·'.
e-
o I
.\n Official TrCR&ure Bag of Guiders' Information for Guiderij of Yictoria, Australin. Pl'i~.
3/ · p e l' yeaI'.
4/ 6
llo~t~'1.
Editor: Mrs. GUY BAKEWELL, 4 Stoke Ave., Kew, EA. l'outribuliou~
should J'pac ll til .. I']ditol' uot later tllan tile
VOL. XX.'
AUGUST
iMPORTANT. uuiders-Do YOU know? Permission has been received from the Rationing Commission for us to sell Brownie Caps, Guide Hats and Material f or uniforms only, coupon-free. Purchases may be made only on production of written authority from Captain or Brown Owl, giving name of Guide or Brownie, name of Company or Pack, and reason for ordering (e.g., enrolment, replacement). Material. As material is only available in' IImall quantities, Guides and Brownies are placed on a waiting list and receive it in their turn. Ties require one coupon. State Badges (cloth) will not be available until after the war. Whistles 2/9; Guide belts 2 /6; ew leather for old style belts, 1/9 a set; Emblems. 8d. : Shoulder knots, 4d.; English .Girl Guid e knives, 6/-; First Aid Kits in box, 3/ 6; First Aid in leather case rfor beltJ, 7/6; Guide Tenderfoot Pouches, 2/ -; Badges, 6d. Brownie Recruit badges, 8d.; Ties, 9d.; Brownie emblems, 8d.; Test cards, Recruit, Golden Bar, Golden Hand, 1/ 6 per doz.; Brownie belts, 1/4. C. BROADHURST, Commissioner for Equipmert
ANl'{UAL MEETING AND CONFERENCES. Commissioners' Conference, 13th (evening) and 14th October. Annual Meeting; 15t'h October. Guiders' Conference, 16t'h October. M. E. BUSH.
1943
~Glh
of en('1! mouth.
No.1
M. T. King; 1st Benalla, Miss J. Hair; 2nd Canterbury, Miss M. E. Holborn; 1st Bendigo, Mrs. J. Cambridge. Lieutenant-Camberwell North, Miss J. Harvey; 1st Bendigo, Miss A. Bush. Brown Owl.-Traralgon, Mrs. A. B. Farmer; 1st Nyah, Miss M. Harris. Registrations- 1st Montmorency Guide Coy. Bentleigh to Mordialloc Local Association. Cancellations.-4th Hawthorn, Miss P. BushM. E . Bush. nell.
ON ACTIVE SERVICE. We have received the following names:A.W.A.S. - Jean Brown, Alexe Carnell, Pauline Hough, Doreen Hornibrook, Jean McDermott, Faye Starre, Dorothy Whitehead. W.A.A.A.F. - Valerie Cameron, Dorothy Cooper, Eileen Sharpe, Joyce Telfer (nee Armstrong)!. W.R.A.N.S. - Owen McBain , Min Harding , J ean Harding. A.A.M.W.S.-Lorna Nelson. M.E.B.
"MATILDA" SUBSCRIPTIONS Receipts are held at Headquarters for the following subscriptions:-Miss M. Abbott, Miss H . Carnegie, Colbinabbin Local Association. Mrs. Grant Coutts, Mrs. R. M. Davidson, 1st Dim boola, Echuca Local Association, Mrs. W. Fawcett, Miss M. B. Freeman, Miss R. Gilmour, Miss S. Luke. 1st Hamilton Ranger Coy .. Mrs. A. T. McNaughton. Mi!'s R. Pearce, Mrs. M. J. Pearson. Rupanvu n Local Association. Mrs. Robertson. Ml'~. Rnttel', Miss L . E . Salmon. 2nd Shepparton . 1~" Terang Pack, Miss E. K. Weller: Mis~ V. M . Boyd. G. O. THURGOon.
WARRANTS AND REGISTRATIONS
DISTRICT NEWS.
Captain-1st Murtoa, Ml·S. Allan; 1!/t Balwyn, Miss J. Atkinson; 1st Montmorency. Mils E. .J. I!lldd~leYi 2nd CMterbury. Miss
On the 19th June. 1943, the 1st AlphinP.'to ~ Girl Guide Coy. held an "Opportunity D" " ,. The afternoQI\ ~~$sion. which WIiS opc;" eq by
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MATILDA.
August, 1943.
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Miss Maling, our District Commissioner, proved to be a great success. There were cake, sweets, clothing, produce and toy stalls, while several judging and guessing competi. tions were held. Afternoon tea was also served. In the evening all present enjoyed dancing, games and a few items. Our efforts were well rewarded, for we were able to give £25 in certificates to the B.-P. Memorial Fund, and £19 to the Scout Welfare Committee. in appreciation of the use of the Scout Hall for Guide meetings. -J.e. On May 15th the 1st Lockington Girl Guide Company held a fete in the Lockington Memorial Hall to celebrate their second birthday party and to raise funds for the Lord Baden Powell Memorial. The girls collected and made various articles for the trour stalls, which were supervised by the mothers of the Bamawm Guides. One stall consisted of fruit, vegetables and jams, etc., one of cakes and sweets, one of model houses made by the Guides during their meetings, and the other of doyleys, dolls, garments knitted by Guides. and various other similar articles that people contributed. They opened their fete at 3 o'clock. The people seated themselves around the hall and the Captain, Lieutenant and Guides assembled in the centre. They then had inspection and a game, which included the tests they had to pass for their 2nd class tests. This was followed by a game in which everyone could participate. Five new Guides were then enrolled, and those who had passed their 2nd class test (13 Guides) and had been Guides for one or two years, were presented with badges and stars The Lieutenant then took the Guides outside and they played games, while afternoon tea, which was provided by the mothers of the Lockington Guides, was being served in the supper room. The Captain (Mrs. H. Vise) provided a beautifully decorated birthday cake for the occasion, and after the ceremony of lighting the candles the cake was cut and all present received a piece. This concluded a very pleasant and suc· cessful afternoon. The funds benefited to the extent of £23. The Guides desire to express their thanks to all who helped in their effort. -JEAN HOLMAN
THE SIGN POST THE GUIDE LAW -- III. EVERYTHING UNDER ·CONTROL. The Guide way is the good way-because it is God's way. Whenever we talk of right conduct, and try to make up our minds about it, the discuslion must be carried through to that eonelu-
lion: that principle alone gives us' the right and the privilege to form the character and direct the conduct of the Guides, without that principle any opinion may be as good as any other. If we do not deliberately and consciously . r!,!fer to God's law and .God's way, we are hvmg on a vague inheritance, that will become more vague and less powerful every year. What doth the Lord require of thee? bU\ to love mercy, to do justly, and to wa~ humbly before thy God. We must think of all conduct, first and fundamentally, as it affects our relationship tQ God; our reasons for certain conduct must spring from trying to see clearly the effect on that relationship: if that is right, the right effect on other people will follow naturally. The contrary habit, that of judging CODduct first and only by its effect ' on other people, leaves life without foundation, and leaves the children drifting without confident purpose. Carried on from point to point it leads to such answers as these: "But I do not see that it hurts anyone else." "Wh! shouldn't I? So-and-so does not mind , she saId so." ''But no one knew." This whole way of thinking must be lifted on to a higher plane and set upon a different course. The lever to lift it is this-Our conduct is a matter between ourselves and God. The Guide way is chosen because it is God's way. JUNE 29th. The discussion at Headquarters on June 29th raised so many important and interestingpoints that they were not all carried through to a decision. Two of them were:-The confidence and .trength that comes from a sense of control. The difficulty' of beginning to speak of Goo to a group of Guides. These two can be brought together. Guiding works from two directions, practi. cal and spirit ual: activities begun from each direction must interlock. To know what to do gives a sense of eon· trol ; that means strength and confidence: that is why "to smile and sing under difficul· ties" is a promise as well as a command; thp idea of confidence through sense of control must be carried into our ideas of character, and there the only possible control is the eon· trol of God. To lose the sense that God is in control means deterioration-think this out in connection with certain tendencies in war-time . How can we be~in? Imprf'sR on the Guides the Christmas meso Aae:f' of the King: "Puf your hand into the hl1nd of God: that shaU1Je better than a lie:ht, and safer than a known way." Let the Guide~ learn the whole. and repeat it. It is easily obtainf'rl . Discuss the meanine:. How doe~ one put one's hand into the hand of God? Does it mean prayer? Yes, but the words of
August, 1943.
