FINE WAR WORK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 August 1940, Page 6

FINE WAR WORK

AUSTRALIAN YOUTH

RED CROSS AND GIRL GUIDES. IMPORTANT EMERGENCY DUTIES. Australian youth is backing up Australian manhood in useful war service. Since the outbreak of war youth movements throughout the Commonwealth have given an inspiring demonstration of their loyalty and eagerness to work. Almost every young people’s organisation is working for a specified war object, or preparing its members for emergency duties. The work of two girls’ organisations is outstanding. One of these, the Junior Rod Cross, has for more than a quarter of a century been working for soldiers and soldiers’ children. In New South Wales alone, the Junior Red Cross has been providing more than 5000 hand-made garments each year for the children of sick soldiers, as well as maintaining four homes for delicate children.

With this same spirit of service, the Junior Red Cross prepared for greater efforts on the outbreak of this war. Plans were made to maintain existing activities, while work for soldiers of the 2nd A.I.F. was begun. Children have made thousands of pairs of socks, scarves, pyjamas, washers, hot water bag covers, mittens, and other articles for the A.I.F. abroad, and for child refugees from the war areas of Europe.

Girl Guides have also been working for the welfare of soldiers, sailors on mine-sweepers, and refugee children. At refreshment buffets for soldiers in capital cities they have been assisting to provide meals and comfortable rest rooms for men on leave. In convalescent hospitals, they have been helping with domestic duties. The Girl Guides have sent from Australia nearly £3.000 toward the cost of the two air ambulances and a motor life boat which are to be a gift from the Girl Guides of the Empire. The Victorian Guides have sent more than 17.000 garments to England and collected and distributed more than £3.000. Expenses for all this work have been less than £2O.

Boy Scouts in all parts of the Commonwealth have been collecting scrap material to be sold for patriotic purposes and working as messengers and wrappers at Red Cross and Comforts Fund depots. Preparing themselves for work in the event of a direct attrack on Australia, they have been studying locations of telephones, fire stations, police stations, hospitals, and air raid warning posts in their districts.

Few youth organisations are better able to fit their members fur urgent war-time work than the Navy League of Sea Cadets. From the age of 10 years, boys in the seaports of the Commonwealth are taught the rudiments of seamanship, and encouraged in a love of the sea. The admiration of the British naval tradition engendered by this early training is reflected in the number of cadets who later volunteer for service will) the Royal Australian Navy.

Many boys who received their miroduetion io naval life in the Navy League Sea Cadets are now on active service with units of the Navy. The Australian Air League is doing for the Royal Australian Air Force, what the Navy League Sea Cadet Corps is doing for the Royal Australian Navy. The League has a membership of more than 5.000 boys who .'ire preparing themselves for entry into the air force. More than 200 have been accepted. The remainder. most of them too young' as yet, to volunteer, arc receiving instruction in radio, signalling. theory of flight, navigation and allied subjects. They form a valuable

reservoir from which men of the ah' force will later be draw n. In schools of all sorts, boys and girls I are doing' what they can for the tight-1 ing forces or for the promotion of the! Australian war ell'ort. In one public I school in Melbourne, boys are making' string gloves of a special type required by men on minesweepers. There is i scarcely a school or body of young | people in the country that h-.s net for-i med a war savings certificate group, to!

help in the raising of necessary Cimds i for llio Empire's prosecution of the I war. |