THE BOYS' BRIGADE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 60, 12 March 1937, Page 16

THE BOYS' BRIGADE

ANOTHER YEAR BEGUN

(By "Skipper.")

The brigade executive met in Janu- '. ary at York, and on its behalf the , Brigade president, the Rt. Hon. the I' £arl of Home, sent the following mes- : ' sage to his Majesty the King: "The - executive of the Boys' Brigade at their - first meeting since your Majesty's ac- • cession send loyal greetings and ex- '• press their devotion to your Majesty • and to her Majesty the Queen.i They i|- have heard with great pleasure that ; , your Majesty has accepted the office ~ cit patron of the Boys' Brigade." T!ie '• following gracious reply was received: - "Please convey to executive of the " Boys' Brigade assembled today the I King's sincere thanks for their kind and loyal message." The brigade looks forward with con- , fidence in the reign of King George VI ■ to a continuance of that Royal interest • in its work which it enjoyed under the ' patronage of King George V, who was its patron for 38 years. The brigade president, the Earl of . Home, sends greetings to all companies ■ throughout the world. The year now - begun will be a year memorable in ■ history as the Coronation year of King ' George VI. May it also be a great ' year m the annals of the Boys' Bri- [ gade, a year of progress and high en- . deavour at' Home, in the Dominions, and • throughout the world. At its close ' may we all realise a sense of accom- ' plishment and progress.. And to the 1 boys and officers of the Wellington Bat- - talion "Skipper" sends his own good . wishes for a very happy year's work, so that at the end of it we may look ■ back on a goodly array of badges won, ' competitions carried out in the usual 8.8. sporting spirit, good development physically and spiritually, and, to , crown all, a hearty, happy camp at ■ Waikanae. The officers have already ' put-in some Work in preparation for the new year. . The annual meeting of the Battalion Council was held on February 18. The 1 following officials were elected:—President, Mr. F. Scott Miller; vice-presi-dents, Messrs. A. Beavis, W. Donovan, ' W H. Field, A. Gibbs, J. K. McDonald, R. A. Wright; secretary, Mr. R. H. Hill; treasurer, Mr. A. G. Mackie; visiting officer, Mr. G. Lyon; assistant secretary, Mr. G. H. King. The new executive has held its first meeting, at which the year's programme was drawn up. Boys are reminded that the inter-company handball competition is not far off, and we must get busy selecting our teams tor this very popular event. First Wellington (Miramar Baptist) were the ■ winners last year. Are they to be allowed to win again? The executive is also suggesting that there should be an organised tramp some time in June to assist boys to qualify for the Wayfarer's Badge. There will probably be two parties, one covering a 15-rmle route and the other 13 miles. THE KING'S BADGE. I wonder how many boys think about the King's badge when they first join the company. Take my tip! You cant start thinking of it too early. Your little handbook tells you what you have to do to earn it, and it is possible for almost any boy to do so if he makes up his mind and starts early. The fact that very few are won is, I think, because , most boys don t start early enough to work for it. ■ Why should you not be the first in your company to win it? Dare I say a word about camp after the keen disappointment that we .all felt when the 193G camp had to be cancelled owing to the outbreak of infantile paralysis? Yes, I think so. Once upon a time a 8.8. camp had finished, kit bags were packed and on the wagon, tents struck and packed away; the camp area had been scavenged from end to end, and the company was on the march to the station. Most of the boys wore that quaint-expression, a mixture of happiness, satisfaction, and sorrow. A good thing had come to an end. But one boy was as happy as a cricket, and if he wasn't whistling was smiling away to himself as if he had a great joke up his sleeve. What is making you so happy, Ginger? asked an officer. "Well, sir, it just came into my head, sir, that it isn't a whole year to next camp—there s only 355 days." ... It is only nine months now until the 1937 camp. What is your company doing about it? Some of us find it difficult to get enough cash out of Mum and Dad to pay the camp fee and have something over to pay for canteen "necessities." Get your company to open a camp bank ..now. It will surprise you how the odd pennies that you can put in week by week will mount up. And then when the time comes there will be no doubt about whether you will be able to go or not. MONTHLY MEETING. Officers are reminded that the monthly meeting of the council this year will be devoted largely to training. I would urge all officers old and young to decide now that nothing shall prevent them from attending every meeting • this year. I will guarantee that their company work will become easier and more efficient as a result. It is really remarkable how even a veteran officer can benefit from attending such meetings. Somebody else's'point of view is put before mm which suggests some new line of action iin dealing with certain work which 1 had never occurred to him before. And the same officer is able to suggest a means that he has used to overcome a difficulty being experienced by a junior officer. So no one is too senior nor any too junior to derive benefits from the monthly meeting. The next one is on Thursday, April 8. The January Gazette contained a list of no fewer than 45 new companies enrolled in Britain during December. This shows what wonderful vitality exists in our organisation in the Old Country. After fifty-three years' service it can still attract church authorities as well as boys. Canada also is coming well to the fore. Two years ago Toronto showed how to do things by starting simultaneously some eight new companies. Today they have nineteen companies with an average strength of over thirty-five boys each. And now Montreal has made a beginning by launching six new companies. Even in Rarotonga The Boys' Brigade is progressing, the fourth company having recently been gazetted. And so we go on from strength to strength.