GIRL GUIDES

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 23 February 1929, Page 16

GIRL GUIDES

-- * I NOTES BY '“GLIDER.” j Miss Young, captain 4th Hawera Company', who sails on Tuesday by theMakiura. lor America, where she is going to visit relatives in Arizona, was i areweded by the lour H awera, companies last. Saturday afternoon. Mass Bufiiuitine, on behalf of the Gunters, presented Alias Toung with am autograph booh containing the nannies ol the Guides of ail the companies. She washed Alisa Young, a pleasant voyage and holiday, and hoped that lr sloe met any of the American Girl Scouts she would endeavour to form a link between them and the Hawera Girl Guides by getting the American girts to correspond with their sisters. Mass loung thanked the Quietens lor their, lithe gilt and assured the Guides present that if she was rortumate enough to see anything of the American organisation in Arizona she would certain!" try and get some correspondents for the Hawera companies. She said she did not know much about Arizona except that it was the .place where the cow-boys came from Daughter j , but she was certain that there o-gnt to be Gihli Scouts there a) so. The Commissioner, Mrs John Houston, spoke shortly on the American organisation and wished Miss Young a veiy pleasant holiday., „ A GUIDE MEETING IN ICELAND. The following is taken from ‘•The Guide,” and is part of a letter written by Miss Harker, Captain, 2nd Blonfieid Hangers,: “A,t 8 o’clock one evening the Commissioner, Miss Magnusclottir, j and the Captain, Aliss Magnusson, came to fetoli me, and luckily they were able to speak a little English. We climbed; into, a charabanc and then drove to Reykjavik, packing up 15 of the older Guides, and motored out 17 kilometres to their hut, Skali, which they share with the Scouts. It lias a dining-room, kitchen and bedroom, which has 16 bunks in tiers round the walls, each bunk having ai special name. Here they come and camp in the summer, washing in a stream which runs nearby. The hut is in a very wild part, amidst .piled up. lava., which makes an ideal place for tracking,, as it is ai’l hills and hollows, but, of course, no trees or long-grass. They took me for a long walk over the lava, which: was like clinkers, some, of which tolled, while other's formed large crevices, the whole being overgrown with very thick springy moss, which in aide it very difficult to walk without tripping- up. Every now and then Miss Ala gnus dottir blew her whistle and l waited for replies, so that no one should get lost! They took me down two oaves, which had such narrow entrances we had to wriggle in and out like worms! Inside it was possible to stand np and we had candles, which lit up the dripping walls. Going back, I the Guides ran over the lava hke I eats, but, as my knees are- dislocated rather easily, I asked Aliss Alagnuisdottir if it would be possible to find an ! easier way. .She laughed land said, “When we go out we never enjoy ourselves unless we have some difficulty to overcome, and 1 the bigger the difficulty the happier we are!” As we approached Skali a gong rang.. It was now 11.30 p.m., and we sat down to supper of biscuits and coffee, which they had brought with them. After supper they sang three verses of our National Anthem in Icelandic and gave me the Icelandic cheer. Then we all washed up and tidied the hut and went to the camp fire. The camp lire wais on a pile of stones, and the vertebrae of a whale formed most excellent seats. The growing dusk of an August night, a rich red sunset marked out with heavy clouds, a brilliant moon and stars, a fire blazing round birch scrub, giving out' delicious aro--1 marie smells, formed a gjicmiouis setting to. their Icelandic and Danish songs, and an unforgettable picture of the beauties of the combined lights of night and day which can only be seen in the Ear North.

. Miss Magnusdoittir gave me her Guide badge, as I was the first English Guide to visit them, and I gave her my Hanger badge to bring success to the. new Hanger Company. Wo were all sad to leave the campfire and wended our way back to the charabanc. The chauffeur had been with) us all the time, and was evidently used l to joining in all their activities! it was 1 a.m. when they dropped me at my hotel and I wondered what English mothers would think if wo brought their children homo at one in the morning! The Guides looked' so big, strong and well and were so jolly, always full of laughter, fun and jokes, making one feel at borne, although we had not .a common language. Many of the Guides were sisters, ancl in one family of 14 there are; nine of them either Guides or Scouts. They tolcl me there were 70 Guides in Reykjavik. The Guides wear Scout hats, green serge jumpers, white collars, green ties and navy serge pleated skirts. Their badge is a. ileur clo Lys on a horse-shoe. Their 'lanyards tliev wear round their left shoulder and tucked in their breast packet. Their steoond-class badge i,s a metal bar worn on the left arm with “Be Prepared” in Icelandic. On my enquiring if the white collars got very dirty, the answer was “No.” They each have a. dozen a.nd keen them washed.”

The next day, to my surprise, Miss Magnusdottir .and Miss Magnus son and six Guides came to say good-bye on the boat before I sailed that evening. My last vision was of them standing at the end of a pier waving handkerchiefs and calling out “Bye-bye! Bye-bve!” RANGER'QUEST’S. *

One of the English Ranger companies has found a new field for service. An article had appeared in their local paper to. the effect that few people with young children were ever able to go to. social evenings or entertainments together, and what a pity father and mother could not enjoy themselves in this way. A Guider replied suggesting that her Rangers would come and look after the home and the little ones when required. Already many calls have come for this service and' the Rangers take them on in pairs. One of the older Rangers recently took charge of a house and a little boy fer a long week-end. while the mother took the father away for a short hciiiday after a. serious illness. Another Ranger in the sarnie company is responsible for the silver paper col 'cation in her district, and the Ohildl Wjelfare. ) Centre frequently asks for Ranger help. There is a. “Good Turn” hook in which a. record is kept of what has been done.