V.A.D. FIELD OFFICER

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28530, 8 March 1958, Page 2

V.A.D. FIELD OFFICER

New Position For Mrs D. J. Wales

“I believe that one can’ hold an executive position for too long,” said Mrs D. J. Wales, who has retired from the position of commandant of the Voluntary Aid Detachment of the Red Cross Society, yesterday. “There is a great deal of work waiting to be done for the elderly people of Christchurch and that is to be my new work.”

Mrs Wales will be called a field officer and her duties will include visiting aged persons and doing some shopping for them. She says that assistants are badly needed for this work, and alreftdy she has six women willing to help her in her new project.

Mrs Wales took over as commandant of the Voluntary Aid Detachment from Mrs J. G. L. Vernon in 1845 when “manpower faded” in the society And it was a difficult job to keep young women interested in the work. However, they had managed to keep up a good sized battalion throughout the years, she said. Mrs Wales joined ' the detachment in 1°39 just before war was declared. The detachment members undertake home nursing, communal health and the Blood Transfusion Service, helu the Y.W.C.A. at Burnham Military Camp and assist with taking men from Rannerdale Home for drives.

Mrs Wales is a vice-president of the Aged People’s Welfare Council, chairman of the comforts committee at Langford House and is a me t ’ier o f the Langford House board of directors.

During January, Mrs Wales visited Australia, including Tasmania, headquarters of the Red Cross Society. She said the society there played a much bigger role in general hospital services. It ran a blood bank and members were on call 24 hours of the day, ready to take blood anywhere.