LARGEST EVER

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 60, Issue 4320, 21 August 1950, Page 2

LARGEST EVER

WAITAKARURU GATHERING

MISS McLEOD’S LECTURE

Waitakaruru Women’s Institute ■held its August meeting in the hall on August 9 when there was the largest attendance yet seen at a monthly meeting, that being largely due to the fact that’ many visitors had come, by invitation, in order to hear a talk by the gifted young lecturer, Miss Natalie McLeod. One car load had come from Pipiroa institute and there were many visitors from Miranda and Mangatarata.

Mrs Pacey, president, took the chair and welcomed several new members. After the ode had been sung iby all and the aspirations read by Mrs Murray Hill, the letter from the president of the federation was read, being mostly about what took place at the Dominion conference. She congratulated the institutes on the fact that 17 out of the total of 24 had sent delegates. She also stated that a dressmaking tutor would take classes at the cqmmencement of the school term. The meeting decided to collect the names of those wishing to join so as to be ready for making plans at the September meeting. Invitations were received for Patetonga’s birthday party and Pipiroa’s in September. Turua wrote stating that its birthday dance had to be postponed. In reply to a letter the institute had sent to Thames hospital asking that where babies required circumcision the job might be done before the mother left the annexe, thus avoiding the trouble of a special trip to hospital, the secretary of the Iboard wrote stating that, if the mother so desired and there was a house' surgeon to do the job, it might be done while the mother was there. The medical superintendent could not undertake a minor operation of that kind as he was too busy with his other numerous duties.

Two letters from recipients of parcels to Britain were read, one, written by a man, both being informative and very interesting. He wrote on behalf of his aged mother-in-law and stated that there was definitely no necessity for sending food parcels to Ehgland now as food' was plentiful, the only shortage at present being money. The institute received notice that there were to be four days devoted to the coming federation drama festival at Thames, there being, 1065 entries. After lunch Miss Natalie MfeLeod addressed: the meeting, first of all describing the remaining part of the wonderful world tour Which she and Miss Olive May undertook recently. She had told the first part of her story at a former meeting of the institute and members were very keen to hear the rest.

With a large map on the stage she held her audience enthralled as she described' their adventuring Africa from Cairo to the Cape. Unfortunately with Egypt at war, they were subjected to a very irritating surveillance and were only permitted to spend one week in Cairo, which she described as filthy with disease, dirt and begging. As soon as they reached Khartoum and came under British control, conditions improved tremendqusly. 'On the muddy banks’ of the Nile they shot at crocodile with .303 rifles and saw over 200 elephants in one group feeding and trumpeting. Through Uganda, where they rode in a bullock wagon, Nairobi, where they were entertained by one of the residents who kindly motored them around to see all the sights and Kenya where they passed hundreds of giraffes and zebras, and got close-up photographs of rhinoceroses and buffaloes, the girls proceeded by cars and trains till they reached Tanganyka, near Kilamanjaro, the highest mountain peak in Africa. In Rhodesia they saw the Victoria Falls Which are breath-takingly vellous, and the tomb of Cecil Rhodes on the Matapo hills in Johannesburg.

Miss McLeod said that they found the Uni oil of South Africa disappointing, the best part being in their opinion Natal. Zanzibar, the island of cloves, was remembered for the de-

lightful smell of cloves which permeated the air far out to sea. With a touch of humour now and then she lightened the narrative, as, when in India, they watched two tall dignified turbaned Sikhs wrapping and curling their luxuriant beards at night in order to make them curly.

The Taj Mahal in Abra was “marvellous” but with the British rule removed many towns were full of hungry tragic refugees, and in New Delhi they saw children literally just skin and bones whilst tiny mites without legs were strapped on boards, and used as a means for begging. At the end of the tour part of her lecture Miss McLeod turned to the subject which plainly lies next to her heart, namely, hex work amongst spastic children of New Zealand. Miss McLeod studied physiotherapy under Dr Carlsen, the great physiotherapetic surgeon of the United States, and now she has a position with the New Zealand Government to visit and report on spastic cases throughout the Dominion. Miss MlcLeod stated that she has already come across eight hundred cases and there are about a dozen on the Hauraki Plains alone. With great feeling she emphasised the fact that in this country, although no spastic persons are even lacking in intelligence yet, if there was no one to care for them, their only place of refuge would be a lunatic asylum. The spastic or palsy condition affected the nerves and muscular action, not the mentality, so to place such cases in a mental hospital seemed a terrible state of affairs. Surely, said the speaker, in a country famous for its social amenities, something could be done for these unfortunate people?

Miss McLeod instanced an old lady of 70 years in Auckland, who had wheeled her spastic daughter in a chair for 27 years. When she can no longer take care of her daughter the unfortunate young woman must find her only refuge in & mental hospital, yet her mind was unimpaired. Miss McLeod visits all cerebral palsy patients at their hoipes, advising the parents how best to help the children. Some who cannot hold a pencil can use a typewriter. She instanced a child of 14 who has reached form IV doing all writing by means of her heel.

Miss McLeod stated that she had been instrumental in getting a magazine printed entirely dealing with palsy, and those interested and desirous of helping, could obtain the

magazine. At the close of the address, Miss McLeod was presented with a fragrant bouquet of spring flowers and received a vote of thanks by acclamation.

In the day’s flower competitions the following were the winners:— Best blooms, Mrs Cropp, 1; Miss Marie Coxhead, 2; Mirs Pacey, 3. Bowl or vase of daffodils or jonquils, Mrs A. Coxhead, l; Miss M. Coxhead, 2; Mrs Pacey, 3.