

. She attended Merton Hall from 1913 until 1917 and then a

finishing school A finishing school focuses on teaching young women social graces and upper-class cultural rites as a preparation for entry into society. The name reflects the fact that it follows ordinary school and is intended to complete a young woman's ...

at Vallois, France. Spurling married Dr (Martyn)

Arnold Buntine Martyn Arnold Buntine (27 December 1898 – 26 February 1975) was an Australian headmaster and Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). After retiring from football he attend ...

(1898–1975) on 17 May 1926. The couple were known as Arnold and Jim and they had two sons. Her husband was a

schoolmaster A schoolmaster, or simply master, is a male school teacher. The usage first occurred in England in the Late Middle Ages and early modern period. At that time, most schools were one-room or two-room schools and had only one or two such teacher ...

who became a

headmaster A headmaster/headmistress, head teacher, head, school administrator, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. Role While s ...

and as he rose professionally she became an "ideal Headmaster’s wife". From the early 1930s, Jim Buntine became involved in the Girl Guides movement in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. After moving back to the

eastern states The eastern states of Australia are the states adjoining the east continental coastline of Australia. These are the mainland states of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, and the island state of Tasmania. The Australian Capital Territory a ...

, she became a member of the

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

State Council and in Sydney from 1962 until 1968 she was chief commissioner for Australia. Buntine attended world guiding events in Denmark, Britain, Malaya, Japan, and India and, in 1967, she escorted the world chief guide on an Australian tour. Almost two decades after her husband's death Buntine died at Kilsyth Retirement Village,

Kilsyth, Victoria Kilsyth () is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east from Melbourne's central business district (CBD), located within the City of Maroondah and the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government areas. Kilsyth recorded a population of 11,699 ...

Honours

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(1960) in recognition of service to the welfare of youth *

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(1966) in recognition of service as Chief Commissioner of the Girl Guides Association *

Silver Fish Award The Silver Fish Award is the highest adult award in Girlguiding. It is awarded for outstanding service to Girlguiding combined with service to world Guiding. The award has changed greatly since it first appeared in 1911, initially being awarded ...

(1966) awarded for outstanding service to Girl guiding combined with service to world GuidingPeople Australia – Buntine, Gladys Selby (Jim) (1901–1992)
Retrieved 24 May 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buntine, Jim 1901 births 1992 deaths 20th-century Australian philanthropists Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting Scouting and Guiding in Australia Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Melbourne Recipients of the Silver Fish Award People educated at Melbourne Girls Grammar 20th-century Australian women