BOYS’ BRIGADE WORK

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28541, 21 March 1958, Page 14

BOYS’ BRIGADE WORK

Doubled Strength In 10 Years

In the last 10 years the Boys* Brigade in New Zealand has doubled its strength and there are now more than 9000 in its rartks. »

Mr A. Doman, training and extension officer, brigade headquarters, Wellington, who is visiting companies in the South Island, said in Christchurch that not only were existing companies being strengthened but new ones were being formed. Emphasis was being laid on the training of officers for it was well appreciated that the movement could not be built up without trained leaders. At the week-end 36 officers from the Canterbury and West-, land Districts went through an intensive course of training at Tyndale House, Christchurch. At the preceding week-end 25 officers from South Canterbury and North Otago attended a similar course at Timaru. There was no doubt about the interest of all sections of the community in the work of the brigade, said Mr Doman. Last year more than 800 officers and leaders underwent trainings

New Zealand is responsible for extension of the work in the South-west Pacific Islands, especially in the Cook Islands, Niue Island and Samoa where there are about 3000 Boys’ Brigade members. The Rev. R. L. Challis, of Auckland, who began this work 21 years ago when he was a missionary at Rarotonga, has been part-time organiser for the last few years, but the time has now come for a full-time training extension officer to be appointed. Juvenile Delinquency

In reply to a question about the bearing of youth work on juvenile delinquency, Mr Doman said that the Boys* Brigade shared the concern of the community about the undesirable trends evident among groups of young people. He said he was convinced that, to be really effective, youth work must have a sound spiritual foundation. The Boys’ Brigade, being allied to all denominations, sought to give its members an all-round training for the development of Christian character. The twin pillars upon which the whole movement was based were religion and discipline. The brigade was paying special attention to new housing areas, he said. These were a good field of endeavour and the brigade was filling a decided need among young people in these areas. Jubilee Year > The 75th anniversary of the founding of the brigade is being celebrated throughout the world this year. New Zealand began its celebrations with a big camp at Ardmore in January. Plans are now in hand for a national drill competition in Wellington in August A world camp will be held in Jamaica next month, and New Zealand will be represented by Sergeant J. Wood, of the 4th Wellington Company.

It was in the Free Church College Mission’s Hall, in Glasgow, that Sir William Alexander Smith founded the movement on October 4, 1883. It had a stormy beginning, but spread rapidly, and Sir William Smith gave up his business career to devote all his time to the Boys’ Brigade.