Co-operative equal marriage partners

Press, 21 July 1976, Page 12

Co-operative equal marriage partners

NZPA Wellington Men might never be in the right place at the right time, but women cannot do anything without their equal partners, the annual conference of the New Zealand Country Women’s Institute was told.

In the presidential address to the conference, Mrs H. N. Flynn said that, without the co-operation of “your menfolk” many women would not have been able to attend the conference.

Mrs Flynn said the changing environment had brought rural and urban areas closer together and women had to adapt to this change.

“The gap between town and country is growing smaller, but the need for country women and townsfolk to understand each other is all the more important,” she said. “It is important that we work together in our communities to promote and maintain friendship and understanding between country women and their urban counterparts,” said Mrs Flynn. Responsibilities Mrs Flynn said that women were responsible for the happiness, health and physical fitness of children, and these were facts which all institute members had to be aware of. “To be able to communicate with our children,. and for them to have a happy home atmosphere, is their

right,” she said. “And another of our responsibilities is the study of continuing education, and any project which will help build for better conditions towards their future life.”

At the conference, five women received the gold honour badge, the highest award in the N.Z.C.W.I. movement. They were Mrs Ethel Berthelson (Auckland West), Mrs Sylvia Cameron (Eastern Bay of Plenty), Mrs Eva Fletcher (Waikato), Mrs Eileen Tait (Canterbury East), and Mrs Dorothy Wright (Southern Wellington). A cheque for $9OOO was presented to Mr lan Main of tire New Zealand Multiple Sclerosis Society by the institute. This money was raised by branches of the institute throughout the country