MONEY FOR SICK BOY

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28896, 16 May 1959, Page 12

MONEY FOR SICK BOY

£520 Given And Promised

A generous and heartening response was shown yesterday to the plea for £lOOO to assist in the attempt to save the life of a Christchurch boy, Warren Cut-’ tance, aged 18, who is suffering from a malignant brain tumour. Gifts of cash from country people. Christchurch business firms, citizens and children and firm promises are expected to amount to £7CO by Monday. The assistant town clerk (Mr M. B. Hayes) who is assisting in the appeal received £520 in cash and promises yesterday, and he was confident last evening that if, the present enthusiasm continued. 1 the target would be reached early, next week. . The successful raising* of the 1 money will permit the boy to] make a trip to Sweden where a leading European brain surgeon,! Professor H. Olivercrona, ofi Stockholm, may be able to he]p| him. Warren Cuttance is at pre- j sent in the Christchurch Public Hospital where —although he has been receiving radium treatment condition is becoming worse. The gifts yesterday ranged from 2s 6d to £lOO. The director of one large Christchurch firm gave £lOO and arranged for a collection box to be placed in his store. Mr Hayes received promises of £lOO and £5O from anonymous donors. As soon as the Christchurch City Council opened yesterday, gifts streamed in. Some were brought personally and others were promised by telephone: an elderly woman from Addington went to the office and gave Mr Hayes two £5 notes, and there was a telephone call from Timaru from a person who promised to give £5. Successful Operation One of the callers on Mr Hayes was a man who had had a similar operation for a brain tumour five years ago. He gave £2. A woman whose child died from a brain tumour was one of the biggest donors—she gave £3O. There were numerous gifts of from 2s 6d to 5s from school children: probably the biggest from a school came from Christchurch Technical College, where Warren Cuttance was a pupil. Accompanying a gift of £lO w r as a letter from Mr D. W. Lyall, principal of the school, who wrote of the high regard in which the boy was held at the school. The money came from a special fund for good causes. Many local factories and business firms have arranged collections among their staffs and these should boost the total considerably. Mr Hayes will continue to receive gifts of money at the Christchurch City Council office. One tif the efforts being made |to help raise funds for Warren Cuttance is a Sunday night concert in the St. James theatre, promoted by the Christchurch Teenage Club.

I “This is a case of youtiF helping youth.’’ said the club Organiser. Mr Trevor King, who s looking after all the details tor the show. He expects that E2OO could be raised by the con•ert if everyone gives their services free. Mr King is arrang;ig the concert for May 24.