THE RALLY.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20181, 9 March 1931, Page 8

THE RALLY.

SCOUTS AND-GUIDES ON PARADE. DEMONSTRATION BEFORE THEIR CHIEFS. Ixl honour of the visit to Christchurch of the Chief Scout and the Chief Guide, Lord and Lady Baden-Ppwell, nearly three thousand Scouts and "Wolf Cubs, Girl Guides, and Brownies, rallied to the Show Grounds on Saturday afternoon. Though the skies were grey the ground was alight with colour, ranging from the khaki shirts of the boys and the navy blue dresses of the girls to ! the brighter shades of the green, maroon, and royal blue neckerchiefs, badges, and banners. The Tally was a success from beginning to end and-the Chief Scout told a representative of The Pbjess afterewards that he was delighted with it and that it was by far the finest demonstration he had yet seen in New Zealand. -There were 1420 Guides and Brownies on the ground and 1188 Scouts and Wolf Cubs as well as 270 Scout and, Guide officers. In addition, the grandstand and the areas round the railings of the oval were-packed with spectators and it is estimated that there were nearly 10,000 people present, excluding the 0 Scouts and Guides. Nearly 200 cars were paxked in the grounds. The official party arrived a lew minutes before two o'clock and was met at the oval gates by Mr. W. H. Montgomery (Metropolitan Scout Commissioner) and Miss. Bromley Cocks (District Girl Guide Commissioner). >Tn the party were the Chief, Scout and the Chief Guide, Dr. P. Clennell Fenwick (Dominion Chief Scout Commissioner), Mrs L. H. Wilson (Dominion Chief Guide Commissioner), lieutenant- „ Colonel F. B. Creswell (Deputy-Chief Scout Commissioner), Miss Eni&'Jßeft' {Deputy-Chief ' Guide Commissioner), . , Lieutenant-Colonel E. P. Le. (Touring Commissioned), and Major* l)?. £j 8. Fnurbey (Dominion Headquarters' March Past. , 1 Jrftejr the baka the band struck up av4;£&onl ,aad Lady Baden-Powell osoved - down tot the platform

