GIRL CITIZENS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 952, 21 April 1930, Page 5

GIRL CITIZENS

BUSY WEEK AT Y.W.C.A. Easter -week is always a busy, happy on© for Girl Citizens, who form the Girls’ Department of the Y.W.C.A. On Monday evening 60 Girl Citizens in training (G.C.1.T.) assembled in th© Y.W.C.A. Hall to hold their first enrolment ceremony. It was a pretty sight, as the little girls in their trim gymnasium frocks and green ties stood in triangular formation, to pledge their loyalty to their code and to be enrolled by the chief counsellor of Girl Citizens. Margery Burton, Chief Citizen, lit the girl citizen candle and passed on the light to the G.C.I.T. leader, Miss Isobel Martin, as a sign that the Girl Citizens would share their purpose with their younger sisters. Miss Jean Begg, general secretary, welcomed the mothers present and in speaking, especially to the Girl Citizens in training, stressed the fact that the Y.W.C.A. is a fellowship of women and girls of all ages, and that each group has a particular part to fill in the life of the association. So the G.C.I.T. movement must see that its members are clean and fine in every

Last evening the Assembly Hall was again the scene for the Girl Citizen Easter community gathering, when over 100 trim Girl Citizens met together to witness the enrolment of new members, and to renew their loyalties. Greetings were received from Miss Leila Bridgman, national chief counsellor; Miss Carnachan, president of the National Council of Women, who brought a message of greeting from the council (the "older Citizens”), and on behalf of the community the Chief Citizen welcomed the Rev. Wilna L. Constable and Mrs. Bradstreet, president of the Y.W.C.A. The bright singing and spirit of fellowship characterised this gathering. Thirty girls were enrolled as Girl Citizens and Misses E. Armstrong. I. Martin, J. Archibald, E. Fraser and PI. Morton were installed as counsellors by the chief counsellor, Miss A. McCrea. Then followed the roll call of sections, the recital of the code and the fellowship song, “Lo, Here is Felawschippe.” Mrs. Constable’s talk on “Citizenship” will be long remembered by all those fortunate enough to hear her. She threw out a challenge to youth to liv© a happy religion—they must not think that religion was something for old age; it is essentially for young people. In vivid words Mrs. Constable opened up a wider vision of what it means to be a Citizen of the City itself and the founders, who from sheer love for it have made it the thing of beauty it is. She pointed out that

“as we think, so we become,” and that it is only by thinking beauty and turning our thoughts into actions that we truly live our code. Her closing quotation of the grand old civic hymn, "Our Fathers Built this City,” summed up very simply the ideal for which Girl Citizens should strive. Sixty GirJ Citizens are planning to attend their annual comp at the Y.W.C.A. Holiday House, Blockhouse Bay. Rumour has it that this remarkably elastic house has become a ship on a peace cruise, for the occasion.