CHURCH ARMY

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 282, 23 August 1940, Page 10

CHURCH ARMY

Progress Of Work In New Zealand INCREASED ACTIVITY An Increase from 16 officers, trainees and other staff to 37, 15 of whom are women, was announced by Captain S. R. Banzard, Dominion Director, in his report to the Church Army Board, the annual meeting of which was recently held in Wellington. The Most Rev. C. West-Watson, Archbishop and Primate of New Zealand, presided. Of the additional 21, 14 were permanent Church Army staff and seven temporary war workers. They were distributed as workers in parishes, caravans, military camps, children’s homes, P.W.D. camps, social workers and the printing trade'. The report added that an opportunity was provided by the St. Mary’s Homes, Wellington, for a Church Army worker to be superintendent, and the Church Army in London kindly loaned Sister Press, who was doing good work and with whom a New Zealand Church Army Sister had been placed for experience.

“In Auckland City a Sister has been working among Maori girls helping and guiding them in many ways,” the report continued. “Twelve months of the work has convinced us of the need, and also the necessity for acquiring premises in the Freeman’s Bay district for the Sister to work from and to house for a while some of the most needy cases before placing them iu work. As a beginning a small house has‘been obtained and will be quietly opened for this work soon. “Before the outbreak of war tlie Church Army planned and prepared for action in military camps, and immediately on the outbreak of war, with the consent of the Senior Chaplain and Defence Department, began work. That work -is now in conjunction with tlie whole of tlie Church of England military affairs, and workers are in camps in Papakura, Narrow Neck, Hobsonville Air Base, Ngaruawahia, Trentham, Burnham, with two overseas and one with the 3rd echelon. “The annual receipts of the Church Army since starting in New Zealand were: First year £2152, second year £2814, third year £4OlB, fourth year £4BlO and the first nine months of the current year £5568. “At five years old the Church Army in New- Zealand can in no way be considered as either developed or capable of doing all that it hopes to do eventually. Tlie New Zealand trained officers are gaining experience and getting well into their work. The war has not yet seriously interfered with normal work and development, though none can say whether or not it will in (he future.”