a flap of the owl's wings the Brownies began their dance, each pack round its own toadstool; Again the owl flapped its wings and in a moment every Brownie was. giving an exhibition of Mother," Some looked a|ter "the baby, some -ran messages, and sdme washed the or swept, out the-rooms while the Chief Guide walked through their ranks watching everything that , was done, and all the time the Brown Owl watched from its,toadstool. Finally the Chief Scout took his stand in the middle of the Fairy King and was saluted by the Grand Howl of all the Brownies, and then the little brown dresses made way for the demonstrations to.be given by their .elder brothers. The Scouts' -Exhibitions. The boys began by giving: a demonstration of ambulance work on lines similar to that of their sisters and it was difficult to discover who worked the more efficiently, the boys-or the girls. At the same time in other parts of the ground boys were showing their skill in axeraanship and in tent-pitching, and as soon as the ambulance work was finished an exhibition of gymnastics, culminating in a grand pyramid, was given. During, all this time, ever since the march past, the boys from South Canterbury had been engaged in building a bridge and towers from undressed timber and flax, while others had been constructing native camps and camps from manuka tyisli, and the rest had been preparing the various sideshows at the other end of the ground. As soon as the gymnastics were over the Girl Guides took the ground again for the country dances. Wearing orange, red, and green hats, they covered all the middle of the ground with a maze of circling, coloured figures moving in every kind of country dance from the simplest. circlings to the most complicated squares. They danced round the band ;until it-seemed they.,were never going;to stop,, and no. one would have, wanted them to . stop if it had not been that there was : a programme to be got through. After the dancing tho Chief Scout and a party of commissioners went off to inspect the sideshows, while the Chief .Guide inspected the badge display givenby the Guides. Presently the Chief Scout returned and the Guides fell back i into their ranks. Then the Chief Scout I and the Chief Guide mounted the -Council Bock*- in... the middle of the ground and there was a breathless, excited pause while everyone waited vfor the Grand Bush. : The Grand Bush. At- a signal frpm' a .Rover perched- on the top of the grandstand ;the Brownies ibegan to .c?4ueh and creep in toward the Bock. • The prowl quickly, became a rush and the' B^ojvnies; grouped themselves in;as closely qs 'they could get t- the Hock; They '.were followed by the ■Wolf . Cubs. with a rush and a rdar, with 'hats -and'staves aloft and cheering with ". all" their voices' the Sttd Glides came across the ijleld towards their Chiefs. They 'gathered round them shouting and i throwing their hats up on the ends of thqir staves and then at a whistle-blast from*the Chief Scout they fell silent ?nd .a moment later had settled down tin the ground to hear his and the Chief Guide's addresses. , At the conclusion of th,e speeches they sfpse' and again their "hats air on their staves Vand th6y eheered him pntil at last smilingly compelled to signal THE both delighted with rally. 1 As soon as the Grand Bush' was over and the boys and girls had settled into silence round their Chiefs on the Council Bock, the Chief Scout addressed' them. "J- wish to *ay hoi? . delighted £ am .to you and the7splendid rally y{tp*Y6 given-us," he began, 'fit's the [jest, I've seen yet in New Zealand, r ShVgh, of course, I'm not-going to tell Auckland or Wellington .that. Next Dunedin, but I don't thinjt they'll show me anything better Uteris. I'm delighted with.all!'ve ssen ko4Jay, and it proves-to me that you're MI, uoing, your jobs." '{,P>e Scout read messages from jpfj ,the Governor-General. front of ttyuSfy; WJSTeII," now you know/what; his RoyjibHigliness thinks ofyou, and all £ can if#y is,.* Ditto.' I've liked.bo.many tMjs£s*3n Christchurch that i ' hardly WWW where to begin to praise, it. Tt p!tho cleanest' City I've, seen for a time, and 1 ask youalltohelpto up • the reputation for cleanliness thftt'your fathers have already won for; 1 thLng that pleased me was th? !«tatue of that great Scout, - Capfajft do u6t read_, , 'and quotation- fropiTv pjjsr&'tb4t', Is'engraved on. the base of you are not proper t Scouts. ' ffis v wree mottpes ..we're flSndure hardgjupA'i 'Help' one anothejr/' and <.' Meet fortitude,' ana - he' was' a but# 'lwlio lived up" to hik mottoep. tf utf to you* Scout laws you -too" Wsl be r, able'-ttf' follow ttfoift thretf ifaottpen, - ,Ab6re all things, try to carry out that particular motto : Of your own ftSd do:«omeojie a good turif ev6fy day." The. Chi§f 1 Gjiide then.spokei spying tjiat A# hri!d been glad to See so, many Splendid "young people op the .ground. (3he 1 clear]y , that they, WerV doing their work thoroughly and well in . a jplly, /Happy igfirit. She; messaged ' TO!the Guides of New the : Duchess of Tork, and *from|Lady Bledv . filoe. / ' ,l Tp 1 tr <sopreM)iitativo of', The • Press After the. Chief; Scout neated his praise.' There was no. doubt' jio&t it had been far the best of the rallies he J)ad yet seen in New Zealand, find be had been particularly pleased the Seouts' side-shows, Which had shown not only good Sqofttcraft, .butt efcill - and inventiveness aa well. The Chief praised highly,.the; work of the Gfride'p in the coimtry wancing, and ; sp - . ( » " V- :k\ [A MESSAGES TO DOMINION. PRINCE OF WALES AND DUCHESS OF YORK*. ; In- Tris address to the Scouts and Lord Baden-Powell read-the .fol- : lowing message from the Generil:'-^-PA. hearty welcome to ; New Zealand. Boy Scouts and Girl Guides are a great asset to this Dominion -in promoting'' among its young people -those qualities: 02 enterprise, resQurcefulnesa, eelfr*; and self-respect which so signally 1 elkjraetetised its', early pioneers' and • which no nation ~can'.retain its vijgouV and prosperity synd no* indiyfdu^l' complete happiness^Sledisloe.?' Chief Beout also read the followPrince { 1 Ohief have! had'; visit all the British; * .-nwvi&ne;;- - \ glatf . see |

