ROTORUA GIRL GUIDES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 219, 10 May 1932, Page 3

ROTORUA GIRL GUIDES

"Trefoil").

STORIES OF SOME EARLY CAMPS

(Notes by

Dear Guides, — It was a wonderful birthday party was it not? I am wondering just what part of your evening appealed to you most. Was it the individual items, the acting law competition, the Ranger enrolment or the camp fire songs? I know that the supper and the lovely birthday eake had their special appeal, but we will leave tbose out. To me the most enjoyable moment of the evening was the singing of the Guide Litany and "Taps." As you stood at attention, and sang your laws so clearly and earnestly, I felt there was little danger of anyone failing to "do her hest" to carry these out. An then "Taps" "Day is done, Gone the sun, From the sea From the hills From the sky. All is well Safely rest, God is nigh." To go home feeling that "God is nigh" is a good ending to a Guide party night I think. It is spast camping weather and yet I have been remembering some Guide camps of the early days of guiding here, and have written them down for you. We were camped at Mr. Steele's farm; handy for visitors, of whom we had quite a number during the camp. One day, one of our visitors (a guider by the way) anxious to carry out her third law, volunteered _ to help with serving the tea. Having heard from one or two that captain was rather sparing with the sugar, she decided to please the guides by giving them an extra quantity in their tea. After tea was handed round, our guider waited for pleased smiles of approval from everyone and was puzzled to see instead, screwed up faces of disgust as each girl tasted her tea. Could it be-, she wondered that the Guides had become so used to little sugar that the extra sweetness in this tea had no appeal. And then, the secret was out. Our helpful visiting guider had endeavoured to treat the guides by generous helpings from the salt jar! There was the day at Mourea when everyone was assembled for colours and prayers, and the flag refused to unfurl. Jean, a new guide recently arrived from Scotland, showed her agility by climbing the flag-pole and undoing the tangle caused by that morning's colour party. The very first 'Rotorua Guide camp was held a short distance down Lake Rotoiti at a spot which the guides named Pig Island. Regulations were easier in those days. Now headquarters would more than likely refuse permission'for the holding of a camp in such a place. The position was ideal, but there was no road communication, no telephone within reach, and no store or post office at any near distance. It was completely isolated, and the guides were indebted to Mr. Hitchon of the launch "Mararoa" for bringing supplies and generally keeping an eye on the well being of the campers. They had a wonderful time at that first camp, and fortunately for captain's peace of mind, nothing more serious than toothache to disturb its severity. "Alles't beste." "Endracht maakt macht." These words written in my autograph hook by a South African scouter remind me of still another camp at Steele's Farm. Some of us had been caught in a heavy shower on the hills that morning, and coming home had garbed ourselves in anything we could find while our clothes dried hy the fire. One of us even made use of a pair of men's trousers left at the bach by some previous occupant. Just the right moment for visitors to call, of course. And when a bus laden with boy scouts arrived at our gate, there was a hurried putting away_of_ sundry garments strewn artistically round the fireplace. We learned that our visitors '-were South African and Australian boys calling at Rotorua on their way home from the Dunedin exhibition. They were made very welcome at the camp, the guides entertaining the scouts, and in turn being entertained by them. Our Maori squgs pleased them most; and of their songs, I think our girls were very taken with one all about "Mary" and her "William Goat." The words "Endracht maakt macht" we were told, meant "good camping" a brotherly wish from the South African Scouts to the Rotorua Guides.