GIRL GUIDES

Southland Times, Issue 23047, 14 November 1936, Page 12

GIRL GUIDES

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK. “It were an injury and sullenness against Nature not to go out and see her riches.” Camping. Guides, a party of enthusiastic guiders is anxious to see camping start again and has made the offer to organize a week-end at Wharemoana for November 21, weather and tide permitting. Will any guide who would like to go send in name and company to Miss Bell, 255 Yarrow street, Invercargill, (telephone 1237) immediately so that arrangements can be made. Christmas Camps. Will any captain taking a camp at Christmas who is willing to include one or more lones please get in touch with the lone secretary as soon as possible. Thank you. Equipment. The equipment secretary reports that of £l5 outstanding only about £2 has been paid. As funds are urgently required will all please note that accounts must be paid immediately. Please do not delay this matter until you have to be asked again. Gilbertson Scroll. Seven entries have been received for the Gilbertson Scroll and the Provincial Commissioner is taking the entries to the conference to be judged by someone outside Southland. Rally. Despite the wet weather on the Friday, Saturday last was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed ourselves very much. Congratulations to High School Guides and First Church Rangers who carried off the cups. Our Chalet, Switzerland. An Invercargill guider who corresponds with an English guider .of Birmingham has given me a most interesting letter recounting a visit to the chalet. We thought you would like to have first hand information about our chalet, but on reading the letter I find it is all so interesting that I think I shall publish it in full. It is as follows: — “Perhaps the best plan would be to start at the beginning. I wish I could drop in on you, for I could talk for at least a week. “After a hectic week of packing June 20 arrived, sweltering and airless. At 10 a.m. we left Birmingham, arriving at Paddington just after 12. London was absolutely melting; not a breath of fresh pure air anywhere. Here followed a dash in the stuffy tubes to Victoria. The scene there is amazing; hurry-skurry, all nationalities with baggage! We met the Manchester Rangers, who were to be our companions for the journey. To get the cheap facilities a collective ticket for 10 is obtained. In this case we were four from Birmingham, four from Manchester and two from the Isle of Man. We arrived at Dover at 4.30 and here followed another mad rush, Customs, passports, crowds, struggles with luggage and at last the boat. I should never have believed that so many people could get on one boat; there must have been hundreds on that little Channel steamer. It was a Belgian boat called the Prince Leopold. “By the time we had settled we were off and we managed to get almost the last of the deck chairs on to which the stewards hold until they see your money! The crossing was lovely—in fact I have seen larger waves at Blackpool. We sat in our chairs most of the time resting while we could. It was a thrill as the boat turned gracefully into the mole—where the Zeebrugge battle was fought during the Great War—and nosed her way into the narrow dock just three and a-quarter hours after we had left. As soon as the gangways were down swarms of Belgian porters, in their funny clothes and wide red belts filled the boat, anxious for jobs. “Another dash, more Customs and what crowds! This was where I lost my hat! By the time we had chased to the trains and made inquiries in several languages and deaf and dumb signs we found ourselves waiting on the platform with only half of us there. We searched