GIRL GUIDE NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 23292, 14 June 1939, Page 5

GIRL GUIDE NOTES

[By Guided.]

/Heading the list of commandants for the Centennial camp is Miss A. M.'Knight. All will be glad to welcome her back to New Zealand. ' The Dunedin Guiders’ Club held its monthly • meeting on June 1 in Vvilson Hall, Mrs JDNab (Division Commhsioner) occupying the chair. Programmes for forthcoming meetings were,, arranged. Miss Dalrymple has consented to give a talk on Native Flora ’ at the July meeting. The August meeting will Le devoted to colour party work, and the September meeting to games and songs. From July the Guiders’ Club meetings will commence at 8 instead of 7.30. At the conclusion of the meeting Mrs Lane, who has resigned her duties as district commissioner for Dunedin North* was entertained by the Guiders and presented with a chocolate posy from the Brownie branch and a silver cake trowel from the Guiders. The meeting closed, after supper, with the singing of ‘ Taps.’ DO WE KNOW? ■•'ln view of the approaching' Centennial celebrations, it behoves every company to delve into the history and development of its own particular district. Otago; history is rich in colour and interest from early whaling and 1 gold mining : days to the present day of pastoral and industrial expansion. And should provide plenty of material for interesting and graphic displays and campfire stunts at the Centennial camp. Unfortunately very little knowledge of the discovery and settlement of ’the South‘lsland by the Maoris has been preserved, save for odd legends and stories. However, full records are available from the time of the arrival of the Scottish pioneers, the missionaries, and the gold miners, and Guides should feel a pride in learning the full a story of these stirring times. •It is lamentable also that very few Guides appear to .be at all well versed in our own natural history. This seems a great pity, when. in most districts the bush •is so easily accessible. We do'not seem to; realise that-New Zealand is particularly rich in the variety of its native-.species, and is in fact in the unique position of -having a fauna and flora largely exclusive to itself. Perhaps if in the second > class test the Guides had to recognise 1 12 living native plants, • birds,, etc., interest in their own country’s natural history might be stimulated. Certainly visiting overseas . Guides will expect us to be able to recognise and tell them something about our bush and its denizens. So let us in , the next few months make up our minds to learn as much as possible about our own countryfirst, the Maori and his customs, then the story of the 100 years of the growth of our Dominion; and, lastly, let us not be so nnpardonably ignorant of the beautiful natives of our fields and forests. LOG BOOKS. - . What is a log book ? Before you pass it by as useless and unnecessary work, just answer, that question—what is a log book? You may, know that the term “ log ” is a nautical one; the log is an instrument for ascertaining the ship’s speed, and ■ the number of knots are entered in the' log book along with weather records, , compass ' readings, and all official reports. A log book is a.diary and not a scrap book, so be sure you keep if for your own doings and observations only, and don’t just stick in pictures and cuttings from the paper, or copy bits out of books. The actual book is important as well as /the contents. A loose leaf one is very convenient, for then you can insert plain pages for illustrations whereever you want them, you are sure of getting your entries in the right order, and if you spoil a page it can simply be removed without any of the complications which accompany this operation in ah ordinary book. The book can be bound periodically ana - a new one started. Don’t be content with the ordinary drab shop cover of your book; a removable cloth cover has the ad- „ vantage of being washable, while a leather one does not fade so quickly and, is more durable.

Now for the contents. On your first pages you will probably have the name and emblem of your patrol, the motto, the legend, the sign, and the call, and don’t forget to keep the colour scheme of the patrol all the way through. Why not use coloured ink—red or green for Keaa, brown for Kiwis, black for Tuis, violet for Violets, and so on ? There should be a page for the signatures and enrolment dates of the members of the patrol.- When writing accounts of your meetings and hikes, ’ try and make them interesting. Put in all the little humorous incidents which do frequently .occur, they will help ,to make your hook more really alive. The patrol’s pkce in competitions, descriptions; and results of badge tests, any special features of the programme contributed by the patrol, should all be included, with many other things which you . will acquire the habit of collecting mentally for your log as the meeting continues.

Above all- illustrate your log; there should not be a single page without an illustration of some sort. Photos are excellent, so also are drawings add paintings. If you can’t draw, use stick figures—they are very amusing, and .look well if neatly drawn. Leaders will find it a great help when .mapping out programmes for ffiture activities ,if they have a wellkept-. log to which to refer. It will give them ideas, save repetitions, and show up the patrol’s strong and,weak points. A Nature log book should be kept as wdodcrafty as possible. A thin wooden coyer decorated with poker work .or covered'with strips of silver birch bark looks.very well Your - entries may be made, daily, weekly, or monthly, but don’t make the mistake of trying to get,something for every day; you may see several interesting things one day, arid nothing at all, exciting for the rest of the week. Do not put in dull things just'to fill-in; there should be absolutely nothing in the diary which you have not actually observed for yourself. The Indian woodcraft signs come in very useful here, in addition to photos arid drawings. Sketches of tracks and insects in the margins certainly help to give the book an out-of-doors atmosphere, while, pressed leaves, smoke prints, feathers, grasses might also be included.

Many people consider log books of all kinds quite Useless and a great deal of ■ trouble to keep, but the more you work with them the greater will your interest' be, and the greater value they 9W -fcave to both your patrol and your