MATILDA.
Brother Lawrence may give a f!'ellh idea; it means The Practice of the Presence of God. Ask yourself "What would I do or say""If I were speaking to God?" "If God were beside me?" "And is not God here?" These questions may be asked simply and aaturally during any talk about the Law; they are one way to begin. Once a beginning has been made, the Guides will talk, and I think you will no longer lack material nor ways to start-the difficulty will be to sort them out. Practical Points. Tell a story, or talk on a Law to the whole company if it is suitable, but DISCUSS IN SMALL NUMBERS. Be ready for the Guide with the glib con· ventional answer: say "I see you have thought this out before, but let us see what the others can make of it-don't give the secret away." Be ready to laugh at a point against yourself; the more serious the atmosphere, the more necessary for a sense of humour to light up; if Guides see a weakness in your story or example, let the weakness make the point as clearly as the strength. Language: Work at the language you use until all your ideas are in the current language of the Guides- not catch words, nor slang expressions, but in words that they would use themselves. Words that they un· derstand when they stop to think are not the ones with which ideas penetrate. If they ought to know a new and beautiful word, take time to teach it to them. Find your material and your stories wherever you will, but ALW A YS COME BACK to thisWHAT DOES' IT MEAN FOR ME TODAY? WHAT SHALL I DO TO· MORROW?
AND WHEN WE HIKE . . . "Be able to distinguish between various kinds of wood, explaining their relaiive value as firewoods." Now that the hike diary has been started, we want interesting and adventurous thing~ to put in it, with sketches. Do you still light what we may call a "second-class fire," exactly as you did to pass the Second Class Test, or are your fires adventurous, like you? If you take "The Guide," you will have read there that this year's Grand Coup for Guides in England is to "light 50 fires on fifty consecutive days in fifty different places." You may gasp, but if YOU had to do that, I think you could find ways. though at some cost in effort. Think how dull it would be to make 50 fires exactly the same way, with exactly the same punk, the !lame way of building, the same way of lighting. ActDl1y, as you would be doing the job in different places each time, you could hardly have the same material for
punk, nor is it likely that you would have tne same type of fuel. .tIave you ever experimented with fuel'? We had a hike once for the purpose of testing different kmds of wood as (a) punk, (b) kindling, . (c) larger wood. Each Guide used only one kind of tree for her fuel supply, and when the fire had burned right down to ash. she bottled the ashes, and labelled the bottle. It was most interesting to see the differences. You remember that your hike record mu.;;t show the "purnose" of the hike; why not make the purpo.se of your next one experimental fires to test the "relative value as firewood" oJ. the di'fferent trees? Of course, this involves be in&, "able to distinguish between various kinds of woods." That is an observation test rather than a test of botanical knowledge. This is a good time of year to start identifying trees; the tiny buds are swelling visibly after the recent warm spells; observe trees that you do know , and find out all about their form of branching (whether they have horizontal branches like oaks, or almost perpendicular ones like Lombardy Poplars, knobbly ones like an old red gum, or softly smooth like the lemonscented gum). See the positions of the budlets on the twigs-elm is a particularly pretty pattern, by the way, if you meet one! Find out also what the bark looks like, and what it. does, ~nd ho:",! Plane trees do interesting thmgs. WIth theIr bark, so get friendly with them In town, and you can use this knowledge to compare with the bush trees. You can have competitions with the other Hikers by picking up twigs as you go ' along (provided you know what tree they belong to) and later asking the otherli to identifthem. Start with things like pine, cypreg~, apple, native cherry; by the way, do~'t forget to use your nose and tongue to help you identify-compare the taste of the twig with that of the leaf, and get the habit CYf breaking a leaf and sniffing it-you will be surprised at what you learn from this. What you want to know from your fuel ex. perime~ts, is the kind of wood that make a h?t qUIck tlame.\~re, which will boil you!' bIlly m a short tIme, and leave nothing but ash for you to .eliminate before you go on your way; the kmds of wood that will make a slow-?urning, la~ting fire for cooking stew or porrIdge; the kmds that will make a goorl toasting and grilling fire of embers' the kind that will not send out dangerous sp~rks which may ~y out and ill:nite dry grass or your tent : the kmd that will not make smoke and arl o vertise the fact that you have a fire (or per. haps you have found that out already for camp fires?): and the kind that will make n good bed of hot ashes in which to cook von" damper without burning it or covering it ~ith bits of charcoal. You will enioy the adventure of these ex. neriments . and will be surprised at the in. f~rmation you are able to record in your hike dIary afterward••
4
MATILDA.
Next month we will consider types of hike fires, when you have an idea of the kind of wood that will be suitable. YABINGA.
TRAIN A RECRUIT TO PASS HER TENDERFOOT TEST. There are three aspects of this test--the recruit, the trainer and the tester. First and most important--the recruit. She has either come to the Company because she has heard or seen all the thrilling things that Guides do or a friend has brought her. Now it is everybody's job to see that she has a thoroughly good introduction to Guiding. This is done through general Company activities and through her own Tenderfoot Test. Is she given a list of things to learn, or is she given things to do and tracks to lay and jumbled Laws to assemble? If she were not thrilled to show her tester what she can do, then a bad point should be registered against her trainer. Then the trainer. Has she trained a recruit before, or is this her first one? Is she thrilled to be doing it, and does she have great fun helping the keen small person with her work? Has she apparatus, such as the crosses .and stars of the flags-if not her own, can she get those of the Patrol or Company-nicely copied out Laws and Promise-maybe the recruit can be encouraged to illustrate them or .make a scrapbook of them. Has she good ropes and not bits of string? Can she procure a whistle so that the recruit can obey her signals? Before you send your recruit fo_r her final test, ask Captain to test her, tell you of any weakness and you can then brush her up in that. Without stressing it too much that the recruit is a special person, she can be made to feel that she is giving a hand with that First Class that she herself will be doing one day. An excellent thin~ sometimes happens- a Leader or Guide brings a new, excited-looking child and says ·'Captain. here is Mary and she knows her Tenderfoot Test and wants to be a Guide." And now comes the great moment of the test. Commissioner should be consulted as to who shall do the job-it may not be the Guide's own Captain, of course-and it should be someone with a good standard of testing. It is fairer to the recruit to take her to some familiar surroundings, such as her own j!arden or Guide hall or park- she will be Ip s~ shy of you there. Then try to put her at ?er ease with casual talk. and finally start domp.: something. and have fun about it. Once. after auite a long time spent testinp' a recruit. shE' ~3;rl to me, "Now, when can I do my test 1" T f.,lt t.hat the best test I had ever held. A talk with the trainE'r will take place to dis· COVE''' her methods of teachinp' thou!!h you rAn ht"p'elv tell this hv the familiaritv with w'hi~h the recruit handles flap' aooaratus. sticks ann c;tonE's. etc. It is ~ood for her to brjn~ two rl'rA.WTl flR!!S to hE'r test, but somE'times it mav be good to ask her to do a rough outline as
August, 1943.
well so that you can see if she really has the principle of the thing. And do remember it must be a thrilling thing to do-such a lot depends on that Tenderfoot Test for that small person. M. HOFFMEYJ<,:R.
RANGERS RANGER PRISONER OF WAR FUND. Total amount collected to 17th July, 1943£67/1/7. The following companies have paid subscriptions, and receipts are being held by B McNee, 481 George Street, Fitzroy, to save postage-Camberwell North, St. Kilda, Ex tension Branch, 8th Vic. Lones, 4th Preston. If the above are required they will be forwarded on receipt of a stamped and ad· dressed envelope. G.R.
VICTORIAN RANGER COMMITTEE BY-LAWS. At the Conference held in August, 1942, notice of alteration to the By-Laws was given . The amended By-Laws, as listed be· low, will come into operation as from 1st July, 19431. That there shall be a Committee known as the Victorian Ranger Committee. 2. The Committee shall consist of a Chair · man who shall be the Commissioner for Rangers, Secretary, Treasurer, anrl six ordinary members. Four shall constitute a quorum. 3. The Secretary shall have served one year on the Committee before taking office. 4. The Committee shall be elected at the An· nual Ranger Conference from nomination Ii forwarded by t he Companies. 5. Voting for the ordinary members of th E' Committee shall be by ballot, and e,ach person present shall vote for the exact number of canilidates r equired to fill the vacancies. 6. No Company shall have more than two representatives on the Committee. 7. No ordinary member of the Committee shall hold office for more than two consecu-' tive years. 8. Minut es of Committee meetings, announcements and reports of fixtures shall ,be pUqlished monthly in "Matilda." . y
THE BOY SCOUTS'
A~SOCIATr9N
requires a girl to assist in the Scout shop". Apply General Secretary, Boy' Scouts' Asso ciation , 516 Co1lins Str~et, .~elbournec C \ ;
August, 19413.
