TRIBUTES TO EFFORTS FOR REFUGEES

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30712, 30 March 1965, Page 2

TRIBUTES TO EFFORTS FOR REFUGEES

A Swedish baroness who prefers to be known as plain Miss (“It’s so much simpler”) and who has been the National Council of Churches resettlement officer for the last year, was guest of honour at a farewell afternoon tea in Christchurch yesterday. She is Miss Anne Bonde, who has spent more than 20 years doing social resettlement work among refugess and displaced persons.

Miss Bonde will leave New Zealand on Friday on the first stage of a journey to Geneva, where she will report on her work in the Dominion to the headquarters of the World

Council of Churches before taking a new resettlement post in Beirut. It had been a privilege to work with members of the National Council of Churches and see what a wonderful

spirit there was in the

churches and congregations of New Zealand for people who had lost their homes, said Miss Bonde. Providing homes, jobs and

material assets for resettled persons was important, but the main thing sponsors could give was loving kindness, Miss Bonde said. Those who were

sponsored had “come from the other end of the world”, and could become terribly lonely if there was not continuing interest and kindness. New Zealand was an excellent country for resettling homeless persons, Miss Bonde said later. They were accepted into the community and met with friendliness and kindness.

A tribute to Miss Bonde’s work was paid at the farewell by the chairman of the council’s executive (the Very Rev. M. W. Wilson). Messages were received from the president of the National council (the Rt. Rev. J. T. Holland), the Bishop of Christchurch (the Rt. Rev. A. K. Warren), the chairman of the Refugee Homes Board (the Rev. Dr. I. Fraser), the Minister of Immigration (Mr Shand) and council branches in Wanganui, Wellington and Dunedin.

Miss Bonde’s “generous cooperation has been an example to us all and illustrates the best and surest foundation for unity—concern for our neighbour,” read a message from the chairman of Catholic Immigration Committee (Mr J. R. Gaynor). On behalf of the council executive. Mr Wilson presented Miss Bonde with the large colour volume, “New Zealand,” and a bound folder containing news clippings and illustrations of her work. Although she had seen a great deal of New Zealand, she planned to do a little last-minute sightseeing before she left, Miss Bonde said. She had first heard of the country from her grand parents, who many years ago made a world voyage, and later declared that New Zealand was the most beautiful country they saw.