A summary of the 1950 Annual Report

Opening with comments about the “admirable speed” at which the Council had achieved its “one concrete aim” – the establishment of a Nursery School. The reports moves on to discuss the Society’s general objective – the growth of the Pre-School Play Centres. Three new Centres were opened during the course of 1949 and 1950.
Highlighting a “perceptible change in function” where emphasis for the Society had “shifted from propaganda to consolidation”, the “energetic committees” being cited as “proof that Canberra is now thoroughly Pre-School-minded”. The Society mentions that they perceive that their “prime usefulness” is to be a “co-ordinating body” where family welfare and the guidance of young children can be openly discussed. Resulting in the Society speaking with “one voice, and with conviction, when matters arise in the community affecting the well-being of families.”

Australian Association Pre-School Child Development

The Society participated in the A.A.P.S.C.D. Biennial Conference as the “Hostess Society”, arranging accommodation for nearly 200 visiting delegates, providing morning and afternoon teas and suppers, transport, excursions, arranging a children’s book exhibition and a poster exhibit, organising for the “Kindergarten of the Air” session at the Albert Hall and Conference Publicity. The conference being in Canberra provided a “benefit” of new Pre-School staff being attracted: Miss Adamson [Pre-School Officer], Miss Richards [Directress of the Mobile Unit], Miss Cook [Directress of the Monaro Play Centre.

Annual Ball

Held at the Gloucester in November resulted in a profit of £ 79/18/8 – £60 was put into the Scholarship Fund.

Farewell to Miss Combes

Miss Rosamunde Combes, Pre-School Officer of the Department of the Interior was awarded an overseas scholarship by the Queensland Creche and Kindergarten Society and left for England. Prior to her departure the Department of the Interior, acting on a suggestion from the Society’s previous annual meeting, asked Miss Combes to write a report on the first five years of Pre-School activity in Canberra.

Visitors

Included amongst the list were: Mrs. R.G. Menzies – wife of the Prime Minister; Mrs. P. McBride – wife of the Minister for the Interior; Senator Annabelle Rankin; Mrs. T. W. White – wife of the Minister for Civil Aviation; Dr. Grace Cuthbert – Director of maternal and Infant Welfare in New South Wales; Mr. George E. Haynes – President of the International Conference of Social Work and General Secretary of the British Council of Social Service.

Publicity

The Society received a copy of the “well-known British publication “Mother and Child” with a double page of pictures and letterpress on the Pre-School Children’s Clothing Exhibition held in 1949. The Society was asked to send posters of this exhibition to the Free Kindergarten Union of Victoria. Subsequent to the Australian Association Pre-School Child Development (A.A.P.S.C.D.) conference a number of requests for information on the Play Centres. Photographs of Play Centres were sent to Kindergarten Training Colleges in Melbourne and Perth. Plans of buildings and playgrounds went the Perth College and to the Brisbane City Council.  General information went to Leeton, Queanbeyan, Hobart, Blacktown (Victoria), Glenelg and Port Noarlunga (South Australia). The Department of the Interior granted permission to the Pre-School Officer to spend four days with the Joint Coal Board in Sydney and on the Northern Coalfields (Newcastle-Cessnock) to advise the board on the possible establishment of Pre-School centres.

Affiliations.
Australian Association Pre-School Child Development

The president of the Association, Mrs. K.H. Bailey, is a co-opted member of the Council.

Citizen’s Convention.
A representation from the Society participated in the Convention to discuss the Cole Report on Civic Administration for Canberra. The convention agreed that “it was both necessary and desirable that a system of local government be instituted, provided that all extraordinary costs arising from Canberra’s position as the National Capital be met by the Commonwealth Government.”

Emergency Housekeeper Service

Expressed that a shortage of housekeepers had been the biggest problem for the service, that potential applicants were “unwilling to accept the full responsibility necessarily called for in assisting households from which the mothers are absent”. The training grant for housekeepers was doubled to £2,000. Two New Australians were accepted as trainees.

Good Neighbour Council

With the aim of offering welcome and friendship to newcomers to this country was fully supported by the Council of the Society. Activities such as parties for young families of New Australian migrants being held at the Play Centres.

National Council of Women

The Society supported the appointment of District Nurses, assisted in improving conditions in the Obstetric Ward at the Canberra Community Hospital, aided the National Council in its campaign for a safer milk supply for Canberra – through the introduction of pasteurisation.

Pre-School Advisory Committee

The Society’s representation on that committee results in a consciousness that Canberra is “fortunate … that the Department of the Interior is “Pre-School Conscious”, and assumes the responsibility for meeting the growing bill for this service.”

Scholarships & Staffing

The scholarship of £50 per year – was offered on the condition that the scholarship holder will work in Canberra for one year for each year that they use the scholarship – was seen as not a scholarship but more of a bursary offering little inducement for a student to come to Canberra. One student from Sydney accepted the scholarship – it was recognised that this was not going to meet the staffing shortage.
The staffing in Canberra was sourced from a network of Kindergarten Training Colleges include: Sydney Kindergarten Training College, Melbourne Kindergarten Training College, Rachael MacMillan Training College (England), St. Leonard’s Nursery School (London).

New Play Centres

Completion and opening of Turner, Bannister Gardens, Baker Gardens.

Mobile Unit

Play groups are held weekly at Mt. Stromlo, Oaks Estate, Tharwa, Causeway, Narrabundah, and the Children’s Ward of the Canberra Community Hospital.

Acknowledgements

Mr. Gleeson (Honorary Auditor) and “The Canberra Times”.

Office-bearers.

There were a series of appointments through-out the year: 2 Presidents, 4 Vice Presidents, 3 Honorary Secretaries – with the Honarary Treasurer remaining steadfast.
It was cited as:

"These frequent changes have been due to a variety of causes inherent in a quickly-changing population and to an age-group such as ours. That there have been few people willing to serve wherever they were needed is something for which we are most grateful. Besides the changes in office-bearers transfers overseas, to say nothing of interstate, have taken a heavy toll of our Council and general membership. Washington, Ottawa, London, Colombo, Bombay, Western Germany, and Bangkok each has drawn one of our members in the last two years, all of the financial members too! Unfortunately the reverse traffic has been a mere trickle.

This rapidly-changing personnel strikingly illustrates several facts about our committee work. One is the need for constant additions of new members who are interested in this phase of education. But frequent recruitment is not enough. There must be continuity if we are to function as a mature interest group. Constant change is good for a group in some ways, but it requires a good deal from those who remain. Besides a clear understanding of the Society’s aims it demands that all members must be prepared to assume responsibility at some stage. Circumstances seen to ordain that leaders here do not reign long. This makes it even more important that neither do followers – in an ideal setup all would take turns at being both a leader and a follower. Sometimes, we know very well, diffidence causes an avoidance of responsibility; But leaders are not born, they are made. As in other skills, however, practice and tuition are needed, and we would recommend to the incoming Council that some thought should be given to the matter of training in the mechanics of committee work.”

The report finishes with the sentence:

"The universal establishment of the Pre-School Play Centre on the Canberra model would, we feel, clear up many problems of family life in urban area.”

Mrs. W.D. Fanning
(Honorary Secretary)

(Transcript by Carolyn Harkness)