NEWS FOR WOMEN BRITISH SAILORS’ SOCIETY

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27626, 5 April 1955, Page 2

NEWS FOR WOMEN BRITISH SAILORS’ SOCIETY

LADIES’ GUILD HOLDS

ANNUAL MEETING The Christchurch Ladies’ Guild of the British Sailors’ Society, at its very well attended annual meeting yesterday, learnt from the annual report that the guild has a membership of 148, that during the year it had contributed £lOO towards the maintenance of the Seamen’s Institute, had provided new curtains for the Institute, had provided other amenities and had collected hundreds of books and magazines for distribution amongst seamen in ships that had visited Lyttelton and for stocking the library at the Institute.

In addition, Miss Monica Cocks had paid weekly visits to seamen in the Christchurch Hospital, a task which, she said she had, through the years, found extremely interesting and had met men from Ireland, Scotland, England, Poland, as well as New Zealanders and Australians.

Mrs C. W. Tanner had visited seamen in the Cashmere Sanatorium and was indebted to Mrs P. Byrne for providing transport. To raise money with which to carry on the work, the report continued, members had held a sale of cakes and produce in Cathedral square, a coin party and other money-making efforts. For the junior branch, the vicepresident (Miss Audrey Daniel) submitted a record of the year’s activities, which included arranging and attending dances and informal gatherings for the entertainment of seamen at the Institute in Lyttelton and the raising of funds to make the work possible. The report mentioned the spirit of co-operation and helpfulness that existed between the Christchurch and Lyttelton junior branches. The report referred to the loss sustained by the junior branch in the death of its former president and one of its most enthusiastic workers, Miss Alison Graham.

Miss J. R. Sneddon, of Lyttelton, gave a talk on some of the practical work that members of the Lyttelton guild carry out at the institute where she said, dances for seamen were held at frequent intervals, a canteen was often staffed by members and motion pictures were screened after religious services held at the institute fortnightly. Miss Sneddon described several amusing incidents and spoke warmly of the appreciation of seamen for the entertainments provided for them at Christmas, when a monster Christmas cake, annually provided by the Ashburton Ladies’ Guild, was cut with due ceremony. She appealed for gifts of books, magazines and illustrated papers. The president (Mrs G. W. C. Smithson) presided at the meting which was held at Elizabeth House. Officers were elected as follows: — president, Mrs Smithson; vice-presi-dents, Lady Acland, Mesdames George Gould, H. T. J. Thacker, J. Mowbray Tripp, J. G. L. Vernon, Derrick Gould, Misses M. Cotterill, B. Sanders and N. Marsh; honorary secretary, Mrs Wallace Keetley; with Mrs R. MacDougall as acling secretary during Mrs Keetley’s absence in England; honorary treasurer, Mrs Eric Millton; committee, Lady McKenzie, Mesdames J. G. Collins, H. Wyatt, T. F. M. Gibson,. R. MacDougall, G. Boot, A. Bunz, K. M. Olliver, Evin Fraser, P. J. Byrne, P. B. Maling, D. Anderson, Y. Robinson, F. W. K. Humphreys, E. E. Malden, E. Sainsbury, Misses M. Cocks, M. Enright and Whitcombe.

On behalf of members, Mrs Smithson made small presentations to Mrs T. F. M. Gibson and Mrs K. M. Ollivier who will both be leaving soon for visits overseas, and to Mrs C. W. Tanner who is leaving Christchurch to live in Wellington.