Mary Helen McKean-Malcolmson was born in Belfast, Ireland. When she was five years old, the family moved to Ontario, Canada. After graduating from school and before marrying Captain A.H. Malcolmson, she worked for a few years as a kindergarten teacher in Hamilton.
In 1892, they relocated to St. Catharines, Ontario, where Malcolmson became an active member of various community organizations, including the Victorian Order of Nurses, the local Horticultural Society, and the board of Education.
One of her concerns was the welfare of the youth, especially of girls and young women, and in 1909, after attending a rally of 10,000 Boy Scouts in London, England, she made up her mind to start a new chapter of Girl Guides in her own country. In November 1909, the company had its first meeting in St. Catharines, and within only one year, it became the first Canadian Company of Girl Guides to be officially registered. By 1912, the company had local branches throughout the country. Today, Girl Guides of Canada–Guides du Canada (GGC) is the largest organization for girls in Canada, with 90,000 active members.
From its first days, the Canadian Company of Girl guides’ mission was to prepare its members for life, empower them, and give them leadership skills. Though the implementation of those goals had changed throughout the years, from learning to bandage wounds during WW1 to eliminating bullying in the 2020s, the organization’s purpose remained to provide a better world for girls – by girls.
In addition to her role at the Girl Guides of Canada, Malcolmson co-founded the local chapters of the I.O.D.E (Independent Order of the Daughters of the Empire), served as vice president of the Mother’s Pension Board, and in 1918, founded the St. Catharines Council of Women and served as its first president. She passed away in St. Catharines at 71 years old.
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