AUSTRALIANS ARRIVE TO WORK IN N.Z.

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29363, 16 November 1960, Page 2

AUSTRALIANS ARRIVE TO WORK IN N.Z.

Seventeen girls from various parts of Australia arrived in Christchurch last evening to begin an organised working holiday. Each will stay at least 111 months. They are sponsored by the New Zealand Licensed Victuallers’ Association and will work as waitresses, housemaid-waitresses and pantrymaids.

The girls were selected from a large number who applied for the “holiday.” They are former nurses, typists, secretaries, tailoresses and one was a comptometrist. A few have had previous experience in hotel work. All were selected for neat appearance, pleasant personalities and intelligence, x “We need about 600 girls for waitressing and hotel work in

New Zealand,” said the president of the Canterbury Licensed Victuallers’ Association (Mr Arthur McGregor). ‘‘Some of these girls will go to hotels in Christchurch and eight of them will work at the Milford Hotel and at the Hermitage. 30 More Coming “Before Christmas 30 more girls will arrive in Christchurch and two more groups will arrive in Wellington. Early next year a group will come from Eire and these girls are being selected at present.” Why did these girls decide to come to New Zealand for a year? “We wanted to see the country,” said one last evening. "We believe we will be transferred from one hotel to another.”

“And we certainly hope that happens,” said another. The two girls were friends and had been typists in the same office in western New South Wales.

They thought their trip was a great adventure. Throughout the group all had travel ambitions and had heard about New Zealand from Australians who had visited here or New Zealanders working or on holiday in Australia. Most of the girls are in their early twenties but the youngest was 17.

Women’s Section R.S.A.— Miss S. Britton presided at a social meeting of the women’s section of the Returned Services’ Association in the Jellicoe Hall recently. Members stood in silence as a mark of respect to the late Miss Amy Bowker. Mrs J. H. Cocks-arranged the musical programme. Items were:—Songs and duets by Anita Ledsham and Heather Smith; elocution, Olive Gee; violin solos, Romola Grifflfths; musical monologues, Mrs C. Hunter. Mrs Cocks was the. accompanist. ... „