MANY THANKS

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 51, Issue 3156, 12 August 1942, Page 5

MANY THANKS

SOLDIERS’ APPRECIATION NG ATE A GIFT PARCELS WORK OF PATRIOTIC COMMITTEE Appreciation of the work .of the Ngatea Patriotic Committee is expressed in the following letters to Mrs E. R. 0. Sherlock, secretary of the committee, from soldiers in the Middle East in acknowledging receipt of gift parcels. The former is written by an engineer of the .Second Echelon, while the latter comes from a member of a field ambulance.

ISpr. H. F. Robieson writes as follows :—

“Many thanks indeed for the parcel which your committee sent and thanks too for the kind wishes. The selection of presents was excellent. The eatables will be enjoyed and the other items such as shaving soap, toothbrush, etc., will be very useful. Good toothbrushes are so difficult to obtain here, consequently the brush is extremely welcome. “With the best of wishes to the members of your committee.”

The letter from R. de B. Devereux reads as under:—

“Dear friends at Ngatea,—Your welcome parcel was allotted to me today. All my other patriotic parcels have come from the South Island, so it was nice to received one for a change, that came from near home.

“I am an Auckland chap. Of course the South Island parcels were very nice indeed, it was just perhaps sentiment, regards receiving one from nearer home.

Came Opportunily

“Yours came at.a most opportune moment, as I had run out of things in general. The large tin of peaches will soon vanish, as it is so hot here. Fruit is always welcome. The whitebait is also a luxury—l guess I will have many friends when they see it! “Everything arrived safely and in good order. One tin (large) peaches, one tin sweetened milk, one tip whitebait, one tin sweets, one tin foot powder, one toothbrush, one handkerchief and two packets iP.K. It was a very well balanced parcel indeed and I am most grateful. Thank you very much. “Since Christmas I have moved around a great deal, covering approximately 2415 miles. Have been to Luxor Aswan, 600 miles down the Nile and Alexandria; have been to Aleppo, Hama Homs and Damascus in Syria, also to Tiberias and Galilee in Palestine. However, with all my travelling, small though it be, when the time arrives to depart for good old N.Z. it won’t be any too soon! “I have had just over two years’ service now, 18 months of which have been spent in the Middle East. I would very much like to see again the good old Hauraki Plains with its rich green grass.

“However, as the Arabs say, * maalesh,’ -(nevei* mind), or “bokra yemkin’ (td-morfow perhaps). “Thanking you again for the ex-* cellent parcel.” It is most gratifying to the workers concerned,, to know that their parcels are going through alright and are so acceptable to the recipients overseas.