FINE EFFORT BY GISBORNE SCOUTS AND GUIDE CORPS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22868, 11 February 1949, Page 6

FINE EFFORT BY GISBORNE SCOUTS AND GUIDE CORPS

“It was a delight to meet so many of the young people of the Gisborne district, and to realise that many of them came from distant places to display their loyalty to the movement. The gathering was quite an impressive one, and I should say representative of the enthusiasm of the boys and girls of the district,” said Lord Rowallan, Empire Chief Scout, prior to his departure from Gisborne by plane yesterday afternoon for Whangarei. The Empire Chief Scout referred with appreciation to the effort put into the organisation of the Gisborne rally, and complimented the county officers and all scoutmasters and Guide officers on the wav the children had been marshalled. He had been interested to see the extent to which Maori boys and girls were taking part in the kindred movements, and it was particularly pleasant to have the racial co-operation in this country so strongly exemplified. Something To Be Proud Of 20,000 Scouts in a population of under 2,000.000 people was something for the movement in New Zealand to take pride in, he added. In the United Kingdom the Scout movement commanded the allegiance of 12£ per cent of the boy population, and on a quick calculation the proportion must be higher in New Zealand. This in itself was a good performance, and if a greater number of adults would interest themselves in the aspirations of the movement directly, rather than passively, further expansion could be looked for. "In the United Kingdom we have recognised ’ that young people who served in the last war have many preoccupations, oarticularly in the direction of establishing themselves in homes and with families." said Lord Rowallan. “Many of the people who went from scouting to serve in the armed forces have come back to us, and others will eventuallv return, I am sure. For the present we lack sufficient numbers of adult leaders, however. The position is similar in New Zealand. I am informed, and there is plenty of room for adult' people in the movement here.” Final Engagements The Empire Chief Scout will visit' Dargaville after Whangarei, and then will spend four days at the Bay of Islands. His final engagement in New Zealand will be a rally in Auckland prior to his departure for Australia. Speaking of the arrangements for his tour in New Zealand, he said that everything had worked well, with exceptionally good co operation from all sources. He had realised before reaching Gisborne, however, that such a tour was exceptionally strenuous, and necessarily allowed a minimum of time for making personal contacts in the various districts. He wished that ha had been able to give more time to the respective centres in which he had met gatherings of Scouts and Guides.