GIRL GUIDE NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23828, 7 June 1939, Page 19

GIRL GUIDE NOTES

By Guider Guiders and Rangers are asked to fill in their National Emergency forms as soon as possible and send them into the provincial secretary. Both forms are to be filled in—one will be kept in the province and the other tiled at headquarters. Miss Kathleen Standage has been appointed badge secretary for the south district of Dunedin. and will arrange all testing for badges in her district. Miss Beryl Brew in has been appointed District Brown Owl. At the close of the last meeting of the Dunedin Guiders' Club last Thursday evening, Mrs Lane was entertained by those present. The Brownie Guiders held an amusing 'Pow-Wow' in which they discussed franklv a suitable gift for Mrs Lane, who we regret to say, has sent in her resignation as District Commissioner for North Dunedin. After various suggestions had been rejected they all seemed to come to some agreement and produced from nowhere a Brownie posy of coloured chocolates tied with yellow ribbon and looking most inviting. The Knox Rangers next entertained us with a tableaux of the seven ages of a Guide, ending with the appearance of the Ranger captain. It was good fun and the visitor enjoyed it. Mrs McNab spoke of the sorrow that was felt in the loss of such a keen, helpful, and efficient commissioner as Mrs Lane, and expressed the hope of one day welcoming her back to active work in a movement where she will always be welcome. She had much pleasure, she added, in presenting a silver cake trowel to Mrs Lane on behalf of the Dunedin Division. Mrs Lane suitably replied. Miss Bertha Salmond invites all Guiders to an evening demonstration Miss Mildred Ward, the head of the Miss Mildrer Ward, the head of .he Youth and Beauty movement in New Zealand, will be present. Would those who wish to go let their district captains know, as Miss Salmond would like to have some idea of the number likely to be Dresent. At the Commissioners' Conference. Mrs Mclnnes, commissionei for Lones, spoke on the organisation and work of the Lone branch, and said she was frequently asked. " Who can be a Lone Guide?" "What are Lone Guides?' and "Why is so and so a Lone Guide when there is an active company in her district?" It was explained that Lone Guides are those who live too far away from an active company to attend, or through some reason are ndt able to attend the company meetings in their district. For instance, a girl may go to a boarding school during the week, and if she is to have anything t to do with Guiding she has to do it'as a Lone. At the present time there are about 300 Lones in New Zealand, including recruits, and it is extremely difficult to keep in touch with them all as they are scattered throughout the Dominion. Mrs Mclnnes asked District Commissioners to keep in touch with the Lones as much as possible. It is not possible to run the Lone branch in New Zealand on exactly the same lines as in England—for instance, the Lone Guide Handbook says that Lone companies should have meetings at least once a year, but owing to the great distances this is not always possible here. Seventy-five per cent, of the Lones in New Zealand are real Lones and not near anyone else. One of the biggest problems in this Dranch is testng Guides, and it is very difficult to keep a good standard. If commissioners would help in teaching and testing Lone Guides or in finding other people near encAagh to do so, the Lone branch would be extremely grateful. The Education Board's Correspondence School assists tremendously in finding Lones and encouraging its scholars to become Guides Their monthly letters always contain Guide news. Recently the board kindly made some recruit folders. These folders consisted of about six pages with a drawing of a Guide on the outside, and the inside contains information about how to join a company and what is expected of a Guide. At the back is a sheet of paper to fill in and post away to the Lone branch. Each company in the branch has a Lone letter which goes out every month and is sent round each of the Guides in patrols. The letter is really a company meeting on paptr Once a month every Guide writes to her captain, and that is her attendance letter. When a Guide has written nine letters she gets her service star. One of the things impressed on Guiders is that if a Guide does not answer in three months she is taken off the roll; a Lone Guide must be keen—if there is one weak one she can ruin the whole company. If possible. Lone companies are kept down from 12 to 16 in number—l2 i s the best, as it means two patrols of six. When the work of teaching and testing is done the Guide is enrolled practically always by some one and not on paper, if this can be avoided. There is generally a commissioner, an active Guider or an ex-guider whu can be asked to do it. A special folder is sent to the Guide who- is being enrolled so that she feels it is part of a ceremony, and the Lone Standard is sent round even to Guides who are being enrolled on their own so that they may feel they are part of the whole movement The standard was made by the late Mrs Pattie the former Lone Commissioner, and it was her idea that as Lones could not get together this would be a symbol to represent the whole branch.

Miss Herrick, thanking the speaker for the interesting talk or.. the Lone branch, said it was, not only for the Lones to show such a spirit of friendliness and co-operation, but up to all commissioners and Guiders not to forget the Lones and to welcome them into all active work wherever possible