VOLUNTARY AIDS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 128, 27 November 1944, Page 8

VOLUNTARY AIDS

WEEkENDtINMsiDEME;

When the Wellington Detachment of SI John Voluntary;-Aidsi went: into residence at the Frederic Wallis Hdncie at Lower Hutt over a recent weekend, they finished off a very interesting course of instruction for 1944. On the Saturday morning a Plunket demonstration was given by Sister Keatley. In the afternoon; through the -■ courtesy of Miss Armstrong, matron of the Hutt Hospital, the V.A.S, with representatives from the St. John Obstetric Group, were conducted over the new ' hospital; and later they were addressed by Dr. M. Buchler, detachment sur- j geon, on "Skin Diseases." ;-■ Mrs. Wallis gave an: interesting talk on her collection of famous paintings of the South Polar Regions by Dr. Wil- J son, when the ma^ph^ifrth^ Hutt and High Street maternity^iipspitais'-came to inspect the g^rlsswi. r%si6t§i^t£t f?:v j On Sunday morning -at simple^fvice ■was organised by the>social coniiKittee ' members in the chapel situated in the spacious grounds, and during the morning "patients" were admitted and treated for various ills, helpful criticism and commentary being given by Miss F. E. Pickett, Wellington Commandant. In the afternoon a discussion took place on the aims, obligations, and workings of' the detachment, and Mrs. G. Miller, Dominion Super- j intendent of Voluntary Aids, gave an interesting talk on UNRRA. PARTICULARLY BUSY YEAR. The Wellington Detachment has had a particularly busy year> as, apart from the well-known services.provided by its members at the Clearing-Sta- i tion and Public Hospital, the-.Volun-tary Aids have been called upon to as- ! sist at the Citizens' Day Nursery at i weekends, to relieve staff shortages at | private hospitals, and to assist in ar-i rangements connected with the arrival of the Polish children. During the Nurses' Recruiting Week, St. John V.A. representatives accepted the invitation of the Wellington Hospital Board to march in the parade of nurses through the city, and at the Hospital Ball members were on duty in the supper room. The usual assistance has been ren- I dered. in selling health stamps and in I ihaking and selling roses for the R.S.A. i annual street day appeal. j --The majority of the V.A.s belong to i ■fee National Blood Transfusion Ser-i vice, and thus they were most interested in lectures by Sister Barrett, of Wellington Hospital, and Mr. C. JWeachen on this subject. .A regular system of correspondence has been instituted between; members at home and members on active service overseas. Christmas cakes have been dispatched, to all parts of the world tp members who have given up the amenities of civil life to answer the call of duty. ' . Miss Anne Torkington, the secretary of the detachment, was accorded a guard of honour of grey and scarletclad Voluntary Aids when she was married recently to Mr. Robert Walton, on furlough from the Pacific. A silver condiment set and crystal salad bowl were presented to her on behalf of her fellow-members at a social gathering at the Lyceum Club Room's.