Lutheran Woman Works In Wide Area

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31343, 13 April 1967, Page 2

Lutheran Woman Works In Wide Area

Bringing back information of church-supported projects was the surest way to capture the imagination and encourage a spirit of giving among the church members, according to Mrs Martha Zweck, president of the South Australian Lutheran Women’s League.

Every year, the Lutheran Women’s League in Smith Australia gives £lO,OOO for joint church projects. Most of this comes from direct giving, and does not include funds for the personal expenses and private commitments of the 200 leagues in the area.

“Our church has always encouraged direct giving. We never have to worry where the money is coming from and we never had to beg for it,” Mrs Zweck said in Christchurch yesterday.

As president of the League in South Australia, Mrs Zweck la asked to address dozens of women’s groups every year. Last year she visited the church supported hospitals on the New Guinea island of Rooke. When a small party arranged a visit to a school in the high country 11 miles away, Mrs Zweck accompanied ft. It took nine hours to reach the school and seven hours to return. At one stage when Mrs Zweck was exhausted by the strain of breathing in such a high altitude, she had to lie down on the road. Some of tiie native chiefs pronounced her half dead, and decided to wait until she died before they carried her up to “plant" her at the top. Missionary Work "I realised that what we are doing is nothing compared with the work of the missionaries, nurses and teachers,” me said. “I always like to read excerpts of letters from nurses and other workers on tiie island. Nothing compensates for this personal information. They love ths work and we women can’t help helping them.” Mrs Zweck also travelled 1500 miles around the Abori-

gtaai territories in the northwest to bring beck information to her league members of their missionary project in the area. She also visited the home for Incurables and the spastic centre in Adelaide for the same reason.

League members all enjoyed their regular viaata to the three mental hospitals in Adelaide, said Mm Zweck. They were pioneers in this work more than 30 years ago. Mrs Zweck has been visiting the hospitals for more than 20 yearn. Each year about 30 bus trips with 40 patients each are arranged by the League. As Mm Zweck lives in Hart, 100 miles away, mid some of the bus trips cover more than 100 miles, hospital visiting takes up a great deal of her time, but she has never regretted It “Auntie Martha” To hundreds of patients she is affectionately known as “Auntie Martha.” “I love all the patients. 1 dont’ mind travelling to and from Adelaide to see them because visiting them makes me fee] good inside." For the last three years, hospital authorities have allowed men and women patients to travel together on the bus trips and this has proved very successful. “The directors agree that mixed outings have a wonderful psychological effect. They now have a discharge rate of over 300 a year,” she said.

“Some return to their homes and families, but others less confident may go into one of Adelaide’s six or seven rehabilitation homes. These are usually managed by a nursing sister or someone with an interest in this type of work. The largest home of this type has 20 patients.” Although the sister or director of the home took a kindly interest in her boarders, they were not watched, and they were free to work and come and go as they pleased, said Mrs Zweck. On Outings Even on the regular outings, the League like to give the patients some measure of responsibility. They provided a dinner on all their outings and all the patients were allowed to use a knife and fork. “They were not allowed to do this a few years ago," she said. League members entertained the patients with a few items and the patients were always delighted to return the compliment with some items of their own. After dinner the patients were taken to a short service in the church. ,r We have not yet got chapels in the mental hospitals in Australia, and many patients enjoy the visit to the church best of all.” Mrs Zweck, who travelled to New Zealand to address the annual conference of the New Zealand Lutheran Women’s League, comes of a family where there is a tradition of welfare workers. Her father came from America in 1901 and pioneered an Aboriginal mission station on the far west coast her two brothers were hospital chaplains, and her brother-in-law has been awarded the 0.8. E. for hospital welfare work.