VOLUNTARY AIDS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 54, 5 March 1942, Page 8

VOLUNTARY AIDS

ASSISTANCE BEFORE

SAILING

A report received by the Minister of Defence (Mr. Jones) from the Women's War Service Auxiliary expresses appreciation of the generous assistance given by the Wellington Racing Club and others in catering for the welfare, after their mobilisation in Wellington, of the 200 voluntary aids who have been sent overseas to serve in New Zealand hospitals in the Middle East. The party also included 14 clerical W.W.S.A. workers. The unit was too large to be accommodated in Wellington, but this difficulty was surmounted by the Wellington Racing Club making its grandstand at Trentham available for this purpose and also equipment and facilities. Further help came from the club's caterer, Mr. Rattray, who loaned crockery and other equipment and provided three women cooks, whose wages were paid by the Racing Club. The other members of the staff were voluntary workers, and were drawn from the Wellington, Lower Hutt. Upper Hutt, and East Harbour branches of the W.W.S.A. The girls were accommodated in two dormitories. 150 being on the ground floor and 50 on the upper floor. Meals were served in the racecourse diningroom, part of which was also used as a recreation room. A canteen was established and this was staffed by the clerical workers. Sister Thwaites was in charge of the girls while in camp, and Miss D. Isaacs, convener of the canteen section of the Eastbourne W.W.S.A., was in charge of the mess. GOOD MEALS. Each member of the unit was inoculated and attended dental parade. It was found that some of the uniforms, all of which had been made at short ■ notice, had to be altered. To enable the alterations to be made Mrs. Knox Gilmer arranged for sewing machines to be loaned and the Upper Hutt branch of the W.W.S.A. supplied seamstresses. The report adds that all the girls were delighted with the meals served to them. Rations were drawn from the camp stores, the allowance being the same as that for the privates' mess in military camps, and under women's management there was a credit of £20 on" the 10 days' allowance. Before the camp broke up one of the voluntary aid officers expressed the thanks of the unit to the voluntary staff and handed over a small collection to be spent on chocolates. The helpers gratefully acknowledged the gift, but as a final gesture asked that the money be paid into the patriotic funds for soldiers' rehabilitation.