Eleanor Deckert
Does the effort of one person actually make a difference? What would you do?
It is 1945. Canada was at war. Mary Gibson’s first born son, Royce, had gone to Europe. His sisters, Vivian, Francis, and Verna, were too young to enlist, but old enough to want to help.
Bernice, Molly and Evelyne Craig know that their older sister, Vernetta, has been trained to cook in the hospitals where soldiers have returned to Canada.
The sisters want to participate in the war effort, but they are too young to leave home. These families live in the tiny and isolated village of Avola.*
What can the youth at the home-front do to show support for Our Boys, to reach out and offer some measure of comfort or encouragement the Canadian troops?
Canadian Girls in Training (CGIT) was (and is) an organization for girls 12-17 years of age and a chapter was formed in Avola, under the leadership of Mary Gibson.
“We met once a week in the home of Gerald and Mary Gibson,‚Äù said Evelyne Craig McKay. ‚ÄúAt that time they lived across the river from Avola. We made the quilt in the photo to send to a family in England.”
“CGIT was a very purpose driven group during the war. We made parcels for the soldiers. My mother taught me how to knit socks and turn a heel. We also knit hats for them to wear under their helmets. We wrote cheery letters to the soldiers, as well as to our own relatives who were overseas.”
“I did not feel anxious,‚Äù said McKay. ‚ÄúThe war was so far away. Even Vernon was far away in those days. We had really good teachers in Avola. We knew where the war was because we learned about it in geography and social studies.”
“All of my Mom’s brothers were overseas. Some were killed. All six of my girl cousins plus my boy cousins joined the Army, too. My sister, Vernetta, joined the air force. Vernetta never got overseas. They were at peace by the time she was trained. So she cooked in hospitals for the soldiers who came back. She went to hospitals in Calgary, back east to Ontario, near Vancouver and also Victoria,‚Äù McKay said.
“CGIT was never for our own amusement although camping, singing, hiking and other activities were part of it. It was about service to the community. We learned a real work ethic.”
“Mrs. Mary Gibson was the one in Avola who did all these things for the kids,‚” said McKay. “She taught Sunday School and taught me how to play her piano.”
“I must have followed her example as I learned to teach Sunday School, too, and later led both the younger Explorers and the older girls CGIT through the United Church.”
According to the Canadian Girls in Training web page, CGIT was begun in 1915 in western Canada during the First World War, when young people were anxious to be of service to the war effort. Boys had already been organized in the form of Trail Ranger and Tuxis groups, and girls wanted their own program.
The idea of CGIT was put forward by a group of Christian leaders – Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian, and by the YM/YWCA.
These representatives wanted to create a Christian educational program that would meet the needs of girls aged 12-17 across Canada.
Since 1947, CGIT has been one of the committees of the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC), Department of Christian Education. The CCC is a member of the World Council of Churches and this adds a further dimension to the scope of the program.
According to the Canadian Encyclopedia on-line, CGIT is based on small groups whose members plan activities under the leadership of adult women, the program reflected the influence of progressive education, including a modern approach to the Bible, the Social Gospel, and Canadian nationalism.
In 1933 there were 40,000 members in 1,100 communities.
Membership declined after the Second World War, but the organization continues to flourish in numerous congregations. Membership in 1999 was approximately 2,000.
In 2015 this organization will celebrate 100 years and continues to encourage girls and leaders to participate in activities based on the needs and interests of the girls in keeping with the four elements: Cherish Health, Seek Truth, Know God and Serve Others.
* For related stories about the Gibsons and the Craigs, see the Clearwater Times, Valley Voices, Page 8, Oct. 3, 2013; Valley Voices, page 7, Dec. 26, 2013; Valley Voices, page 7, Sept. 5, 2013; and Letter to the Editor, page 5 and Family Reunion, page 9, Sept. 12, 2013)
