GIRL GUIDES

Hawera Star, Volume L, 14 February 1931, Page 15

GIRL GUIDES

NOTES BY “GUIDER” IMPORTANT. The Chief Guide of the World will speak over the wireless at 1\ A station, on Friday, Eeoruary 20, during the eight o’clock session. This is to give all Guides who will be unable to see the Chiefs, an opportunity of hearing Lady Baden-Powell. Will all who read this notice, please tell other Guides, so that those who have not wireless may arrange to be present at nearby stations.

Will Guides take notice that the Chief Scout and the Chief Guide will not write in autograph books. You will be showing, good manners if you refrain from breaking this rale. !• IRST GLASS HIKE.

The following are the main points which Guides will be judged on in connect with the hirst Class hike: — General tournout, organisation, manners. care of other people’s property, care and thought'illness for Guides tvho accompany candidate on the hike, type of food, cooking to lie done without utensils other than those devised by herself.

Guides will be questioned on types of wood which are best for burning. They must be able to explain the formation of different, kinds of hike fires. Loth for cooking with utensils and without.

j GENERAL HISTORIC SKETCH OF ! THE MOVEMENT. (Continued). During the 'first two years of the war but little was heard of the Guides Most people were too busy to think much of an organisation for girls, and the difficulties of communication made it impossible for the different national organisations to keep in touch, even. But reports which were sent in subsequent to the war show that the organisation was active in many parts of the world, and that much good work in the way of service was taken on by Guides.

Jn Denmark, for instance, Guides went in for potato growing through the Red Cross; they also made paper briquets for fuel, and assisted with the nettle harvest.

I We have all heard of the splendid [work done by British Guides. They [helped to release men for active service by acting as orderlies and messengers in the War Office and the Admiralty; they served in offices and on the land, in factories and in hospitals as ward maids. In their club rooms they made bandages and splints. Over in France a great recreation and rest hut was supplied from funds which they raised. And they also earned money for a motor ambulance which did splendid work. In ]9lo the movement was founded in Czechoslovakia, by Mrs. Berkoveoca, who was aided in her efforts by two prominent scientists, Dr. Cacla, Professor of Predagogy, and Dr. Drtina, Professor of Philosophy at the University at Prague. During the first three years the Girl Scouts worked in close co-operation with the Boy Scouts whose "organisation was started in 1912.

In Belgium the Association Calliolique de Guides Beiges had been founded and in Norway the Norwegian Girl Scouts Association had started several : ompanies. In 1916 the English organisation brought out the first number of their “Policy, Organsiation and Rules.” The Chief Scout, in his introduction to this, points out that there was a great difference between Rules and regulations, and lie showed that in the .'present ease, namely Girl Guiding, these rules were designed to help the workers to ensure fairness and to give the shortest road to effecient working; lie also thought that they would help in carrying into practice the ideas conveyed in the handbook. At the first commissioners' conference held at Matlock Bath, Lady Baden-Powell, who up till then had keen commissioner for the county ol Sussex, was made chief commissioner for Great Britain. This gave her the opportunity of organising the whole country as she had organised her county. Her great energy and busi-ness-like methods, combined with her unbounded,., faith in the Chief Scout, strengthened the organisation and pulled it lihrough its difficulties to success and'popularity. A great deal of its success was due to Lady BadenPowell’s absolute womanliness and sanity, some of which she contributed to the movement and so gave it just what it needed to make it acceptable to parents.

In 1919 Miss Baden-Powell resigned her position as president of the Girl Guides in favour of H.R.H. Princess Mary, now Countess of HarewcccL When the Princess honoured the movement by becoming its president, it showed the world that the Girl Guides had won the affection and appreciation of the British people and she lias done much to encourage everyone connected with the organisation, from the youngest. Brownie to the oldest commissioner. Aliss Baden-Powell was made a vice-president, a position which she still holds. A great stride was made jn 1920, when the first international confer-

ence was held in St. Hugh’s College, Oxford. It was attended by delegates and visitors from Belgium, China, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Holland, Italy, Liberia, Poland, Portugal Eonmania, Russia, Serbia, Sweden and the United States of America, while other countries were represented by choir correspondents on the Interna ticnal or Imperial Councils. Lady Baden-Powell invited Dame Rachel Crowdy. who had recently joined the secretariat of the newly created League of Nations, to attend the Oxford conference, hut she was unable to do so. A letter was received from her, however. setting out what she considered would be suitable lines of international organisation for the movement to adopt. If is interesting to nolo that these are almost identical with those which were recommended by the international con l'erenco in Hungary in 1928 and which were later brought into being. (To be continued.)