CARE OF CHILDREN

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIII, Issue 209, 17 August 1933, Page 3

CARE OF CHILDREN

ST. MARY'S HOME, NAPIER. MATRON’S ANNUAL REPORT. The activities of St. Mary’s Home, Napier, are briefly reviewed by the matron (Nurse E. A. Carter) in her annual report, to be submitted at the annual general meeting on Friday afternoon. In her report she states:— "Our present staff is the same as last year except that our ’Karitane nurse lias left lor England, and her place has been taken by another Karitane nurse, Miss Champion. In October we had 26 babes in the home, including .Maori premature twins whose mother also came here to be with them. Both babies lived. “Several of our three-year-old children have gone to Abbotsford Home, several babies left with their mothers and three have been adopted. “We have again done our very best to keep down all expenses, but a new one has arisen—that of sugar and milk. Formerly we have received it free, but now, the factory having changed hands, we have to buy it, and it means spending at least 12s. 6(1. each month extra. Whilst regretting this, we value the free gift of this necessary during the past 18 years. “Although we are condensing this report to save expense, wo do not forget io thank our large number of friends who have helped us through these 15 months, especially wo again mention the parish of Waipukurau, who literally ‘furnish’ our storeroom with good things that we should otherwise not have. Also wo thank the Mothers’ Union, guilds and Women’s Institutes who send us gifts of baits clothes, quilts, etc., and our mans visitors who come to see our home and babes. “Wi- have not needed medical attention tins year, hut we thank Dr. Fitzgerald, who is always ready and willing to help us, also Mr Ivan Logan,

who arranges for our girls’ legal business aud to whom we have been many, times this year. Christmas was a very happy time and we are very grateful to friends and chiefly to Mr Husheer, who gave us £l5 for th* good cheer. The weekly celebrations of Holy Communion have been regularly taken by our chaplain, Canon Hodge to whose visits we always look forward. “The death of Mrs C. H. Maclean is a very great loss to our home, though she was often unable to ba present at our meetings, she never forgot us and was one of those faithful members who helped us so wonderfully by her prayers, her love and her sympathy. “Again we thank Almighty God for His care and protection. Though this time has been difficult He has always shielded us and given us “our daily bread.’ ” GENEROUS GIFTS. “The one outstanding feature during these fifteen mouths is the wonderful way m which our wants have been supplied; friends bringing gifts always when we were most in need of them and always just what was wanted. Many times this has happened. No vegetables one day, and then Poranguhau sends us a sack full. No apples one morning and Mr H. Norths sends in four eases. Once again no vegetables, when friends in Hastings and I’uketitiri send us a large supply. Again, when clothing was wanted for babies and St. John’s Dorcas Society, St. Augustine’s G.F.8., Mothers'Union, Gisborne, and St. Luke's, Havelock North, sent parcels of just what «n were quite out of. Many other gifts were sent, hut those mentioned arrived at a ver- critical time, showing the w underfill love mid cure that is bestowed on our little ones by om kind friends. The Harvest Thanksgivings were naturally very much less on account of the drought, but these later gifts have more flian made up for ibis scarceness. ’ ’