N.Z. SECRETARY OF BOYS’BRIGADE MEETS ROTARLANS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 4, 6 October 1948, Page 5

N.Z. SECRETARY OF BOYS’BRIGADE MEETS ROTARLANS

Outlines History , And Objectives Monday was the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Boys’ Brigade by Sir William Alexander Smith in Glasgow, and, appropriately, last evening’s guest speaker at the Whakatane Rotary Club’s weekly gathering was the Dominion secretary of the Movement, Mr Howard L. Trotman, who traced the history of the Brigade and gave Rotarians a clear idea of its j ideals and objectives. . In 1883, he said, the first* parade comprised three officers and 28 boys. In 1908, at the semi-jubilee of the Brigade, there were 1324 Companies, 6,000 officers and 58,000 boys in the organisation. The movement is based upon “the : advancement of Christ’s Kingdom amongst boys, the promotion of habits of obedience, reverence, discipline, self-respect and. all that tends towards a trufe Christian manliness.” It is inter-denominational. In 1889. six years after the foundation, two companies appeared in New Zealand, one in Auckland and one in Timaru. However, it was not. until 1924, when 'the first Dunedin Company was established, thgt there was any effort at co-ordinating the work. In 1932, the first Dominion secretary was appointed, and now throughout New Zealand there are over 5,000 boys belonging to 220 different groups extending from the Bay of Islands to the Bluff, Elements pf the movement, Mr ! Trotman said, were a simple unii form, consisting of a cap, tie, belt j and haversack. Care of these dei Veloped the habit of self-respect. Drill was' an important part of the i work, and was used, not for any I militaristic purpose, but for what it I could do in the development of dis- ; cipline, obedience and self-control. | In Bible class and Sunday school ! habits of reverence and worship were developed. Club work was coming into proI minence nowadays as something new, but Sir William Smith saw its j value 65 years ago and employed it then.- However, this side had not I been notably developed in New I Zealand yet, mainly due to lack of | leaders and lack of room. Camps ; were highlights of the year, . when officers and boys got away for from 7 to 14 days. That was invaluable in training for citizenship and community responsibility. In New Zealand the Brigade has several camp sites of its own, well equipped with permanent features. @ For regular service and good conduct, as well as proficiency in the arts and crafts-there are badges and certificates, which reveal personal abilities and renew the boys’ interest from year to year, Mr Trotman explained. Promotion through an N.C.O. system is tied to age groups, j This facilitates company organisation, develops powers of command and inculcates a sense of responsibility. “Church connection is the inspiration for and the background of all the work of the Boys Brigade,” he concluded. “However, it was not founded for the Church boy alone, but is a missionary organisation which , deals with and can and is catering for the boys outside the Church.” ___