MATILDA.
5
to it, as the shining examples of the following will prove. A blind Ranger with Ranger first class anQ all-round cords. A Guide, without any use of her hands, who gained 2nd class and was working to. wards 1st class. Two Brownies in the Respirator Ward whc; gained their Golden Hands. And there are many other examples of the standard which should be attained.
r ••
CALLED TO HIGHER SERVICE. Editor: Sydney Foott . NEWS FROM COMPANIES. The Guide Company at Janefield had a very exciting track the other day. Captain and several of the more experienced Guides set the trail and a Guider friend of Captain's accompa~ied the remainder of the Guides on their voyage of discovery. VACANCIES. The Extension Branch has employment offering for typists (under or over 46 y~ars of age!) and for both a Ranger Captam (or Lieutenant) and a Guide Captain-the .latter a temporary position, with the option of becoming permanent. No wages-the reward being a lasting satIsfaction in the work done. EXTENSION CONFERENCE. An Extension Conference will be held later .in the year. If any Guiders in active companies at which physically handicapped Guides attend have problems concerning these Guides the conference will do its utmost t c .find a' solution. Please send queries to Mi§s Alston, 5 Struan Street, Toorak. TESTS.
It is emphasised that tests for physically handicapped Guides in open companies IIhould be the same as those for the other Guides, unless they are in accordance with those laid down in the Extension Handbook, or are first submitted to the Commissioner for Extensions. It is preferable that tests for Extens~ons 11'1 open companies should always be submitted to the Commissioner, as those laid down may not always be entirely suitable to local conditions or the capability of the child. Guiders should bear in mind particularly the fact that in no case should a physically handicapped child be given an easier test than that for an active Guide. From the record of past experience it has been abundantly proved that, given the challenge, 11 pA:ysiclll.ly handicapped child will prove equal
Doreen Marshall, formerly P / L of 2nd Heidelberg (Austin Hospital) Company of 3rd Post Guides.
LONES There seems to be quite a lot of Lone news to tell you about this month. First of all, there was the Annual Meeting of the L.A., held on July 10th. This was a very successful and pleasant afternoon, both financially and socially. Socially because several people came who were not directly connected with Lones, but who by their atattendance showed an interest in and co-operation with us, which was most encouraing. Financially because they used their spending powers so generously at the Target StalL The highlight of the afternoon was the thrill of seeing Miss Purnell once more, and the opportunity of welcoming her home. Miss Purnell gave us a very interesting talk about Guiding in India amongst the "purdah" girls, and told us some of the difficulties one was up against in dealing with their customs. Another highlight was the welcome back to our ~on. sec., Mrs. Hughes, who had resigned at the last meeting owing to her husband's transfer to another State. This was put off at the last moment, and as they will not be leaving now for some time, Mrs. ijughes has rescinded her r esignation. This was received with great relief and satisfac. tion, as Mrs. Hughes has been a willing and enthusiastic member of the Committee since the inception of the L.A. . All three members of the Committee were re-elected unopposed. Mrs. Hughes, 3 Beaver Street, Malvern, Hon. Sec.; Mrs. Jardine, 780 Canterbury Road, Surrey Hills, Hon. Treas.; and Mrs. Harley, 21 Toorak Avenue, Toorak, Equipment Officer. There have been four resignations this year, but against this we have six new members. They are Mrs. Thompson, Yarram; Mrs . Downe, Outer Southern; Mrs. Baird, Camberwell; Mrs. Price; Mrs. Peters, Wangaratta; and Mrs. Hosking, Berwick. Three of t1:tese
MATlLI>A. were at the meeting, and were welcomed by all assembled. The finances of the Association are very satisfactory, there being a bank balance of £26/0/11, of which £8/11/5 has been held in tru.t for the Ranger Camp Fund. Mrs. Jardine proposed and Mrs. Price seconded that we buy a £10 War Savings Certificate with this last amount. This proposition was put to the vote and carried. Mrs. Harl-ey reported that she had issued 25 Tenderfoot Badges, 22 service stars and 1 Ranger Captain's Warrant badge this year. 'l'here was a credit of 4/5 at Headquarters, and she expected a substantial refund on some belts she had returned. There was also a good supply of typing paper which would be available for any Guider who required it. CommissIOner reported that on the w40le numbers had not altered much, there being 153 as against 167 of last year. There are, however, 16 Guides and 12 Rangers on the waiting list. (Most of these have been placed since.) Thel'e are still 13 Companies .. Two Companies have amalgamated temporanly to overcome the lack of Guiders, and there is a new Ranger Company. Because of the coopel'ation of our country members and local Commissioners the num .. oers of enrolments during the year have been nigher than ever before, which is very satisfactory. Financial assistance has been given to five Companies, the L.A. having decided to dona;;e the sum of 10/- to each new Company, to equip them with paper, carbon and the necessary record books. When the meeting was over everyone adjourned to visit the 'l 'arget Month Stall, which was a combined effort of the L.A. and the Companies. For weeks I have been receiving parce~ containing all sorts of interesting and attractive gifts, the result of a Handcra~t drive we embarked on four months ago. ThIS was the Lones' contribution towards the B.P. Memorial Fund. The L.A. generously consented to forego their Opportunity Stall, which they usually have at the Annual Meet· ing. to raise enough funds to carry t~em through the year. This year they deCIded that all money collected on the Stall would go to the Memorial Fund. The Stall realised the remarkable sum of £15/10/-. This was due equally to the generous spending powers of those present and to the amount of articles sent and brought in. Once again it emphasises the importance of co-operation. BROADCASTING. Did you know that the local station at Mildura-3M.A.-allow8 the Guides a session one night a month? On the one on Saturday, September 4th, the Guides are going to broadcast to the Lones in their area, and Miss Cawthorn, Division Commissioner, has asked me to open the session with a message which she will read. Unfortunately she did not tell me the time, but I hope that those of
August, 1943.
y~u who can ge.t this station on your radio. wIll know the time of this session and tune in. Certainly the wireless is a ~arvellou. method of contacting Lones and of makj:n,athem feel less isolated. . Mis~ Cawtho~'n has always shown great practIcal mterest m Lones. Each Lone in that area has been "adopted" by a certain Company, which keeps in touch with her by writing, and showing her the "friend to all" spirit which means so much to these friendless children outback. This adoption idea is a thrilling one 'and perhaps other districts will like to cop~ It' The .other bit of news I wanted to tell yo~ about IS another Lones Gathering, but as I have a.lready over-run my number of words for. thIS mO!lth, I shall have to leave that un~Il next .tIme. Sufficient to say that-all bemg well m the new year-we are going to hol~ another gathering in January, at the GUide House, for a week. That is somethinfg to look forward to and work for, isn't it? M.R.F.
Editor: Elsie Sydes. .We inhabitants of the earth enjoy a piece good fortune to which we give very little thought, which, indeed, we take ahnl)st for ~ranted as the air we breathe--I mean the fact that we have a transparent atmosphere. Some of .the other planets, for instance Venus and Jupiter, have atmospheres that are so thick with clouds as to be totally opaque. Ii we had been. born on ,venus or Jupiter, wo ~hould have lIved our lives without ever seemg through the clouds, and so should have know~ nothing of the beauty and poetry 01 the. mght sky, a!ld nothing of the intellectual e xc lt~ment and JOY of trying to decipher tho me~nmg of the vast panorama of lights :-v hlch are scattered round us in all directions In space. (From "The Stars in Their Courses"-Sir J. Jeans). 01
PLANETS NOW VISIBLE. You can get your Guides interested in stars by starting with the planets, especially Venus as it is such a conspicuous "star" in the we8~ tern sky now. Jupiter is also in the west but for a much shorter period after sunset: Mars, which has a reddish glow, is visible after midnight, and Mercury and Saturn are both missing from the evenine sky. VENUS. Venus is generally either an evening star in the twilight or a morning star shinin.
