THE RED CROSS

Evening Star, Issue 25895, 12 September 1946, Page 9

THE RED CROSS

1 DOMINION COUNCIL MEETS LIFE MEMBERS ELECTED (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, Sept. 11. The next annual conference of the Dominion Council of the New Zealand lied Cross Society will be held in Auckland in the third week of July, 1947. This decision was reached at a council meeting in Christchurch to-day, when an invitation was extended td the delegates by Major-general P, H. Bell, of Auckland. It was indicated that the 1948 conference would be held in Dunedin during that city’s centennial celebrations. Two life members of the New Zea-land-Red Cross Society were elected. They were Major J. Abel, M.8.E., V.D.; of Wellington, and Miss L. G. Small, of YVellington. Major Abel has been active in the society ’since the epidemic after the 1914-18 war. He was chairman of the. relief committee which handled all the work during the Hawke’s Bay earthquake. Major Abel had .a prominent part “in the formation of the New Zealand Red Cross Society when it changed over from a branch of the British Red Cross. He was elected the first Dominion chairman in 1932, and has served on the executive continuously since that date. During the recent war he was organiser for the Sick and Wounded Appeal. He Also inaugurated the Prisoners of War Office, and was Dominion chairman until all the prisoners had returned to New Zealand. Miss Small was for, two years director of the Junior Red Cross in New Zealand, and before the war was an active leader in the work of the Voluntary Aid Division. Miss Small, who is a,ttached to the Department of Health, has done much to advance the work of the Red Cross in the Dominion. Mr A. E. Gibbons, of Waikato, was elected chairman of the Dominion executive of the New Zealand Red Cross Society. He will replace Mr C. G. White, of Wellington, who has been a member of the executive for, seven years and chairman for four years. The following were elected to the Dominion executive:—Major J. Abel (Wellington), Major-general P. H‘ Bell (Auckland), Dr A. Gillies, (Wellington), Messrs J. D. Campbell (Southland), N. E- Bee (Wairarapa), Charles V. Smith (Dunedin), C. G. White (YVellington), Mrs J. YYhn.stooe (Whakntane), and Miss M. G. Havelaar (Christchurch). Sir R. Heaton ’Rhodes was re-elected president of the ; society, and Mrs T. Hi Lowry vice-pre-sident. Mr J. T. Spears was re-elected treasurer.