GIRL GUIDES

Southland Times, Issue 23182, 24 April 1937, Page 12

GIRL GUIDES

Wouldn’t this old world be better If the folks we meet would say I know something good about you And then treat us just that way. Today is the day of the arrival of the Coronation trail message in Invercargill. Have you all your badges shining, uniforms brushed and so on? Remember' to be at the front of St. John’s Church, Tay street, at 20 minutes past five sharp as you must be in your guard of honour when the message arrives sharp at 5.30. The message will be brought in from Kennington by a lone guide, with, we hope, a lone escort. These cyclists will circle round the dome in front of the Town Hall so you will all see the messenger arrive and then they will fall in at the end of the guard of honour to go forward to be challenged by the provincial commissioner on the steps of the Town Hall. As the brownies are not taking active part in the ceremony the lones are asking for brownies to be posted to take the cycles from the messenger and escort. It is wonderful the enthusiasm that is being shown about this message. A Clinton Southland lone guide who will be accompanied by an Otago lone, as there are also Otago lones in Clinton, will challenge the Otago messenger there and will in turn be met at Waipahi by the Tapanui guides, who arrive on the Waipahi station complete even to their own Mayor. Tapanui carries on to Gore, Gore to Mataura, Mataura to Edendale, Edendale to Kennington and Kennington to Invercargill. What is to happen at Invercargill you already know. One thing we ask especially of .every messenger in the town area is this: Remember that it will be dark at night and that it will take a long time for the message to travel round all the companies. We do not want your running round one minute later than is absolutely necessary—nor do your parents. So will you repay your commissioners for the happy thought they have had in arranging that so many of you will handle the message and show your thanks by getting the message round just as quickly as ever you can. Race from point to point as quickly as possible, use cycles whenever you can, challenge promptly and speed the next messenger on with as little delay as is possible. Receivers must be ready with the challenge and challenge as soon as they see a messenger. Remember the messenger will not stop when she sees a guide in uniform but only when she hears the challenge, so if you do not want to be accidentally missed out and see the messenger speed past challenge smartly. One again I remind you that on no account is the message to be taken out of the case by anyone. Country messengers are reminded that they will be given a privilege return ticket from their point to . the meeting place for the next messenger. Arrangements have been made at the station here for this so there should be no trouble provided you remember to say at the ticket box when getting the ticket that you are a King’s Messenger. Post Guides Southland welcomes very warmly Dawn Elliot, the very first post guide we have found for ourselves. I think if I remember correctly that Dorothy was given to us by a Canterbury post company, but I may be wrong. Dawn is at present a patient in the Southland hospital and is having a particularly trying time. Georgetown guides are going to make Dawn very happy by looking after her and doing all they possibly can for her. Thank you very much, Georgetown.-I know you will all be very keen to go and visit Dawn, but in the meantime I must ask you to get permission from your captain before you visit her, as she is a very sick little girl and it would not do if she,were besieged with visitors just at present. Quite by accident I heard the other day of a company which was very keen to have a family in need of assistance under its care, but had been unable to find one. If any company is thinking of such service for this year and wishes to be put in touch with a family please let me know and they shall have their family within a week. There is still great need of help in this way, but genuine cases are hard to find for, as you know, such people do not go round advertising their needs but just silently plod along making the best of things.*'

Patrol Leaders How many in your company could you depend upon to break colours correctly at a camp? So often a colour party is chosen from leaders or first class guides and unfortunately the majority of the guides have only a hazy idea of how it is done. This is a mistake that you can rectify. I saw an excellent idea in The Guide the other day; a working model of a flagstaff which could be part of your patrol comer equipment which, with a little ingenuity, could be made very cheaply. First you want a flagpole about the thickness of a rhythmic lead pencil and a small printed Union Jack. These will soon be in the shops by the hundreds. Double a piece of tape and sew this to the hoist side of the flag, just catching as little of the flag in as you can, and remembering to include between the tape the cord which should be stitched firmly at the top end. A good toggle could be made from soft wood and attached correctly. Lash four wooden matches to the lower end of your pole on which to, wind the halyards. I leave you to scheme out a method by which the flagpole ■will be kept erect and weighted at the base, and by which you will ensure that the flag can be run up smoothly. Be correct with all details and none of your patrol will ever be flustered when they have to break colours for the first time. Above all, use the model once it is made. On Saturday last the Otago lone guide captain held an enrolment in Clinton, there being present five Otago lones, an Otago ranger, and, by invitation, three Southland lones and a Southland lone ranger. A busy time was spent in the morning testing tenderfoot by means of novel games. After lunch they adjourned to the Sunday school hall to play games before the enrolment. The captain explained the meaning of the-promise, and the enrolment of the four guides was then taken. Thank you, Dulcie, for your report of the enrolment. We extend grateful thanks to Otago for inviting you to be present. Two Southland guiders would have been present if a letter to me had not taken into its head to wander to Central Otago first. We were very sorry about that, but hope to meet you all again. The captain tells me that one guide cycled down hill four and a-half miles (think of going home), one rode four miles on horseback and another had to walk seven miles.