GIRL GUIDES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 8 June 1927, Page 2

GIRL GUIDES

RESIGNATION OF NELSON LEADERS 'AntMview mm teit-MoyiNcrito' ■ cdtaMissicrNjtft' The announcement published in last night's "Mail" that the Provincial Commissioner of the Girl Guides (Mrs Moncrieff) has resigned, together with' the Provincial Secretary (Mrs Parker), and local officers, has created a good deal of interest. Various rumours having been in circulation as to the cause of tho resignations, a. representative of "The ! Mail" interviewed the ex-Provincial j Commissioner to-day with the object of obtaining further in formation on the .subject. .Mrs Moncrieff said: "1 am sorry that my resignation should have caused so much discussion in the (.TiTy, but the explanation is really a very simple one. "For some, months back, I have known that my health would not permit my continuing much longer in office; therefore at the last Local Association meeting I announced that I had returned my warrant to Dominion Headquarters, which intimation was most kindly received with much regret. "Mrs Tilyard before resigning the chair, gave a short description of the commencement of the Guide Movement in Nelson. Explaining how she and 1 had not wanted to take up the work, but that as no one else was forthcoming, she took on the Presidency on the under- } standing that her obligations ceased tho j moment I as Provincial Commissioner j gave up my post. This event having j taken place, she is ■ retiring from • tlie Presidency, likewise Mrs W. C. Harley, I both of whom stay on as* members of the ! Local Association. Mrs Parker, the! .' Provincial Secretary, stated that she was retiring because without my assistance i she felt she could not carry on the veryheavy secretarial work. "At the meeting of the Local Association, I gave a very short description of my reasons for resigning and also most emphatically stated that all I had expected of the movement had been fulfilled, iliere is no doubt that it has a most lasting effect on girls characters, seeing that it inculcates the right ideals, and then leaves them to work out their own salvation, on the principal of 'no man can save another man's soul.' The Guides play together, suffer together, and inspire one another, and I stated that surely such a movement must have an influence on the coming generation, i "It was with great sadness that 1 gave up the Guides, but as I pointed out to them in my farewell talk, wc have always told them that Home comes first, therefore I should not have been practising what I preached, had I hot given up the Comissionership, when I knew I could not cany on, any longer without prejudicing mv own health. In reply to the question as to whether any motions were carried at the meeting, Mrs Moncrieff replied that there had only been one put forward namely "to {•approach Dominion Headquarters'With a I view to requesting them to ask Mrs I Moncrieff to reconsider her decision io I resign." This motion was not put to I the meeting seeing that Mrs Moncrieff intimated that her decision was irrevocable. ■ ■ , : "Mrs Tillyard, as Provincial President, pointed out that it was not within j the power of the Local Association to elect a new Comissioner or Secretary who were appointed from Dominion Headquarters; therefore after voting Miss Gray as Acting-Captain into' the ' chair, the meeting cloned after deciding to hold an executive meeting later on in the week to- make a list of suggested names to place before Dominion Headquarters to fill the vacancies." j Two resignations received by the ! Secretary (after Mrs Moncrieff had ; ceased to carry on as Commissioner) | were also read at the Local' Association ' meeting, namely that of Miss Worley, who wishes to take a short spell from guiding before continuing her activities, and that of Miss Eichbaum who has had to give up her Brownies now that she is working at the Nelson Institute as librarian. | In conclusion Mrs Moncrieff said: "1. j don't see any reason why the movement in, Nelson should suffer, because 1 and others have resigned. There-will be others who will come forward, I hope, to carry on. It is only a. change of the person in charge of the wheel, and I would like to make it most emphatically clear, that none of us in leaving give up our interest in Girl Guiding. We merely cease to operate officially. We are still Guides in the true sense of the word; therefore only too willing to assist the Guides and others in any way we can. We take the threefold Guide promise for good, therefore our promise to 'serve others at all times' still holds good. "And I shall never forget the very many happy days I have had with the Guides and their very unselfish officers."