‘There Are Your Children!’
The first Primary meetings in Derby Branch were held in 1934. At the first meeting there were 21 children in attendance.
An early counsellor in the presidency, Sister Geraldene Orme, recalled her thoughts about the challenge of finding children to attend the new auxiliary; she had been admonished in her setting apart to teach the children, but there were precious few to teach in her class.
She stated that one day while pondering this problem, she happened to look out of the window of Unity Hall where the Saints were meeting. Outside, there were several children playing who were not members of the branch and at that moment she received the inspiration, “There are your children!”
She said the inspiration came as a voice as distinct as if it were from someone standing next to her. She exited the hall and recruited the children. Geraldene was 16 years old.
The Primary continued to grow. In January 1937, a Primary social conducted by Charlotte Orme (Geraldene’s grandmother) was attended by 85. In April later the same year, nearly 100 attended the annual Primary conference. Seventy-two of those in attendance were children.1 The Primary did not fare quite as well during World War II. The organisation, led by the now 20-year-old Geraldene, lost many of its members as children were evacuated from the cities, some of them to be relocated to the USA and Canada.2 But during the prewar years, under the inspired influence of young Geraldene Orme, the Primary was the largest auxiliary in the Derby Branch.