MATIL,DA.
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brightly in the early light of dawn. Sir Jamea Jeans says: "Venus exhibits phases like the moon, the result of our usually not seeing the whole of its illuminated hemisphere. Also, as it moves round the sun, its distance frolit· u~ changes so much that it seems to vary almost as much in size as shape. It looks largest when it is at its nearest, almost exactly between us and the sun. Its apparent brightness changes with its shape and distance, and it looks brightest when it has the crescent shape of a five-day-old moon. It then appears 12 times a~ bright as Sirius, and would be terrifically dazzling, were it not that its nearness to the sun prevents it from been seen to full advantage. Yet when the sun's brightness dims the light of Venus, it dims that of other and fainter stars still more, so that as evening closes Venus is often the first star to appear in the deepening twilight of the western sky. At other times Venus may form a particularly brilliant- 'morning ,star_' often oeing the lallt star to fade away in the light of day."
mark on the side of his neck-really loni w une ear-piumes. bOmetlmes these are hlllot:n wnt:n tne nead lS m a cenam POSItlOll• . ul'eeme lS a town dweUer, as weH as a OUSD UWe!!t:l', so lS the 1uscous. 1 weU rememut:r a pa,r or "greemes" oUlldmg in a most COIlSPICUOUS piace in a gumtree in Bendigo'quite near a busy path, and getting as Iar aa Ieellmg the young, whlch, unlortunately, gave them away. 'l'he nest is the suspenlled basket kind which most honeyeaters seem to favour. "Greenie" is altogether a very likeaole fellow, and a little easier to get to know than some honey-eaters. The fuscous used to be common around Bendigo, too. He haa a circle of blackish feathers round the eye, and this gives a dark appearance there which the "greenie" hasn't got. ~ach quotes the "Chick-owee" notes as belonging to "Greenie" but I think it is generally accepted now th~t t~e fuscous is the author of that tune, and the blrd you see fly up from a gumtree in pursuit of insects and singing a sort of "Whit. choo" all the time, that is "Greenie."
Seen in :pay time. Sometimes Venus is so bright that even the sun cannot outshill~ it. Have you ever seen it in the daytime, about midday? Unce when we camped at Lower Macedonthe Ranger Camp I think it was-we were lying on our backs during rest hour, ana saw what we thought was a piece of thistledown (a fairy) but it remained there and soon Wt found that it was a star-Venus, of course,
YELLOW -FACED HONEYEATER.
SOUTHERN CROSS. . Having pointed out Venus to your Guides, you can next ask them where the Southern Cross is. They have this on their Australian l"Jag, so should have a special interest in It. It is very clear, so they should have no trouble in finding it. From this you can go to other constellations. Most children will show you the "saucepan," which a part of Orion, and ev· eryone knows the Milky Way. Start with what they know and what ill very clear, and you will soon have them pointing out here and there with the question "What is that reddish star over there?" or 'What is this or that group or shape 01 stars ?" "GREENIE" AND FUSCOUS. To-day we start with these two honeyeaters, which are very much alike, and therefore likely to get the observer confused . To begin with, "Greenie," or the whiteplumed honeyeater, is larger than the fuscous -not very much, mind you, but enough ~or the keen observer to see. The former is 6.7 inches and the latter 6.2. Both are a grayishbrown, but the "greenie" is brightened up with a good deal of olive green, as his name indicates, and he also has a very distinct white
My next victim is the yellow-faced 01' "Chlck-up." He "ets this latter name (rom hls clear call with the accent on the "u'p " makmg. it alm~st "chic-kup." When you an consul~mg a blrd. book to identlfy this one you wlll see that It has almost a twin in the "singing" honeyeater. But that is where the song comes in. I have always had all doubt. ~ispelled by hearing the "chick-up." This bird IS common, especially along the coast Sorrento way. ~ h~ve seen it in Bendigo, too, and other dlstrlcts, but I just couldn't b, definite about them at the moment. It frequents the thick scrubby ti-tree along the coast, and scrub inland. It is very shy, and there~ore hard to get a close look at. I have se.en It on a .ti-tree and the next minute it w~ll peer a~xlOusly at you and then silentl) slIp f~o~ fllgh~. The call is very often mo!t t~ntahsmg unhl you have identified the owner slmply on account of this shyness. The gene~al c?lour. is ~rownish, and the best color ldentlficatlO~ IS the yellow band rurminl along ~he sIde. of the face with a black line each slde. It IS by no means distinct so I would use the "chick-up" for a final de~ision: If you have that fascinating book "Birds of Our Bush," you will find a phot~graph on page 154, and also a description of the nesi on page 160. . And. while speaking of this book, it fa mterestmg to note the following: - "Other members of the honeyeater family we have attempted to picture, and we have in some cases e~p?sed plates, but with little success. The rapldlty of tihe movement of the honey~aters has been the cause of failure in most mst~nces." So ddn't be discouraged when observmg these beautiful and interesting birds If they elude you the first time, the chase I~ made all the more worth while.
s -.. - - --
MAT -t LDA.
EVERY £ 200 GIVEN IS REPRESENTED BY
-A RINC OF COLOUR------I BADEN-POWELL MEMORIAL FUND
16
MATILDA.
And what about a Dog or Cat Show or n Piireon l'ush .l:'arty·f You can charge Id. adInlSSlOn and provlde a smaH prIze. tiere an directions lor the rlgeon .t'arty, from the _ " liuide" once more:-"Any number of players may take part, according to the number of tables provided, four players going to each ' table. The two players opposite each other at each table become partners for the first round. Each table is provided with a dice, and eacn . player IS given a card or paper marked ott· into squares and showing the picture of the pigeon and number of points each part represents. Body, 6 points; head 5; eye 4; beaK (2 strokes) 3 each; wings (4 strokes) 2 each; tail feathers (4 strokes) 1. Each player throws the dice in turn, and the first player to ihrow a 6 may draw on his sheet, in the first square, the body of the pigeon. His ' partner can then draw the body too. Aftel' that the wings and the tail feathers can be added, when either you or your partner throw the correct number, but you cannot add the · beak or the eye until you have first thrown a 5 for the head. No player may fill in any part of the pigeon until either he or his part· ner have thrown a 6, and thus earned the . right to draw the body. At each succes~ive throw of the dke, players throwing in rotation, the part of the pigeon represented by the number thrown may be drawn by the tWIl partners, no matter which of them throws the number. Each part of the pigeon must be tht'own for separately, i.e., -the two partner::; will have to throw four ones to complete tht< tail, or two twos for each wing. Should a number be thrown for a part that is already drawn that throw is wasted. The object is to com · plete the pigeon as soon as possible, and so score the highest possible number of pointi'!, which is 33. The first pair to complete a pigeon calls out "pigeon," and play at ever", table must stop immediately. Each player's score at every table is counted up accordingto the points they have drawn. The pair at each table with the highest score leaves and moves up the room to the next. They do not, however, playas partners again, but the two players already at the table partner th e visito'l's. Play continues in this way for as many rounds as you like. The grand total score of each player is taken at the end of the Push. and the one with the highest score is the · winner." We have mentioned earning and makinI!': but there is still another way of I'aisi!l!l' self-denial. Save all your halfmartey Jlennies for the Fund, put aside some of yom tlocket money instead of buying gW!,{lts 01' going to the pictures, or walk in stead of S'pending money on a bus or tram. A noth!'r way Is by means of fines to break yourself 01 a bad habit. e.g., ~d. each time you bite your nails! These are just a few ideas to set YOll on the way. You will find your patrols will ha"1o' lot9 of others . Try them all, then write in to the Convener of the B.-P. Fund, c/o. Girl Guide
August,
IM~.
Headquarters, and tell her how you raised the money; she will be glad to hear, and your ideas may give additional brainwaves to some one else. '1 his is your opportunity to show what Guiding means to you; it is not the size of the g ift that matters, but the fact that everyone lontributes that matters. Think again of all that the Chief gave us! What have you given him ? . "Tul-Kara."
