Country Girls’ Clubs To Meet In Christchurch

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27688, 18 June 1955, Page 2

Country Girls’ Clubs To Meet In Christchurch

NEWS FOR WOMEN

The annual conference of the New Zealand Federation of Country Girls’| Clubs, held alternately in the North! and South Islands, will be held this! year in Christchurch, and will be offi-. cially opened by the Mayor (Mr R. M. Macfarlane. M.P.) on Tuesday afternoon. It is expected that 130 delegates from many parts of New Zealand will attend the conference, over which the Dominion president (Miss Mary Hopping, of Tauranga) will preside. The programme will include an address by Mrs L L. M. Coop, immediate past-president of the Women’s Division of Federated Farmers, and an illustrated talk by Miss Peggie Robinson, of Ohoka, who spent 15 weeks in Queensland last year as the representative of New Zealand Country Girls’ Clubs, and as the guest of the Junior Farmers’ Organisation. There will also be awards for public speaking, for needlework. and for the annual programme competition, as well as the annual meeting, a dance, a visit to Lincoln College, and a final gathering at the Sign of the Takahe. This year’s conference is the seventh to be held by the movement, which was founded in Timaru in 1948. It owes its existence to the wish of many country girls to become members of Young Farmers’ clubs, as is done in Australia and England. As an alternative to this suggestion, the Young Farmers’ clubs called a meeting which was held at Timaru. and there it was

decided to inaugurate country girls’ I clubs. The first conference was held j that year at Diamond Harbour, and the first president was Mrs Betty Jarman. ;of Darfield. She was followed in office by Mrs Fletcher, of Waimate, and her place was taken by Miss Noreen Mulholland, of Darfield. who filled the post for two years. The office then went to the North Island when Miss Celia O’Sullivan, of Dannevirke, was elected, and it was decided that the presidency should be held alternately by members from each island. Miss Julie Morrison, of Darfield (now Mrs Leslie Bennetts, of Fendalton), succeeded Miss O’Sullivan, and last year at Hamilton Miss Topping became president, with Miss Noeline Clark, of Otago, as vice-presi-dent. One of the duties of the delegates at the conference will be to elect an executive committee of eight members —four from the North Island and four from the South Island. This committee will meet quarterly in Wellington and Christchurch alternately. At the 1954 annual conference it was reported that there were in the Dominion 1476 members, and it is expected that this year’s report will announce increased membership. The aims of the movement are to improve social life for girls in rural communities, to support the activities of the district, to help Young Farmers’ clubs, and to arrange lectures, demonstrations, and visits to factories and colleges.