promising foundation and on very much .the same standard' of efficiency and spirit as their brothers and sisters in the Old Country. ■ "My hope is that in all pairts of the Empire they will go on developing not only in numbers and Scoutcraft, but - also in grand spirit of goodwill and > comradeship- that I- saw so prominently ; shown by those gallant fathers and elder, brothers of theirs who fought side by side in the Great War. . < > "la your tour' of -New Zealand I' d°* sire that you will give to the Seouts and Guides my cordial greetings and best wishes for good camping.—Yours, sincerely, Edward P." - The following greeting to the Guides and Brownies from the Duchess of York was read by the Chief Guide:— ''May I take this opportunity of sending by the Chief Guide my - warmest greetings to: the Guides and Brownies of New Zealand. "I am always immensely glad to hear news of Guiding in your country and I know that ' the movement has made splendid prbgress during these last few years. • ""It is a very great pleasure to us in England to see New .Zealand Guides, and X hope that we may haye the pleasure 'Of welcoming many more. I hope 'that the future will- bring much happiness and success to you all." ' - Lady Baden-Powell also received the 1 following message -|rom her Excellency. Lady Bledisloe: — '" "As Dominion president I should like : t6 testify to the great value of the Girl.Guide movement in.Ne f w Zealand ,in promoting the highest ideals of : womanhood. ..You will, I hope, ,be impressed with "the smartness, efficiency, and keenness of all associated with it. "They will,'l knowi give you a hearty welcome and derive much encourage- . ment from your presence among them. -r-Elaine Bledisloe." SIDE SHOWS AND DISPLAYS > ' - 1 THE SCOUTS AND GUIDES. I While the Chief Guide was engaged i in inspecting the badge display igiven | by. the Girl Guides, the Chief Scout andva party of Commissioners walked round' the side-shows erected by the Boy Scirnts. The, Chief lingered for several minutes some of the .exhibits, .and at each one the' scoutmaster or : patrol leader was- introduced, and had the'privilege of a few minutes' talk 'with him. At the fiTemaking demonstration tho .Chief enquired into the kinds.of wood used for the fire .board and. drill and for tinder, asking whether any New 'Zealand woods had been found particu- . .larly suitable. He was especially in- ' terested in the camp k&chen run by • boys from the Woolston, Addington, »Papanui, and Merivale troops, and at the last #re of all,, where a diminutive 'Scout had been making twist bread, he sampled a piece of-it, and congratulated the' Scout on his cooking. "The" best twist' I've ever eaten,V he remarked. "It's jolly good.-*' i sThe handicrafs exhibit cansed him to .stop for several minutes, and he .confessed that'he had never seen before a particular plait employed by the .Scoiits in making leather badges. Perhaps the- stop of all was piade before

the Nature study exhibit, where specimens of New Zealand plants were being shown. The Chief asked many questions about tho various plahts, and congratulated the troop ou the excellence of its The- last of the special shows was tho bridge and towers built of undressed timber and flax ropes by boys from Timaru, Geraldine, and Waimate. Under the bridge iau a canvtta river, on which a scout was paddling a canoe, and in which'another scout was fishing, and on top of the towers Union Jacks and New Zealand flags were waving.. -To test its construction, the Chief Scout aqd his party crossed the bridge together, and though it gave a little under their weight, it brought them safely across. Commissioner Tidswell elbo climbed to the top of one of the towers, about twenty feet off the ground, and it took his weight without a shiver.

