GIRL GUIDES

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 13 September 1930, Page 15

GIRL GUIDES

NOTES BV “GUIDER”

Tomorrow being the third Sunda r ot the month, Chur..h Parade will be {j •■! 1 as usoil :i!i of Ihe chui-flics with the exception of the Presbyterian Church, whose quarterly Communion Sunday it is. LOCAL NOTES. Owing to the insertion of Miss Hogg’s account of the World Camp, local notes have liad to he held over until next week. 1930 WOULD CONFERENCE AT EOXLEASE. From July 5 to July 17 Commissioners. and (.Tinders from all over the world spent a fortnight under canvas at roxiease, tihe lovely Hampslute home of Guiding in the New Forest. They were met'together to discuss the present and the future of Guiding, .there are thirty-four different countries taking an active part in Guiding to-day and most of tnese countries were represented at the world conference. The camp was run on the group principle, there being four groups, “Rockies,” “Atlas,” “Himalayas” and

“Alps.” The following splendid account was written by Miss Mary Hogg, and appeared in the “Christclmrii Press” of September 8, 1930. Those Guiders. and Guides who attended the Dominion Camp ill January will •remember Miss Hogg who was one of Miss Drothy Anderson’s assistants at the Canteen. . Miss Hogg refers to Mrs. Wilson as the New Zealand * 'delegate. ” ’This is*, of oui.se, oui New Zealand Chief Commissioner, Mrs W. R. Wilson. Miss Hogg’s article is j as follows: — ... , . I We are now actually m camp, ha\inrr oome to Foxlease on Saturday, and! having had yesterday to “get acquainted,” and to-day we really began the Conference. This is the first big international gathering of Gmdes since the world .camp of 1924. There are about 150 of us at Foxlease, most of us camping; but the more important people in the house, and there are si lot more some miles away camping at Miss Maynard’s camping site, Warren Beach The official delegates, either one or two from each country, are goi„cr to have the important Conference to discuss world organisation oi K Girl Guide movement, while thej cn-eater number of us, two from each country, are having a training conference at the same time, to learn from other nations their problems methods, and ideas. At the end of tins week we shall join with the delegates’ conference and have the last four oi fne days together. Hearing reports, etc. The rest of the people here in camp are English Guiders who act as orderlies and do most of the woik. They are most of them very nice gnls, picked Guiders, two from each ooiinty. We are in four groups, Rockies, ? , “Atlas” “Himilayas” and Alps, each just- like an ordinary Guide camp. There are twenty-five of us in the “Rockies” 1 andi we have the mostlovely site, just by tlienvoods, and w ith a big oak in the middle of the field. I am writing at G a.m.. while mj eo -I panion. the other New Zealander. Miss Smeeton, is still asleep; as there yas no time yesterday and will be less to dav The Guiders at Warren Beach are extra ones from various countries, and will come here only occasionally, beiim called officially “visitors. 1 am I=l called a “Trainer,” and the Trainers, delegates, and orderlies ueai each a card with name and position in the Conference on it. Mrs. Wilson ( Auckland), who is our delegate arrived late last night. In the “Rockies” alone we have Trainers from .Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Norway, Egypt (a real Arab), Canada and New Zealand, and there are Guiders from practically all the European nations, even Poland, Esthonia, and Latvia. The delegate from juatvia cannot speak a. word' <?£ English, but most .speak wonderful y well. It is verv interesting to see the uniforms of the different countries; all have thier own characteristics and they are all sorts of colours and shapes. It is rather wonderful that all these Guide and Scout organisations have the same motto, Promise, and Law, and the same principles and ideals. Of course, one of the ideas oi having us all together is to help the •countries to get to know each other better, and everyone is very friendly and happy'. „ , , When we arrived on Saturday eveuin«- we were welcomed by the Cruel Guide (Lady Baden-Powell) and yesterday we had a “Guides Own (the short service we have in camp in Training Week), and then spent most of the morning in the swimming pool. 11l the afternoon we had a ial “ from Mr. Hubert Martin the Director of the Boy Scout International Bureau, who was very interesting. Later all the delegates and trainers went to a tea party at Highchffe Castle the beautiful old home of Mis Stuart Wort-ley, County Commissioner Hampshire. We saw over a good deal of the house, which is E reach, and full of Napoleon’s chairs. Marie Antoinette’s bed spreads, etc. Most of the house was brought over from France a hundred years ago and bunt np again, and is really tliirtheentn or fourteenth century. The garden is lovely and from the house one looks over the green lawns and roses and fountains away to tht chalky cliffs and blue sea in the distance.

Life is very busy, and so much that is interesting has happened during the week. AA r e have had the most wonderful weather for this camp, only one wet day since we came. On Friday afternoon Princess Mary came and spent a long time here. AA T e all went down to the flagstaff to greet her, and then dispersed to our camps and were then visited by her in turn. Our camp decided to entertain her by giving a demonstration of cooking without utensils. Switzerland made custard in lemon skins in the ashes. England made damper and “planked Chops.” Sweden made a kind of sweet-bread, and we two New Zealanders cooked eggs—mine m the mud and Miss sTneeton’s on a hot stone. We had things well on the way rwhen her Royal Highness arrived and all came up and were presented and then went back to our fires. She seemed most interested, and was very sweet and nice. She looks .so voting. Luckily ilio rain kept oft' till she had left our camp, hut it came on later, and we had to have our “camp-fire” in the barn. Different countries did dances for her, and we ended up with a “haka” which I had taught them, and which I hope her Royal Higheness appreciated. Lady Baden-P'owell has been made by this conference the Chief Guidor of the AYorld. so we are very happy. The Chief Scout, is coming to speak on AVednesday to close tile Conference.

Later. There are some wonderful women at the head of the movement —Dame Katherine Furze, who is chairman ot the World Bureau, Dame Helen Gwyn A T aughan, who lias been chairman of Jhis conference, and Airs, Birley, Chief

Commissioner for England. There is a Danish Countess in the tent next mine, very sweet and nice; you should see her knock in tent-pegs! One of the Swedish delegates is a niece of the King of Sweden, and there are many other interesting people. Our group commander, Miss Winser, is a cousin of Bernard Partridge. Miss Bray, head of training for England, was in the chair at our section of the conference, and was most skilful and tactful. Mrs. Storrow, of U.S.A., a millionaire, has just given to the Guides a. chalet in Switzerland. So many Bangers and older Guides go across there each summer instead of camping in England, and this will: be a place for training them to hold conferences. Wo saw the proposed sketches and plans yesterday. The whole conference has been a most wonderful experience and we all felt at the end we understood much bettor each other’s plans and ideas. The conference ended on Wednesday with the visit of Lord Baden-Powell who spoke very well and later came with Lady Baden-Powell to the final campfire. They are looking forward to their visit to Now Zealand next year.

MAXIMS FOR. HIKERS. Fire cannot burn without air. Fire burns upwards. A woodsman is known by his fires. No one can become a good out-of-doors cook unless she is a good firebuilder. The good woodcrafter leaves no trail.