Business As Usual At 75th Annual Meeting

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29994, 1 December 1962, Page 2

Business As Usual At 75th Annual Meeting

Seventy-five years ago a small group of women saw the necessity for bringing brightness and cheer to patients in the Christchurch Hospital. With this aim in view the Hospital Lady Visitors’ Association was inaugurated, said the president of the association (Mrs F. E. Wait) in her report at yesterday’s annual meeting.

No special celebration was held to mark the association’s long service to the sick. Yesterday’s meeting was “business as usual,” with the hospital’s matron-in-chief (Mrs M. Chambers) and a member of the North Canterbury Hospital Board (Miss B. Webb) expressing special thanks for the association’s invaluable assistance wherever there was a need.

In his recent publication, “Hospital on the Avon,” the author (Dr. F. O. Bennett) says: “The H L.V.A is one of the brightest flowers in the social garden ot Canterbury. It has never been involved in feuds, has never had to defend itself against crrsnsm, and has never prejudiced the respect and

Catholie Women's Help.— Members of Catholic Women’s Leagues throughout New Zealand next February will each give a shilling or more towards the Save the Children Fund. This will be the leagues* contribution towards the Freedom from Hunger Campaign. The president of the North Canterbury branch of the Save the Children Fund (Miss M. G. Havelaar) has thanked the leagues on behalf of the fund for their gesture.

admiration it has inspired in the community. The good ■-hat the members have done in providing happiness or comfort, or even in alleviating misery, can be imagined but can never be assessed in quantitative terms. Periodically the board thanks them and does so confidently in the name of the public.” Reviewing the work done by the association for the hospital. Miss Webb said that members had collected £2066 tor the chronic ward when the need was urgent. “It took a tremendous efltort to achieve a sum like that and this was only one of the association’s many projects,” she said. The association also started the occupational therapist service and paid the therapists first wages. The association also supplied a fund to the matron for emergency use, she said. Close Co-operation The association came into the hospital as a voluntary organisation with an outside point-of-view to give, and its members worked closely with the nursing staff, said Mrs Chambers. Members made “skin suits” for patients suffering from ricin diseases, socks, caps, jerseys and many other articles for the patients, which were greatly appreciated, she said. They sent Christmas gifts to all the patients and gave money to buy toys for the children’s ward Christmas tree. “I wish you could be here early on Christmas morning. when we distribute your gifts, to see the pleasure they bring,” said Mrs Chambers. Officers were elected as follows:—President, Mrs F. E.

Wait; vice-presidents. Mesdames L. R. Ower and P. A. Shaod; secretary, Mrs N. Young; assistant - secretary, Miss S. Thompson; committee. Meeedames R. S. D. Herman, J. J. Mulligan, H. S. Jones, N. R. Parsons, D. C. Kidd. B. Bell, H. E. Wright and Miss R. R. Knight.