Rosamond Arorunkah Fowlis MBE (3 October 1910 – 20 August 1994) was a Gambian schoolteacher,

domestic science Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences (often shortened to FCS or FACS), is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and f ...

organizer,

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 ...

commissioner and chair of the

Gambia Women's Federation The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for the western part, which is bordere ...

Life

Rosamond Fowlis was born in

Bathurst Bathurst may refer to: People * Bathurst (surname) * Bathurst Bellers Mann (1858–1948), Irish-born rugby union player in Wales * Bathurst Peachy (1893–1953), American college head baseball coach Places and jurisdictions Australia * Bat ...

(now Banjul) on 3 October 1910. She was the daughter of Henry G. Fowlis, a prominent member of the Aku

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

community. She was educated at the Methodist Girls' High School in Bathurst, and from 1943 to 1947 at St Joseph's Convent,

Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

. Fowlis taught

in Bathurst from 1931 until her retirement in 1965. A cofounder of the

Gambia Teachers' Union The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for the western part, which is bordere ...

in 1937, she served as union president from 1941 to 1945. A 1943 report on Infant and Girls Education in the Gambia recommended that Fowlis be provided an assistant, and given the opportunity to visit the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

for additional training. From 1945 to 1965 she was Domestic Science Organizer in the Colony. Fowlis was appointed to the Gambia Education Board in 1945, and in 1953 was one of the five women on the 34-member Consultative Committee to the Governor on Constitutional Reform. That year she received a MBE for her services as Domestic Science Organizer. In 1955 she became the first Gambian chief guide commissioner, spreading the

movement in the Gambian Colony. She served as chair of the Gambia Women's Federation in the 1960s. In honour of the 75th Anniversary of Girl Guides, Rosamond Fowlis was commemorated on a 1985 stamp as 'Miss Rosamond Fowlis of Buckingham Palace.' She died 20 August 1994.

Awards

In 1953 she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire. For her work with the Girl Guides she was awarded the honorary title of ''Life President of the Girl Guides Association'' in 1963. In 1991, she received the Order of the Republic of The Gambia (Member). In 1985, she was honored with a postage stamp to mark the 75th anniversary of the Girl Guides.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowlis, Rosamond 1910 births 1994 deaths 20th-century educators Gambian educators Chief Guides Home economists Gambian women educators Gambian activists Gambian women activists People from Banjul Members of the Order of the British Empire