MEETINGS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMI'ITEE. Held at the Guide Office on 17th June and 1st July, 1943. Present 17th June-Lady Chauvel (chair), Mrs. Bakewell, Mrs. Blackwood, Mrs. Buckley, Mrs. Edmondson, Mrs. Faulkner, Mrs. Littl~ john, Misses Cameron, Maling, MacLeod. Moran, Swinburne and the Secretary. 1st July-Lady Chauvel (chair), Mrs. Blackwood, Mrs. Faulkner, Mrs. Fairbairn, Mrs. Littlejohn, Mrs. Springthorpe, Misses Cameron, MacLeod. Maling, Holtz, Ritchie and the Secretary. Repor ted that Mrs. Leggatt had agreed to represent the Girl Guides' Association .on the League of Nations Union, Post War Re · construction Commission on the Economic Section. That the Federal Council would he held on 28th, 29th and 30th September. That the Guider repl'esentathes on the State Council had agreed to form the nuc· leus of a Committee to run the Guiders' Conference. and that Miss Swinburne be coopted as a member of the Committee. That the Ranger Conference was to be held at the Guide Office on 17th July at 3 p.m. That at the ceremony in the Town Hall on J.9th June. when £2000 had been handed to the Royal Australian Navy Patriotic Committee from the War Appeal, Sir Guy Royle had J!iven an invitation for Guides to visit the Naval Depot at Flinders later in the year. That a letter had been received from MJ'R. ]\fpdlev saying she had been given £2 by /I !<ailor's mother for free entries for Guidrll in the Schools competition being' conducted by the Royal Australian Navy Relief Fund ADpeaJ. Agreed to aUot entries through Division Commissioners. A report was given by Miss Boyes as OUl' repre"pntative on the National Fitness Council and Youth Hostels committee. A O'l'eert that the Commissioners' Conferpnce he helel on the 13th and 14th October: Annual J\lTeptinll' 15th October; Guiders' Conference. 16tJoi October. 'l'h1: £1) should. be I!iven to the Lady Huniil1.,.~"M MelT'oriaI 'Scholarshin Fund. 'rhlli interest of £7 receivpd from the estate al the late 'Mrs. Officer !'hould be paid Into the Conntrv Devplonment Fund. Rontine ' and financial business was tran~aeted. M. E. gUsp.
Printed by McKellar Presa (A. 'P. Crutheril) 229 G18nierrie Road, Malvern, S.E .••
August, 1943.
MAT I L D A.
15
Patrol Leaders' Page. "Things to make, and things to grow, Things to do, collect, or sew, What to salvage, where to find, Stunts, in fact, of every kind!" Thanks to the late Lord Baden Powell, Chief Scout of the World, you and I can enjoy the fun, comradeship and adventure that we get from Guiding. If there had been no B-P there would be no Scouts or Guides to-day. Thinl, of that, and think of what we and thousands of other girls and boys in the world to-day would have missed! As you already know, it is in gratitude fod this, and in love and remembrance, that we are now combining in contributing to the B.-P. Memorial Fund. What form this memorial will take it is at present impossible to say, but it will be something that will be of benefit to Guiding in Britain, in the Empire, and throughout the world. For the duration of the war the money will be lent to the Government in the form of war savings bondR and certificates, and when peace comes, and Guides are at liberty to meet again in all parts of the world, the form of the memorial will be decided on. News is coming in from everywhere 01 money being raised. From England and Scotland, from Canada and India, from. Egypt, lFiji and Bermuda, and lirom 'niany other lands. The latest figures published in an EnJ!'lish paper gave the fund as £85,585/1/10, but this is of course far from complete. HaVE all you Leaners talked about the Fund at Patrols in Council, and decided if your effort will be as a Company, a Patrol or as individuals? Some of you have, I know, and are already hard at work , but there may be others who have not yet really got down to it. Perhaps this month's Page will help give you some ideas on how to tackll' and things. First of all, whatever you decide on, remember that Guides must EARN monev and not be~ for it. Remember too that if you arl' being paid for a .iob you must be reallv worth your wages-the work must be well and thoroUf7hly ilone, and carried out when you snecined. and not .iust when you have nothing bptter to do! As Leaders YOU would. of ('ourse. take all that for granted. but some of vour Patrols may be young anil inextJerienced, so imnre!;s on them what is expectp" of n Guiill'. In July we had news from F.ngland of a Sea Ranl!'er Shin and a Guide Company who hflil combined to hold a concert. :md. as a rl'!'\ult. hail sl'nt £36/4 /6 to the Fund. Do you know whllt Crew and Comnany thev were? The S.R . ~. President III. an" 1st Buckinll'ham Palace Comnany. to which the Princess Elizabeth and Princess Marj!'aret belong. Both Princeses took part in the concert, and thl' King, the Queen and the Chief Guide were present.
will
Last summer £120 was sent in from all English Landworkers' Camp. It represented the earnings of thl' Guides at the 3 camps which were held. Here is a letter I received this month from the P.L. of a Swallow Patrol in Victoria:"Dear Tul-Kara,-A few weeks ago we held a Patrol fete. We had one main stall stocked with everything from vegetables to lavender bags. We also had secondhand books sold at two-thirds original price. Then we had a stall with drinks, cakes, etc. We also had a hoop-la, lucky dip, golf croquet and clock golf competitions. Covering I f. with 1d. in a bucket of water was profitable. If the 1/- is. covered it is won by the person who covers It. We hung a pineapple on a branch of a tree, blindfolded a person, turned her round about ten yards from the pineapple and let her walk to the pineapple and hit it with a stick. This is very profit able. All these competitions were Id. Afternoon tea was served inside to the grown-ups at 6d., a cup of tea and a8 much food as desired. The result of all this W8l! £18 for the Baden Powell Fund." This fete was arrangl'd entirely by the Patrol concerned. Captain and Lieutenant were away on holiday, and when they returned were told of the arrangements and that the Commissioner was opening the' fete. Well done, Swallows! congratulations! Then there are various jobs you could undert~ke. Messa~e. work,. minding babies, feedmg fowls, plckmg frUIt, selling old newspapers to butchers, and (later in the year) watering gardens. Explain to yl:lUr "'employers:' what the m~ney is going to, or they may thmk y?U ~re bemg paid for a good turn! And you Wlll Impress on your Guides RELIABILITY, as I said before, won't you? Christmas will be here again before very long, and the stalls at your fetes will need st?cking, so here are some things to make. thmgs too that can be made quite easily in spite of rationing. Lavender bags. ration book covers, calendars from old Christmas cards, plaite? dog. leads of coloured string, and egg cosIes kmtted from tiny scraps of col?llred WO?!. Or a string shopping bag in whIch to brmg home the groceries' this can either be netted or made by the sponge bag directions as given in the June Page. Or else a draught excluder to put alon~ the door on a winter's evening. Here are directions froll' t.he "Guide" for making it:-"Cut a strip of material longer by two inches than the width of the door, width n inches. Fold lengthwise. ri~ht side Inwards, machine with f;maJ1 "t;itch, ~ inch from edgoes, across one end an:l iloWn the one side; turn rigoht ~ide out. fill ti~htly with saWdust: oversew the other end firmly", and 'skluda' is complete',"
14
MATILDA.
Now I can hear you saying, "But it's not a book we are supposed to do, only 16 entries." Well that is the catch in that bit, the idea is that you should get so interested that you will not want to stop at 15 entries. You see, all Guide badges are meant to show that you are ready to begin doing something. It would oe quite silly to get your cook's badge so that you need never cook any more! You see the point? . . Sitting still. Some of your GUldes wlll find this the nicest bit of all in the Second Class, but most of the Tenderfoots who want to try it will need more help from you than they realise when they read the paragraph. For one thing, most of us find it rather di~cult to sit still for five minutes, let alone thlrty, yet, if the Guide has to think about the • itting still, she will miss some of the lovely things she might otherwise notice. So what about some "being quiet" games in the Company programmes? Then you will be able to help her to get Oil with her stalking, so that she knows a little about the best kind of clothes to try to dress in, or how best to camouflage herself so that she fades into the background. Warn her not to sit in the middle of a wood (few living things like dense woodland) or right out in a field or on the skyline. for there the living creatures will see her first and keep away. Let her practice on you first, let her see whether s~e can best judge the colour of your clothes If she sits with the sun in her eyes or behind her. Show her how your human shape break!; up to the eye if you sit behind a tree or near a bush. A low comfortable bough is a good look-out; as the old Chief Scout said, few living creatures look upwards. My favoUl:ite spot is a bank on the edge of a copse, looking down a slope, with the sun behind me and the wind in my face. Such places are not easy t.o find until you grow the habit of looking for them. What about a search for "observation posts" on your next Patrol outing? Lastly, I would like your opinions on an idea of my own that r do not believe you will flY1d in books. r believe that it matters quite a lot how you think when you go out to see things. Bees certainly Il'et. verv worried And rather cross if the person handling them is worrier! or afrairl: they calm down at oncp ;-1' the beekeeper quietens herself and feelR haT'nv about her work. So. too . I heJipve the wild creatures often feel uneasv if thpre ;0 someone near who is keyed un. anxioll~l' · TlPerinlt' about. intent uuon ReeinO' !;omf'thin"'. At any rate. tb;s is tbe on Iv thpOl'V th"t T I'llll finr! to fit the fact that o-f'tpn T h"ve t.akf'll others to some ulace ill~t fill,,(1 with wilo life. and we have not seen a thinit'. thouO'h WP. were as quiet as mice: v/>t 1'here. lit. oth",. ti'l1es. I hay!! walked without sppI'ial ,." ..." and ~een wild thinit's f'vervwhere. Po~ qihlv the secret is not to have Anv O'oal in v;ew: to walk little and pause often. Best of all. to sit Quietly, with half closed eves. an Ilttentive but undemanding guest in Nature'!' house.