While this inspection was going on the Girl Guides were in front of the grandstand, each troop being dressed to represent one of the badges that may be won .by a Guide. The following troopß represented these badges: —Horsewoman, Banks Peninsula; poultry farmer, Ist Ashburton; bee farmer, Bunanga; dairymaid, Woodbury; milliner, Fendalton; toymakcr, Opawa; artist, Greymouth; dancer, Kumara; musician, New Brighton; hostess, Temuka; darfcer, Waimate; .athlete, Addington; cyclist, Merivale; gymnast, Amberley; laundry, '2nd Ashburton; homemalcer, Linwood; cook, Burwood; knitter, St. Mary's (Timaru); hiker, Sumner; Maori, - Shirley; geologist, Mount Somers; signaller, Methven; carpenter, Richmond; lifesaver, Selwyn House; boatswain, Chalmers (Timaru) ; friend to animals, Bugby Street;.child nurse, Durhdm Street; gardener, Geraldine. The various displays of thei Scouts ; were given by, the following Model Maori pa, Bicc or ton; Maori carving, Addington; hike camp, model camp, Timaru;; basket work, New Brighton; camp gadgets, Edgeware; knotting and seamanship,. Lyttelton Sea Scouts; accidents, Gore Bay; fireman, Lyttelton; derrick, Rangiora; handicrafts, Spreydon; Nature study, Banks Peninsula; manuka camp, Timaru; bushman 's j whare, .H> kitika; ■ engineering, St. Matthew's;; toys, Templeton; camp looms, St. Mark's. In their demonstration of "Helping Mother" thes following Brownie packs took part—Min" 'jig th : babyy Cashmere; cleaning silver, Sumner; , sweeping out . rooms/ 1 Fendalton; cleaning shoes,. Add-ington;-messages, New Brighton; washing the - dishes; Linwood; hanging out the washing, Riccarton; making beds, Tennyson Street; Congregational; band- | aging, SHalswell; mending . a shget, Lyt- | telton. ■' I THE DAY'S ORGANISATION. I , , i BILLETmG THE SCOUTS. The public was on its way to the .grounds before eleven 'o'clock in the morniiig, in considerable numbers and i City 'traffic inspectors were on duty during the morning and' early afternoon and' again in the late afternoon to direct the streams of-traffic. - The Chief Traffic Inspector?* anticipations

large flow of road traffic to the ground wero more 'than realised, and, although a large proportion of the people came out in the special trams provided for them, there were about 200 .cars parked on the ground during the afternoon.' Sixteen members of the St. John Ambulance were present with «an ambulance from one o'clock onwards, in case of accidents. Two medical officers were in the number, and several nursing sisters and dressing, stations .were established and men ppsted right round the ground. Fortunately their , services were not required, except to take part in the Scouts' and Guides' ambulance displays. - . During the afternoon it was announced that the officers'of the Scout and Gnide movement desired especially to thank the Botary Club snd Toe H for the work their members had done, and, Mr J. S. Middleton, who acted-as treasurer, Mr Jack .Vernon, Miss Kennedy, Miss- Perguson,/ Mr. Ilatman, and Mr Walls, fcaretaker of the ground, as well as the tram and-train officers and' [ .the many other men and women who had helped to' make the rally a success.' A little after midday on Saturday the contingent of Scouts and Guides from South Canterbury arrived t>y special train) and thsse returned to their homes by another special train on Saturday evening. The .Scouts from the West Coast, who arrived on 'Friday, have been billeted by the Linwood and Woolston -troops, tfnd will-return'by special train this morning»' The Gore Bay Scouts will also leave for home this morning. CENOTAPH FLAG PRESENTED. CEREMONY AT CATHEDRAL. , The presentation of the London Ceno-1 taph flag to the Christchurch Cathedral - for custody by Lord 'BadenPowell yesterday afternoon - made a very impressive ceremony, and it ~ is i probable that so extensive a gathering of Scouts, Guides, Cubs, ind Brownies -has not before been seen' within the walls. It is estimated that there were present 800 Guides and y about 500 Scouts. The parade, which was under the charge of Major J. W. Crfunpton and Miss Cecily O'Eorke, formed up in Cranmer square, and marched to the Cathedral by way of Ealmore and Victoria streets, the Eover Scouts leading, followed by Sea Scouts, Scouts, Girl Guides, Wolf Cubs, and Brownies. Inside the Cathedral the standards of the various companies were .placet at the ends o£ x the "rows of seats along the' main aisle, and lent an inspiring touch of. colour to the scene. ' The official party consisted of Lord and Lady 'Bowen-Powell, Colonel P. C. Fenwick (Dominion Chief Commissioner), Mrs W. B. Wilson (Dominion Guide Commissioner), Lieutenant-Colonel P., B. Creswell (Deputy Chief Commission-, er), Miss E.JBell (Deputy Chief Guide ! Commissioner)',-Lieutenant-Colonel E. P., le Breton /Touring Commissioner), Mr i W. H. Montgomery (Canterbury. Metro- I politan Commissioner), Miss B. Cocks ' i i ">> ' i' ' 1

