GRATEFUL SAILORS

Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 20, 18 October 1944, Page 8

GRATEFUL SAILORS

Value Of Gift Parcels

The Overseas Seamen’s Gift Committee, Wellington, continues its quiet but muchappreciated. work and has pleasant rewards now and then in letters from the men on board the ships leaving all ports in New Zealand, except Auckland, which has its own excellent parcel-distri-buting organization. The packiug committee has been very busy in the last few weeks, as care is taken to provide gifts for tankers as well as other ships. A letter from a ship’s doctor received recently gives a vivid word picture of the reeeptio not the parcels and their use. Some of the men have been at sea for 40 years, some are very young, and a few lire among those who cannot trace their relations when they return to Great Britain, finding that they have been evacuated and in the brief time between sailings cannot be visited. Even if men are able to visit their old homes there is little opportunity to make up the parcels that unfailingly are provided by New Zealand, through the Patriotic Society. . “So to these men,” writes the doctor, “in many cases it is the spirit behind the gifts and not. their contents that counts so much. In other words, you good people help on the good work, maintaining morale that is often denied to them by their own folks, unavoidably, but such is war.” The doctor speaks urgently of the young hoys on board each ship and hopes that the future will afford education and opportunity for these who need it so much, lie hopes for a "mass conscience” for Such, anil that ihe young people of all classes in the world will gel; together to help make a better future than has been in the past. “Your unfailing attention to the young sailors is surely a proof, however. that those who follow us will go one further.” he adds. The committee is deeply grateful and encouraged by this letter and would thank the writer if it was possible.