August, 1943.
This-ls What B.. P Thought From B.-P.'s Preface to the Tenth Edition of "Scouting for Boys" (dated Juty, 1922): "I find in practice that although I wrote 'Scouting for Boys' I often forget what .is ~n it, and I find it necessary to re-read It In order to refresh my memOl'Y. "That is what is the matter with me-who wrote it. How much more must this be the case with those who merely glance through :t. "May I then ask you who work upon it! suggestions to do like me and read it through about once a year. "I should suggest a certain date which will fix itself in your memory for undertaking this penance, say St. George's Day, the day of the Scouts' Patron Saint . "You will then find where you have strayed from the original lines laid downpossibly on to a better path. If. so, I h?pe you will let me know so that w,e may Improve our system as we go along. . "In this way amongst us we will gradually arrive nearer perfection."
Have you got
A COLOUR
CHART
?• If not, Read carefully page 9
of this issue.
MATILDA.
AUgllSt~ :1943.
'·.·. ·~:A-RE" ·YQU ··A GA-TEt,:~~..:.,~~". CRASHER?" (Repti'nted ·from "The Guide," April 1st, 1943)
NEW ALTERNATIVE IN SECOND·CLASS WOODCRAFT TEST. ."
-· 'Contribute six interesting notes made from personal observation to a Patrol Nature Log Book; or Keep an individual Nature Log Book cdlltaining at least 15 interesting entries made ftom personal observation; or Stay still al9ne for half an hour in the open, and afterwards report on anything she has seen or heard or smelt." One sunshiny day a lunatic walked into the house of a friend of mine. He said he had to shelter from the rain, and demanded to be shown all the picture~ in the house. He made the lady take him from room to room, and then insisted on being taken out on the flat roof. There he asked his hostess if she had ever thought of jumping off the roof. Luckily that lady was a quick thinker, and so she just said "Yes"; but had he ever thought of jumping from the ground to the roof-much more fun, as it would be so difficult. The l~atic agreed to try this. When they reached the garden two people were there who took the poor man away to a house where he was kept in safety. -Now, of course, you are wondering what all this has to do with woodcraft. Well.. I have an idea that we often behave like that lunatic! We 'a re gate-crashers, dangerous to the living creatures who live in the outdoor world. A gate-crasher gets uninvited into 1\ house, and she goes there to serve her OWll eods; a guest may go uninvited to a home, bu-t she does not go as a grabber. She is co.urteous, putting aside her own interests. a,jIj,tl falling in with the ways of the household. She does not pryor push, but waits until someone offers to show her the house treas~i!es. Then, very likely she will soon be a welcome friend, with a right to poke th(> and take a book from the shelf at will. ~'You will find the same holds good in mak i# friends with the outdoor people. Thp Il'ate-crasher hurries about the fields nois1:v. wanting to "see things" without spending or trouble. She handles birds' eggs and dig:; up nrimrose roots. The guest is courteous She moves softly, is content to !'ee each day what her hostess Nature i!'\ willing to show her, and to sit quietly till the wiM t.bine:s have watched her and grown unafraid. TIren they will come out into the open and sft!\re such wonderful and excit1ing secrets Wiflt her. .' ,So. you see, the new clauses have far more ire them than your. new Tenderfoot may
fire
time
f~~! ~ ~"~-:':::'.
-.. ,,"'.~~ . ~~:~- .
,-"of"
18
Although you will havi! passed your Ulass, .I. expect you will want to d,o these new parts wltn your Uuides so that you can help them along the path of discovery. Have you got a l'atrol Log Book'! If not, get one at once, for they are tremendously interesting to keep. .l:ieadquarters have lovely ones; a loose-leaf log is sometimes a good idea if the people in your Patrol live a lOng way from each other, for then the Guides can write up their own entries at home and the log can live in the Patrol corner. Whatever type you choose, make sure that there is in it some paper on which your Guides can draw 01' paint, for some people will discover that this is the nicest way of getting down thelr guess.
::;ec_on~
M~.
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As only six entries are asked for in the Patrol. Log, I think we can take it that these entries should be:(a) Descriptions of things seen by two or three of the Patrol when out together; or (b) Descriptions of something discovered by the writer and shown to the rest of the Patrol. Entries should, of course, be written in such a way that the rest of the Patrol will be interested to read them. For instance, "Saw six rooks in a field" is an entry of little interest; but if the Guide adds even the smallest thing that she noticed about what the birds were doing, or the pattern they made flying against the sky, that should interest any other woodcrafter. It's fun to put in quiz questions:"1 have found out that there is a bright col· our round a cock blackbird's eyes. Can anyone tell me what it is?" Of course it is always more difficult for a number of people together to see wild creatures than it is for one Guide alone. Several people must make a little more noise as tpey move, go they ever so quietly_ Then there is always the temptation to talk. Here is your chance to show your Patrol how to move in Patrol formation. (Look it up in "Scouting for Boys" to rub up your memory.) A personal woodcraft log book is always fun to keep, provided that the writer l-emembel'S to put down the details that interested her at the time. A string of facts, such as "Found a robin's nest," can be deadly dull. Just as it was the thrill of looking for that nest after you heard the babies hissin~, nr the surprise of seeing it when you were look · ing for something else, that made the nest so lovelv to find, so it will be the short notes about the way that you found the nest that will make that log worth keeping and reading again afterwards. r am quite surprised every time I look up an old log book. I get my nose into the pages, and go on reading when. perhaps, I ought to be doing so'mething else! If you are no artist, try match-~t,ick illusW'ations; you will enjoy doing them. and chuckle over them afterwards! Make a cover for your book. It will look as if it is yours then. Lastly, try to keep it as clean as if the Chief Guide were to see it when it is done.
M4!l'ILbA. Office (please .send a s tamped addressed envelopeh Completed applications 'Should be returned not later than 7th September. Brownie Guiders' Refresher Classes. i1 applica tions warrant it three Refresher Glasses ana one :::iaturaay afternoon will be nela tor Hrownie LTUiders begmning at the ena or :September. LTulders wishmg to attend are askeo to write to Miss lVlacartney at l1eaaquarters stra ight a way, ana not later than '/th :September. l' urther details will be sent to applicants. Guide Elementary Training. l:i applications warrant it, a COUI'se of Ele mentary Traming for Captains and Lieutena..nts WIll be held at the Guide Office, comnlencing Thursday, 16th September. J.< 'ee 4 / -, payable in advance or at the first class. Apphcation forms are available at the Guide Office or by post from Miss Macartney, c /o. LTuide Office on receipt of stamped addre~sed envelope. Completed applications should be returned not later than 1st September. Facts to Note about all Training Classes. Uniform is worn by all Guiders. Classes start punctually at 7.45 p.m. Guiders should be, not less than 17 yeal's of age. Guiders not previously nominated for training should bring a signed 110mination form f rom the District Commissioner. Equipment required: ' sandshoes, notebook and pencil. Guiders' Training Week-End at Gipton. For training in general woodcraft and campcraft, this camp will be held under canvas at "Gipton," Frankston, 2nd-3rd October, 1943. Fee 7/ -, plus fare 3/ -. Vacancies are limited so an early application is suggested. Guiders had to be turned away from a similar camp arranged last March. Applications, accompanied by deposit of 3 / 6, should r each Miss Macartney at the Guide Office not later than 11th September. Further details will be sent to successful applicants. Guiders should be not less than 17 years. Training Week-End ' at Guide House. If applications warrant it, a Guiders' Training Week will be held at the Guide House from 31st December to 8th January, All Guiders are invited to apply, stating which type of training is required, All Guiders are invited to apply, stating which type of training is required - Brownie, Guide, Ranger First Class, Elementary or Refresher, etc: The training will be arranged according to w hat is requested, The fee will be 30 / -, plus f!lres. Application forms are available from Miss Macartney at the Guide Office on receipt ~f a stamped addressed envelope, It will help very much with arrangements if Guiders ~JI- write in as soon as they think there is a 1,X>ssibiiity of their going to the Trainin2' W~~.
