NURSING SISTERS IN THE WAR

Evening Star, Issue 16225, 21 September 1916, Page 2

NURSING SISTERS IN THE WAR

MEMORIAL SCHEME OUTLINED. DUNEDIN NURSES’ SUGGESTION. An appropriate feature of tho cordial ! welcome Jiom.o extended .to Dr and Mrs! Marshall Macdonald in the Savoy Lounge* last evening was tho suggestion that the! services of the New Zealand nursing | sisters in the war should be tangibly recognised by the establishment of a'euit-l aole memorial. The proposal was outlined i .effectively by Dr Ferguson, and won the ■ ; unanimous support of all present, a com- i rmttee being sot up to give practical effect'! to the- wishes of the meeting. j Dr Ferguson stated that The pivesldmit i n.i .f- ssocl ««ti n (Nurse Thomson) had i asived. him to say that the occasion of a welcome home to a mem tier of the assoqia- : turn who iiad been to the front war. Gm- . sidered an appropriate time to recall the I fact that some of their members who had undertaken war service had given their ! lives iii tile cause they were serving, and i that the nurses who were here felt verv ! elrmigh- that a memorial should be ostcib- | j Jisiied ,n. their honor. He agreed that ! j sonic memorial was desirable. ‘ The asso- 1 I elation, however, had • not yet considered j j die icrm jnost advisable- for it. to take, 1 i * tlld therefore he could or.ly put forward I i 01 ‘, . e -’ c P r&ss i°Ti of his own views on the ! i viuqect. In considering the question lie '■ j had come to the conclusion that those who i ; hna hsd g f '«« would best .have Weed their i j memorial to. fake the form of some assist- i i f RC< ‘ to t-Lcii- sisters here, who in carry- I ; mg out their daily duties were facing per- | haps as much risk as that faced by those ‘ w’hc went to the front, i •ho idea, of establishing a pension scheme for nurses as a class, con tinned .' tfrg'ison, was too ambitious for individuals to undertake. Tliat. was a, matter w-hich would have to be undertaken bv the Government and the different boards j who employed nurses on a large scale and he personally felt that the idea of a rnemcr:.* should be associated with a scheme of pure benevolence, and, that the rest form a iimd would he. one or the granting 0 f annuities or assistance to those nurses who were unable to sup- i port tnomselv.-s through old age, or who had broiren down by the way through illhealth. .Lire doctor proceeded to outline, possible methods of raising funds for the purpose in view, and urged stromdv the creation o t a capital sum which 0 would provide a permanent income for tho beneficiaries under the fund. Dr Ferguson concluded by snggeetiim the formation of a small committee, who wou.d have power to add to their nnmtcr, and proceed further on the lines he hud indicated. The idea, was received with enthusiasm, and later m tne evening Nurse Thomson was authorised to communicate with MGs liy P ectw Hospitals (\vehi ngton) ,^ui tc-rming her that the meeting strongly iavered a, scheme of a henevoleu character.