Cathedral Christmas Tree Appeal Money Presented

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30399, 25 March 1964, Page 2

Cathedral Christmas Tree Appeal Money Presented

Two cheques from the proceeds of the Cathedral Christmas tree appeal were presented to officials of the North Canterbury branch of the Save the Children Fund and the National Council of Churches by the Dean of Christchurch (the Very Rev. W. A. Pyatt) yesterday morning.

“The Christmas tree in the Cathedral is part of our Christmas worship and is a part of giving of ourselves to our fellow men,” said Dean Pyatt. The proceeds are not quite as big as usual. Ordinary folk had come in and given very generously but we did not have any big cheques as usual. “1 do want to pay a tribute to the ordinary folk who came." said the Dean. “Sometimes we thwik in

New Zealand we are ungenerous with gifts but there is a tremendous amount of private gifts and sacrifice by small committees to help relief overseas.

“This is our way to helping with the work your societies do,” said Dean Pyatt presenting the cheques. The Dominion and North Canterbury branch president of the fund (Miss M. G. Havelaar) accepted the cheque. “Three hundred pounds will be used for an endowed bed Hermagor Hospital in Austria and £7B to help children in Korea who have T.B. Last year the . Save the Children Fund treated 945 children for T.B. io Korea,” she said. The bed at Hermagor Hospital treats paralysed and de formed children. The hospital was founded 10 years ago by the Save the Children Fund.

“We must never forget that Christchurch was the first place in the world to

a bed in the hospital,” said Miss Havelaar.

The general secretary of the National Council of Churches (the Rev. D. M. Taylor) actcepted a cheque for £378.

“The Christmas rice bowl appeal is for £60,000 this year. So far £45,000 has come in and we send the money away as fast as we get it,” he said. Countries and organisations from which the National Council of Churches had received letters of appreciation for help they had received from the appeal included Formosa, where money for a mobile clinic to take medical help to the villages was sent; the New Hebrides where money was sent to a Christian Bookshop project: the Japan Overseas Christian Medical Service who supply doctors to serve in Indonesia sponsored by the New Zealand N.C.C. and Hong Kong where money is sent to help college student work, Mr Taylor said.