PLANS FOR SUMMER CAMfS..
[1
<..uide Camps. :-;.:'"' '! 'here are still a few days left if yog have not yet WrItten to M.is.s HalTison, the Camp.mg :Secretary, if your Company ' cOr _ Distri~ wlSh to be included in .a GUlde Camp. , Company lJamps are quite the best sort of Guide \..<amp, but there are still many Guider.s who have not yet got the qualificaitons to take their GUides camping, and who will have difficulty in getting these qualifications during the war. The Camping Committee wants to help these Companies, and perhaps wjll be able to make SUitable arrangements for, them to get to Camp. When writing please state ,the number of Guides wishing to attend, and the names and qualifications of , any, Guider able to go on the staff. We cannot ,p romise that we will be able to include all wh(> apply, but we will do our best. As notified last month, applications must be in not ,later than 28th August. Guiders' Campcraft ... rammg. For general Campcraft-Pion~et and Campcraft Badges, Camper's Licence, and Quar~ termaster's Certificate-and for testing nominated candidates for the above subjf;lcts, a Camp for Guiders will be held at the Guide House from 31st December to 8th Jan., 1943. Fee 30 / -, plus fares. Guiders attending should be not less than 17 years. It will help greatly if Guiders hoping to attend will let Miss Harrison, 126 High Street, Glen Iris, SE6, knoW as soon as they think there is a possibility of their attending, and state if there is an~ particular training or testing required. _ Are You There, Guiders? Urgent! t Before you make plans for your holidays in the summer, will you please consider the possibility of (i.) attending a Training Week or Camp craft Camp; (ii.) gaining Camping experience and giving service to the Movf;~ ment by attending a Guide Camp as a member of the staff; (iii.) attending the Laud Work Camp for one or more ses1?ions. This applies partiCUlarly to those with long vacations, students and teachers. Land Work Camp. A Land Work Camp for . ~emb~rs - of - the Guide movement of 15 years and over will be held during January. Guides will attend shifts of a week or fortnight. Guides will work 4 hours per day. The Camp wilt' be under canyas. and campers will do 't}le,. ,cooking and ordmary camp chores, in patrols: A staff of ~ualified Guiders will be in charge. 4ppl'ication forms for all the Guides of one Company who wish to attend will ,.bf! .obt,ainabLe after 1st A~gust at the Guid,~.. ,office, or by post from MISS V. Harrison, 126 High Street Glen Iris, SES, if a . stamQed addressed en~ velope is !!lent. . ._ â&#x20AC;˘ _ ,. .
.
~
,
â&#x20AC;˘
August, 1943.
11
MAtILbA.
needed, the ,others can be kept for future use. At one end of the room chalk a f airly larg ~ tree on the floor for each six, and on each tree put two owls. Sixes stand in lines at other end pf l'oom and sixers ar e given a piece of strong cardboard (the back of a \vriting pad). Sixer l'uns up to tree and fans the owls off the tree, then gives the fal;l t o n,ext Brownie, who fans them on again, and 10 on till each Brownie has had a t urn. A.R.
BROWNIES' HEALTH-A-BET. A is for ihe AIR we breathe through our nose. Not through our mouth, for germs are our foes. B is for BACK, now all Brownies know. You must tuck in your back if tall you you would grow. C stands for CLEANLINESS, which all Brownies seek. So use plenty of soap every day in the week. D is for DISEASE which is what we avoid. And make all the nasty germs- oh, ~o annoyed! E stands for EARS we wash every day. For otherwise how could we hear wha t folk say? F is for FEET, take care of them, do! For think what a lot of work they do for you. G stands for GERMS, those teeny wee things , Which hide in the dirt and illnesses bring. H is for HAIR so shining and bright. We brush it at morning and brush it at night. I's for INDIGESTION-an unpleasant pain. If we don't eat so fast we won't get it again. J is for JUJUBE, if you have a penny. Think of your t eeth and don't buy too many. K is for KNEES, if you hurt them at all, See that the cut is clean after you fall. L is for LAUGHTER, a tonic is that, We all know the saying, Laugh and grow fat. M's for the MEDICINE which we must take, If we should need it for cleanliness sake. N is for NAILS, now don't bite them please. And do keep them clean, for dirt hides in thEse. o is for ORANGES, eat one each day, They're good for the skin and chase illnells away. P stands for PALLOR which all Brownie! shun, Their cheeks should be rosy and tanned by the !lun. Q is for QUEER, which is what me may feel If we eat many rich things or bolt down our meal. R's for RHEUMATISM, which h; what we may get If 'we don't change our clothes wh en W I' ~et them llll wet. S is for SOAP, use lots of it. do!
It will clean you and keep you from falling ill, too. T is for 'l'EE'1'H, we clean every day, For otherwise germs will soon make them de;:ay. U's f or UN 'lIDY, a Boggart is one W no leaves aU her Buttons and Laces undone. V's for VACCINATION, the marks on OU1' arm, That saves us from illness which may do us harm. W's f or WATER, of drinks it's the best, It beats lemonade, gingerbeer and the rest. X is f or 'XERCISE, do get a lot, Especially in winter, when you want to get hot. Y's f or the YELL we give when in pain, But we may avoid it if we use our brain. Z's for the ZEAL with which we obey These rules if we'd all be strong Brownies each day.
How to Use the Health-a-Bet. The first and second lines of each rhyme a re written on separate slips of paper. Each Brownie is given a first line, and all the second lines are placed around the room. The Brownie has to find a second line to rhyme with her first. When she has found what she t hinks to be correct she brings it to Brown Owl or Tawny Owl, who will check it and then give h er another line. When all the rhymes have been paired off the Brownies come into a ring, a nd each Brownie reads out her own rhyme or rhymes in alphabetical order. (From an old copy of "The Guider" oc "Guide") Sent in by G.R.
Training . and Camping (Elaine Moran)
GUIDERS' TRAINING CLASSES. Brownie Guiders' Elementary Classes. As insufficient applications were received f or the course of elementary training for Brownie Guiders to be held in July, the course was not held. If applications warrant it, a course of 6 classes and 1 Saturday aftQrnoon will be held, commencing at the Guide Office on Monday, 27th September. The Guider-in-Charge will be Miss H. Gross. The fee will be 1 / 6, payable in advance or at the first class. Guiders not previously nominat ed for Training should have a signed nomination from the District Commissioner. Application forms are obtainable from the Guide Office or (by post) from Mi!:fs Macartney, Hon. Training Secretary, at the Guide
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MATithA.
orders to Baden Powell Memorial Fund. aodress letters to Secretary, H.-t'. Memonal .b'und, uirl Guide AssocIation, 60 Mal" ,k.et ::ltreet, Melbourne, C.l. 3. t'lease send money in round sums of pounds and 8hillin~s (not pence). M. HOFFMEYER, Convener.
August,· 194$.
~.
