FEARLESS LEADER

Taranaki Daily News, 18 April 1935, Page 9

FEARLESS LEADER

FORCE BEHIND ASSOCIATION. INFLUENCE OF MISS E. ANDREWS. A fearless leader, the driving force behind every old girl enterprise, Miss Elsie Andrews might almost be said to be the association. In one troubled period during the Gi’eat War she actually was its sole officer with power to act for it in any matter of necessity. It was at her suggestion' that a small group of old girls was formed in 1907 into a recognised body, and. she has held office in some capacity continuously ever since. From a small coterie whose activities v ere confined to arranging social functions and subscribing to a magazine of which she was the editor and principal contributor, Miss Andrews has seen the association gather. strength and purpose until it was able to face the gigantic task of making possible the construction of an ideal hostel for Taranaki secondary school girls. Shn has that rare quality, a mind that cannot contemplate defeat; and her unwavering optimism has triumphed over tremendous odds. But indefatigable and patient though she is, with judgment and humour to serve her ability, Miss Andrews could not have done so much without the help of hundreds of old girls. Her plans are too ambitious for fulfilment through personal effort, but. she ' possesses also the power of attracting support. In her profession as a teacher Miss Andrews has spent .almost all her life at the* Fitztoy public school, where she" is still on the staff. When she left the high school in 1905 she went for two years as a pupil teacher to Waitara. After four more years spent-at various country schools she accepted a position at Fitzroy. Apart from the., vital part she played in old girl activities, Miss Andrews soon made herself felt, in other organisations, connected mainly with education and the. promotion of peace. She filled many offices of importance in minor bodies before in 1925 she was made secretary of the New Zealand Women Teachers’ Association. Three years later she became president and still fills the position from which her' retirement in May is announced. Since 1926 she has been secretary of the Tara.naki Women’s Club, and about the same time she was elected the first president of the National Council of Women. The honour of representing New Zealand at the Pan-Pacific conference of women at Honolulu fell to Miss Andrews in 1930 and again in 1934. She is now New Zealand president of the Pan-Pacific committee.*