GIRL GUIDE NOTES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 18 December 1926, Page 18

GIRL GUIDE NOTES.

(By "Guider”) The executive of the Hawera Association held its final meeting for the year on Monday last. Nine meetings have been held isince May, when the executive was set up. . Special attention is to be given to Rangers in the New Year, when a class wiiMie formed for them. The -presence of very young children is a hindrance -to the work of a Brownie nack Recruits in the pack should set out with the right idea from the start, really grasping what as Brownies they must try to do. The Brownie law and promise are quite hard enough for some little people, even of eight years of ag to understand. The executive has decided that in future no more girls under eio-ht vears of age will be permitted to ioTn the Brownies. Meantime they must, just stay away from Browmeland, and wait until they are older. ...... There will be a church parade of both companies and the Pack to-morrow morning. After that the next regular meeting of Guides and Brownies will bo In Id on January 29, the last Saturday in the month. The executive will not nicer, again until February 7Last Saturday a full muster of twenty companies asesmbled in Christchurch at the Jellicoe Hall to welcome Miss Alice Behrens The Hon. Mrs Tahn Rhodes, Canterbury Provincial Commissioner, Miss Behrens, who gave a short talk to the girls. An able and vivacious speaker, she gained the, instant attention of her audience by an imagmarv trip to Foxlease, the home of Guiding since 1922, standing in 60 acres of ground in the historic New Forest, nine miles from Southampton. The various rooms are named after districts or different parts of the Empire. Miss Behrens graphically pictured the furnishings, contributed by Guides from widespread parts of the Empire, and stressed the unity which made all Guides members of one united family, each having a share m Foxlease—the home. ■ln 1921 Guides from 32 toieign countries and all parts of the British Empire went into camp at Foxlease, a fathering representing a huge family, which at the last census was composed of 013,000 Guides, and, although many of them were unable to speak a word of English, all were drawn together iu mutual understanding by the happy conditions which prevailed. The gift of the New Zealand Guides to Foxlease is a handsome writing-desk made of our native woods. The top of the desk has a beautifully polished surface of heart, of kauri, and is inlaid with the trefoil in totara knot and kahikatea. The drawers are inlaid with puriri, rewarewa, mottled kauri and New Zealand cedar. This fine desk has been handed over to Miss Behrens and is being forwarded to Fox--IC*ZI3P» "Guider” was present at the Christchurch rally, as were other CtuideTS from different parts of New Zealand, and experienced, for the first time, what it rcallv means to be one of the big Guide family. "Guider” had gone alone to the hall, and, being a stranger, had waited to slip quietly into a back seat. But a pleasant faced girl with a lieutenant’s badge on her tie saluted, and said simply, “May I introduce myself’ I am a Guider from Queensland! We shook hands in the Guide way, and immediately seemed to have been" friends always. After Miss Behrens had finished her talk, and a Maori company had formed up outside as a guard of honour, she and the Dominion Commissioner came down and greeted us. Miss Behrens was delighted to meet the Queensland Guider again. Ale, she greeted, just like an old friend. It was altogether a delightful “giiidev” afternoon, and quite illustrated the bond which unites all Guides in what Miss Behrens calls, very simplv, "the family.” When Miss Behrens left England she carried with her a flag presented by the Guides of the Bth Bury Company, South-East Lancashire, which these Guides wished to bo given to some very poor company, who were unlikely to be able to obtain colours for themselves. Such a company was brought, to Miss Behrens’ notice ui Christchurch —the St. Saviour’s Orphanage Company, Shirley. These Guides are therefore to be given the beautiful flag, complete with standard topped with a lovely trefoil in brass. One wished those splendid Lancashire Guides coulfl have seen the surprised and ha.ppv faces of the St. Saviour’s Company,*when Miss Behrens made the announcement that they were the fortunate company to receive the Bth Bury Company’s gift. lam sure all Guides will agree it was a thrilling thing to happen to any company, and will wish that the kind donors of the flag, themselves mostly very poor girls, will be thrice blessed for their generous and sisterly thought. In sending seasonable greetings to ail Guides, Mrs Wilson, our Dominion Commissioner, says. "On New Year’s Eve let every Guide renew her promise, and, with file dying year, forget the failures and mistakes, and start anew to live as Guides should —aiming high, thinking high thoughts, remembering our only sure road to success is through faith in God, and service to one anan other. ”

“Look wide!” is one of the founder’s watchwords. In looking wide, and seeing visions of a world transformed by Scouting and Guiding, vve must never forget that this transformation can take place only when we have managed to make every hoy and girl understand and appreciate the law and its application to themselves. Docs it really matter what we do, or how wo do it? .Does it really matter what we wear, or how we wear it? Does it matter if wo don’t run our companies on strictly stereotyped lines, so long as by our personal example we are managing to lead our young people along the road which leads to health, happiness—and heaven? Wo must remember that Guide training is divided into four headings, and that only, when in running our companies, we are dealing equally with character development, handicrafts, health and service, can we feel that wo arc catering adequately for the needs of our girls.

“Giiider" lakes this opportunity of wishing alt Havvera Guides and Brownies a kind Christmas greeting. May the love which the greatest Guide of all time had in His heart, he in the hearts of each and every one of us. And let us on. New Year’s Eve make such a great resolve to carry our Guide law into our daily lives, that a new conception of all that guiding means may come to u-s all, and to all who come in contact with us.