Daffodils, Church And Guiding

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30744, 7 May 1965, Page 2

Daffodils, Church And Guiding

Breeding new and beautiful varieties of daffodil enables Mrs C. O. Fairbairn, of Skipton, Victoria, to continue the horticultural work begun by her husband and the proceeds from the sale of bulbs go towards furthering the work of her church. Mrs Fairbairn, who is visit ing friends in Christchurch, yesterday spoke of her daffodils and her church work, and of her other chief interest—guiding. Mrs Fairbairn has been active in the girl guide movement for some 47 years, including eight years as the Chief Commissioner for the Girl Guide Association in Australia.

“Girl guiding is the most wonderful youth movement in the world,” Mrs Fairbairn

said. She took her first company in England in 1918. She has received the 0.8. E. for her work. Built on the firm foundation of the movement’s promises and laws, guiding was a game: “And in playing this game, children are given an opportunity for building their character . . . and learning becomes fun,” she said.

It had been found in Australian guiding, as in guiding mother countries, that girls were now maturing at an earlier age and programmes were adapted to give more adult and civic responsibility earlier.

“We think guiding is a preventative from its early stages —I don’t think you will find guides or scouts in these gangs which do so much vandalism and damage,” she said. On her way home from visiting her married daughter in England, Mrs Fairbairn passed through the United States, and there addressed a girl scout gathering in Sioux City, lowa. She was taken to see the site there where an international guiding camp will be held shortly, at which there will be two guides each

from Australia and New Zealand.

In Christchurch, Mrs Fairbairn has also been able to renew her friendship with the retiring Chief Commissioner of the New Zealand Girl Guides’ Association, Miss Ruth Herrick. “We are old friends—and both dyed-in-the-wool guiders,” said Mrs Fairbairn. Rural Deaneries

Mrs Fairbairn also described the work of the Ladies' Guilds of the Ballarat diocese. This ranged from working tapestries for the Ballarat Cathedral to financing Ballarat House, a hall built for the use of clergy and trainees near Singapore. The formation of four rural deaneries in the diocese about 10 years ago had given the guilds a new impetus, said Mrs Fairbairn, who is president of one of the deaneries. The meetings had enabled guild members to get to know one another, and had encouraged a wider outlook. New settlers who had prob-

lems and difficulties were assisted by the guilds through a good neighbour council and the guilds also helped provide relief and assistance in the case of trouble or disaster.

And the daffodils? Every spring thousands upon thousands in a myriad of shapes and colours bloom under trees, in the wild garden and the nurseries at Mrs Fairbairn’s home. Over the years, literally thousands of varieties have been developed and then test grown to ensure they will retain promising new features.

The Fairbairns, and the world-famed daffodil breeders. Mr and Mrs L. Richardson, of Waterford, Ireland, were good friends. Now both women are carrying on their husbands’ work alone. Mr Fairnbairn received a medal from America, and other recognition for his work in horticulture. He judged at English shows.

Mrs Fairbairn both shows and judges in flower shows in Australia.