The Girls' Friendly Society is a worldwide organization within the Anglican Church. There are branches in Australia, New Zealand, North and South America, England, Ireland, Wales, Asia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Philippines.;;;;The Girls' Friendly Society was started in England by Mary Elizabeth Townsend. Townsend aimed to establish a Christian fellowship for young girls. She wanted to target girls at risk after relocating to cities to work in the factories or as servants. She hoped that ladies who were made 'Associates' would befriend these girls and guide them on the right path. This might be a one-on-one situation, or a number of girls could be looked after by a group of Associates in a branch. In May 1874 a meeting was held at Lambeth Palace establishing the Girls' Friendly Society, with an official establishment as the first organisation for girls and women in the Church of England on the 1st of January 1875. The name of the Society was chosen to reflect the ideals of Christian fellowship, and the Archbishop of Canterbury consented to become the first Patron of the Society.;;;;The Society grew rapidly. By the end of the first year there were twenty five branches in fifteen dioceses. The number of Associates in these branches was one thousand, with between two and three thousand members. Central Office in London was the world headquarters. Townsend was President of the Central Council until 1882. Her successor was the Hon Lady Grey. Townsend continued her work with the Society for another five years as Head of the Member's Department, and also the editorship of the Society's magazines: The Girls Friendly Society Reporter, Friendly Leaves and Friendly Work. These were the avenue of communication with all members of the Society. When Lady Grey resigned in 1890, Townsend again became President. In 1901 Mrs Chaloner- Chute took on the role. Townseend later went on to form a church needlework guild, subsequently called "The Guild of Church Needlecrafts". Final acceptance of the first Constitution came in 1880. In the same year Queen Victoria consented to be the Patron of the Society. The Miss Lucy O Wright was appointed as the first Secretary of the Society at the Meeting of Central Council on the 26th and 27th of October 1880.;;The Girls' Friendly Society was active in civilian projects in both the First and Second World Wars.;;;;Townsend House in Westminster was built as a memorial to Mary Townsend, and to commemorate the Jubilee of the Society. In 1947 the Townsend Fellowship was started. Although it had its own officers, meetings and programme material, it maintained its very close links to the GFS. In Tasmania it is this section that continues to operate with branches in the South and North. The Southern branch is a very vibrant one and members meet regularly on a bimonthly basis. As at 2020 the Northern Group met occasionally on an informal basis.;;;;The first World Council was formed in 1955. The first meeting of the World Council was held at Shanklin on the Isle of Wight. These gatherings are held every three years and are the event where the World Project for the ensuing three years is decided, and the new World office bearers are elected. ;;;;The first meeting of the Girls' Friendly Society in Australia was held in Adelaide in 1879. Lady Jervois, wife of Governor Sir William Jervois, was elected as the first President. The first Australia-wide conference, which drew together sixty six delegates representing all states, was held in 1946. The first Australian Commonwealth Council meeting was held in Melbourne in 1947. Since 1947, Commonwealth (now National) Council meetings have been held every three years.;;;;The first GFS seed sown in the Diocese of Tasmania was as a subcommittee of the Women's Council for Church Work (WCCW), as was Mothers' Union. The first meeting of the GFS subcommittee was held in 1903 at Bishopscourt. Present at that meeting were the President, Mrs Josephine Mercer, and Mesdames Edith Kite, Whitington, Ursula Holden, Eunice Waugh, Gamble and L'Oste; Misses Jepson, S Jepson, Radcliffe, Dobson, Westbrook, Emily Stops, Sharland, Cox, Butler and Webster. A resolution passed at this WCCW meeting saw the Girls' Friendly Society in the Diocese of Tasmania established. The first branch was at St Mark's Deloraine, followed by St John's Launceston. Others followed in quick succession and soon there were branches in nearly every parish in the diocese.;;;;Membership of the Society gradually became available to young girls, firstly to those aged 12-16 years but within a few years it was open to all girls from 7yrs. As time went on many branches in the smaller country parishes closed, but those in the more populated centres flourished. St Andrew's Lenah Valley branch closed in 2004 and St David's Cooee branch in 2008.;;;;As at 2020 the Southern Townsend Group which was made up of past GFS members, leaders and friends was still meeting. ;;;;Although this is the primary registered agency for records of the Girls Friendly Society, other records in the Archives Office may be found registered to various Anglican Parishes.