GIRL GUIDES CELEBRATE

Southland Times, Issue 25483, 2 October 1944, Page 6

GIRL GUIDES CELEBRATE

21st Birthday Of Movement Rain interfered vfith the camp fire ceremony which was to have been held in Queen’s Park on Saturday evening to mark the beginning of the celebrations which have been arranged throughout New Zealand on the occasion of the 21st anniversary of the founding of the Girl Guide movement in the Dominion. The ceremony had, therefore, to be held in the gymnasium of the Y.M.C.A. The change necessitated by the weather naturally caused disappointment because a particularly fine bonfire had been built in the park and all concerned were looking forward to the ceremony being carried out in due form. Hopes for p fine evening were high on Saturday morning, when the weather was fair and mild. During the afternoon, however, ominous dark clouds began to gather in the southwest and soon after 5 p.m. rain set in. It was soon obvious that the ceremony would have to be indoors. Though the change of venue was very unwelcome, it did not succeed in damping the spirit of the Guides. Except for the fact that the camp fire had to be a pretence of the real thing—a heap of sticks neatly stacked in the middle of the gymnasium floor along with bicycle lamps and , red coloured paper served the purpose —the programme as arranged was carried out with enthusiasm. There was a large attendance. Every company in Invercargill was represented and in addition a number of former Guides attended the ceremony. ROLL CALL For the purpose of the roll call, which was held during the evening, those present were grouped in accordance with the year they had joined the movement. - The four oldest members present were Mrs J. G. Macdonald, the provincial commissioner, Miss C. L. Cumming, one of the district commissioners for Invercargill, Miss M. B. Campbell, captain for the Invercargill, district, and Miss M. Ford, who is connected with the Brownies. These all joined the movement in 1927. There was no one present who had joined in the earlier years. . The movement was actually started in Invercargill in 1922, a year before the Dominion association was formed. In that year two companies were formed in the city, St. Aidan’s and Girls’ High School. For a start both these companies were registered with the Guide movement in Britain. In addition to the roll call on Saturday evening there was singing round the camp fire. Songs that were commonly used in the early days of the movement were sung as well as those that are popular today. The early history of the movement was also related in story form. The ceremony was concluded witn Vespers, Taps and the singing of the National Anthem.