LIST OF GIFTS TO JULY 21st, 1943. heviou~ly acknowledged "
.. ,. £579 16 1) 1st Aberfeldie Guide Co. ,. 7 10 U Wen lris and E.ast Malvern L.A. 5 0 0 1st Parkdale Guide Co. .. 1 2 4 Outer Southem Division .. 2 5 () 1st Castle maine Guide Co. 2 6 0 1st Caulfield Guide Co. ... 1 0 0 Swallow Patrol, 4th Malvern Guide Co. (£22 Certificates, 10/- cash) 22 10 0 3a Geelong Brownie Pack . 1 0 0 2nd Richmond Guide Co. 12 8 0 Mrs. H. N. Butt.. 0 10 0 Mrs. B. Hall . . .. .. .. 1 0 0 Malvern L.A. .. ... 2 2 0 Miss E. M. West .. " .. 110 Ballarat L.A. .. .. ... .. 10 0 0 1st Dandenong Guide Co. 2 10 0 2nd Melbourne Guide Co. 3 3 0 Mrs. F. Lewis .. .•. .. .. o 10 0 1st Alphington Guide Co. (Certs.) 25 0 U Miss M. K. Butt (Certificate) 100 1st Glen Iris Guide Co. (cert.) 1 0 0 Miss M. Shaw (certificate) 100 Wangaratta L.A. . . . . . . 500 Sunraysia Division .. .. 29 4 6 1st Lockington Guide Co. 10 0 0 Camberwell North L.A. . . 110 lilt Nagambie Guide Co. .. o 10 0 1st Metropolitan Cadet Co. (cert.) 100 4th Kew Guide Co. (certificates) 200 3rd Caulfield Guide Co. .. . .. .. 6 0 0 2nd Caulfield Guide Co. .. .. .. 200 1st Castlemaine Brownie Pack 200 Hamilton Dil!trict .. .. .. 800 1st Kerang Guide Co. .. .. . . 120 4th MalTern Brownie Pack 230 2nd Footscray Guide Co. .. 330 Grand Total at July 21st, 1943
£756 17
6
Correction. - An amount of £2 previously acknowledged as from Miss W. Williams !!hould have been acknowledged as from Sandrinll'ham District.
BROWNIES AND THEIR TESTS. "What must 1 do to be a Brownie'! . says th~ recrUit, wno comes to ner first rack meetmg. :::ine is anxIOus to' ao' everytning a~ '4 UI(;J{IY as POSS) ole. Why ~ Because sne wanta to wear a oadge 1 ~o, oecause sne wants to lJe a l'ea! Browme. '.ihis IS the attltuOe Wi want to Keep tOWaLOs ~ne tests au .111'0\.11;;(1 til'" .t$rownH:!'s lue in the 1'ack, keenness to' learll so that she may be a Detter Brownie. To keep our Brownies keen we must see that tne teaching of aU sections of the thre .. .t$l"ownie tests Should be very thorougn, am! tne testing 01 a mgn standard. :::iJaCK teaching and easy tests 1'00 the lSrowmes of any sense of acluevement and take away the thnJ! of doing things well. Who tests for the Brownie tests? Brow!! Owl li she is warranted may test her own Brownies for Recruit and Golden Bar. All unwarranted Brown Owl may not test at all. unless under certain eircumstances she is given special permission to do so. A Tawny Owl's warrant does not entitle her to do any lie,.
te8ti~
at all.
No Brown Owl may test her own Brownies for Golden Hand or for any Browni:e Proficiency Badge. Testing for these is done by a Warranted Brown Owl from another Pack or a tester appointed by the Local Association. If you ask someone to come to test any of your Brownies you should;(a) Tell her the time and place, and how to get there. (b) Have ready anything she may need. Brownies can't skip without' a rope. (c) Make sure the BrQwnies are ready for the test. If they haven't practised it is wasting the tester's time and giving the Brownies the idea that it is luck, not pl'actice, which counts. (d) Avoid having too many tested at one time. Two Brownies ready for the whole of Golden Hand are better than six who only want to do some sections of the test. (e) Allow plenty of time. It takes half an hour to test two recruits, H hours for two Golden Hand, and something between the two for Golden Bar. (f) Offer to pay the tester's fare out of Pack Funds. - D,H.
IDEAS (This month from South-Eastern Division) OWLS ON THE TREE. Draw the outline of an owl on white paper, one for each Brownie in the Pack (about 9in. by 4~in.) Each Brownie colours one owl. For the game two owls for each six . will be
BADEN-POWELL MEMORIAL FUND PATROL LEADERS. Patrol Leaders how is the Fund going ~ the Company? Have you sent in your ftrflt eontributiona yet! Have all the ideas come from Captain, or have the brains of the Patrol been working? Get your Guides to realise that saying "Thank you" is a personal thing, and every one of us owes the gracious gifl 'f thanks to the Chief for what he did for llS -for tht! game he invented that opened our eyes to a wider way of life, deeper thought about things; for the games and camps and Jolly times that we have all had; for the training that is going to stand by us all our lives. Are you going to have any Patrol 01' Company activities to raise great sums? If 10, look at your own page and see what TulKAra has to say about it. The Page is full of ideas, so use them and let us know of any bright ones you have so that others may be Inspired. Did you have fun with the International games and stories? Tell us about them. And now, Leaders, we want to tell you thal "Matilda" has made (or should it be suffered 1) a printer's error? In the July number, she stated that to equal the effort of the Guides in Britain, we need £1160; whereas that figure should be £1000. Yes, !i1000 by October. Well, what about having a little joke with "Matilda" and seeing if we can achieve £1160 by October. !IS she has challenged us to do? Come on, Patrol Leaders and Guides! Let's beat "Matilda" at her own little game! M. HOFFMEYER, Convener.
"RINGS OF COLOUR" CHART FOR YOU. On the opposite page you see a reproduc· tion of the Rings of Colour Chart which ha5 been a great source of interest at Guide ij.Q. for some months past. This reproduction is mainly for the country Guides, but we hope all Companies will have a copy and so havE' the thrill of colouring in a "half-ring" everr time another !too is added to the B.P. Fund . Extra COllies of the chart will be availablf' frl1tn the B.-P. Fund Secretary (if you arp writing) or the Guide shop (if you are calling\ for one penny each; so you won't need to cut this one out of "Matilda" unless you want to do so. Now, how to colour the Chart? First of all, eolour the top "half-ring," that is the part around the Chief's portrait, a lovely bright red for the first £100. Now colour the lower half-ring, that is the part around· the "I-hav€'gone-home" sign, ultramarine blue for th,~ leeonu £100. Now you have a full Ring of Colour, inaicating that £200 bas been reached. Add a top half-ring of eheerful yellow; then • !(lwer half.rin, of emerald green; a top
halt-ring of orange; a lower half-ring 9f pale blue, and a top half-ring of deep purple. No"\o\ you have three full rin~s and one ha!f-ring, all of dilferent colours, seven in all, showin~ that £ '/UU has been given to the Fund. Actually the total is well over £700, so it won't be long before that fourtn ring 111 COD'l~!.Md.
Every Company must have its own chart! And its own Chart-painter! Of course, any colours which please the Company ChartPainter may be used, but do begin by colouring the half-rings nearest the centre, as then they form a frame for the Chief's portrait. -THE CHART-PAINTER.
THIS MAN BADEN-POWELL. One who knew him personally says that hr: was "a simple, lovable man, very humble, always cheerful, never satisfied-a man who radiated happiness and goodwill." The Promise and the Law preach to us his lov!' of God and love of his neighbour. Notice that the Founder put God first in the Promise. He often recommended the reading of biographies of great men, as inspiration for our own lives, and especially "the best and most unfailingly helpful-the biography of Christ,"
BRIGHT IDEAS SYNDICATE. Hamilton District Guiders, Rangers, Guides and Brownies gave a concert. Admission was by siLver coin ... result £8 for B.-P. Fund. 4th Malvern Brownies had their Nineteenth Birthday party, and every Brownie set out to give nineteen pennies to the Fund. A parcel arrived--containing £2/3/-, all in pennies! A very new and small company, 1st Lockington, has given £10. Well done! The largest gift from one company, so far, is that of £25 worth of war savings cet'tificates from 1st Alphington Guides. Even more thrilling is a gift of !i22 worth of war savings certificates and ten shillings from one PATROL-the Swallow Patrol of 4th Malvern Guides. 1st Ca'stlemaine Guides had a social evening to celebrate their birthday and as a result, sent a gift of £2/6/-. R. DENNY, Hon. Secretary.
SPECIAL NOTICE. Would givers of cheques please make these out to Baden Powell Memorial Fund, and !!IO simplify matters for the Hon. Treasurer? RECEIPTS. Please read CAREFULLY To save postage, receipts may be obtai~ed at Headquarters on application. They will be posted only if stamped and addressed envelope is forwarded. Contributions and progress totals will be acknowled~ed in "Matilda" each month. You will receive a Give-Lend Voucher when your final amount comes in. 1. Make out cheques, postal notes or money