m;l

(Acting-Provincial ! Guide Commissioner), Major W. 33. S. Forby; (Headquar4 terg Commissioner). Other, Commissioners present were Mra B. B. Irwin, Mra Traill, Mrs F. Dunn/.Miss O. Mcllraittf, ■ and Miss D. Anderson. Othe« marehing; were Assistant Metropolitan' Commissi sioner J.Kj.ch, Cub W. Be»> mond, and Commissioner F. tj, ; Tidswell. The lesson .was,read by the Mayor <Mr J., K. Archer), andthe sermon was preached by.the Very , The Cenotaph flag was 'presented by Lord,Baden-Powell-on behalf of-- tlie Scouts of New-Zealand, and was .-received on behalf of the Cathedral Chap-' ter by. the Bishop of Christchurch, the Bt. Bev. C. West-Watson. In presenting the flag the Chief Scout &id: "On ljehalf.of the Boy Scouts of New Zealand I commit'this flag to the care of yont Cathedral body, and ask yqu to. pre- , serve it in 1 memory of the, brave,* ana an 1 inspiration to >lovo and loyally •- W God, King, and country." The' flag-whs ftcpepted-'by the Bishop a similar form of words. - , _ ~ The lesion consisted of the Parable of the Good. Samaritan, Luke 10, >* VI > * V , J ? Purpose jt the Tlag. • Dean Julius took the Uext for his Joshua, 24, laying particular stress "upon the\werds, f "Behold thig, stone shall be a witness unto us."'He' did n,ot suppose' that the Scouts and Guides present w.ould ever forget their Scout law" and oath. But if- ever they; seemed- likely to do so, they had - only, to come into 1 the Cathedral and to,see' the flag to be reminded of .it, and perhaps to renew their pledges." > v ,The flag - would'remind ■ them, nxst, , that the fellowship of Scouts and Guides i was world-wide, not confined to, thi® ' 'Dominion. When they promised,tot Obey the Scout law they promised to be .-sis-, ters and brothers to every, Gpide or Scout, no matter ,of what • colour or nationality. They would remember, Bec- ; ondly, that the flag had been consecrated at -the,- Empire's Cenotaph, which memorialised the great self-sacrifice of the men who died in the war., The third point' was, that the flag was in keeping in l : a cathedral, because it -Was a house, - ofi God. The flag was brought there be l cause 'the whole of the Scout and. Guide movement came from God f These, wero ,the things to remember, fellowship, selfsacrifice, and the dependence v on, God.' At -the conclusion of the service the , various. ' companies marched, carrying their standards, to Victoria square, where they were dismissed. The Cathedral was completely filled for the cere-, monyj and little space was available for the public after the Scouts and Guideshad •heen provided * for. Afterwardsquite a number of people visited the Cathedral to see the flag. ,