GIRL GUIDES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23860, 10 January 1941, Page 11

GIRL GUIDES

LEADER'S SAD LOSS DEATH OF HER HUSBAND UNIQUE COLLABORATION ENDS 1 lie Girl Guides of New Zealand will feel deep sympathy with Lady BadenPowell in the loss of her husband, Lord Baden-Powell, whose death has occurred at his home in Kenya. Lady Baden-Powell and her late husband were well known in the Dominion, for they visited here in February, 1935, and were accorded a typical guide and scout welcome from the two organisations with which their names are, so vitally connected. any will remember, for instance, the rally held in the Auckland Domain to welcome the Chief Guide when some

2000 rangers, girl guides and brownies drawn from places as far apart as Kaitaia and Gisborne and about -1000 of the general public were present. When, in 190S, Lord Baden-Powell set up the Boy Scout- organisation in England he found in Miss Olave Soames an assistant in the formation of a similar organisation for girls, and with her aid the Girl Guides eamo into existence. In' 1912 the couple married, and

as Chief Guide Lady Baden-Powell enlisted the interest and support of Princess Mary and the movement spread far beyond the British Isles. The Chief Guide declared that its growth had been compelled by the girls themselves. The exercise of a hobby, she declared, was essential to ' the development of a healthy and contented girl, and of the 586.000 guides in ! Britain all had hobbies which included arts and crafts of every kind. On her visit to New Zealand in 1935 Lady Baden-Powell said she was convinced that guiding had a definite purpose to serve in a period of mechanical movement and hurried chasing after pleasure. It endeavoured to build character and to teach useful arts and handicrafts, the quiet practice ol_ which brought the true joy to be found in constructive living. No one to-day will he more satisfied with the way in which the guides have lived up to their principles under war conditions, especially in such countries as England, Poland and Czecho-Slovakia, than their Chief Guide. Although much younger than her husband. Lady Baden-Powell's birthday fell on the same day as his, and this gave the scouts ami guides the world over a unique opportunity of extending , their good wishes to both leaders at the same time. Grid, at the loss of one I loader will be universally felt by both guides and scouts, for with the death of the Chief Scout the collaboration of two notable personalities in a movement which has made a unique monument in history has come to an end.