OTAKI HOSPITAL

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXV, Issue 224, 21 August 1945, Page 3

OTAKI HOSPITAL

REOPENING CEREMONY. j In the presence of a good number I of local residents, the new maternity hospital at Utaia was opened yesterday ; by Mr G. A. Monk, the Utaki district i representative on the Palmerston North Hospital Board. The home was 1 almost totally destroyed by lire in ] January last, and has been reouilt into I a modern institution with six beds and all tiie latest conveniences. The chairman of tlie board (Mr JA. Nash), who presided, said the old building had been opened on August 7, 18.99, by tao Earl ot Kanfuny, then Governor of New Zealand. The f'alinerston North Hospital Board had assumed control in 1929 and had given good service to Maori and pakeha alike. Air Monk had been anxious that the building should be restored and modernised, and they now had a buiid- j ing that was a credit to the district. | It was still being used as a training j centre, and a large number of nurses ] had passed through the hospital. As a board, they were grateful to the continued interest taken by the Otaki residents in the welfare of the institution. Mrs ¥. E. Evans, the matron, had given long service to the hospital and her work had been most successful. She would soon lit retiring from the service of the board, and ail joined in wishing her many years of happiness. Mr Monk' had been invited to perform the opening ceremony in re- ' cognition of the good services he had rendered. Mrs Monk had played an , important part in the social work of the district. She had been connected with the Plunket movement for over 20 years; for many years she hail been president of the Waikariae sub-branch and was now president of the coastal towns branches, which included 13 sub-branches extending from Otaki to Johiisonvi'lle. Mr Monk said ho accepted the honour as a tribute to his connection with hos- j pital matters over many years. The present j policy of the board was to decentralise as far as possible maternity accommoda- J (ion. The board felt that maternity homes J should be taken a.s near the homes of the people as possible, lie paid a tribute to] those who had been responsible for the reopening of the hospital and reviewed some of the early history of the institu-: tion. The hospital had served a very fine' purpose. Mr Monk also thanked the matron for her services. A presentation of an inscribed fountain pen and a pencil from the board was made to Mr Monk to honour the occasion and he then un- ; veiled a handsome tablet made to com- , niemorate the occasion. ' j In a report made to a meeting of the ' board held .prior to the ceremony the managing-secretary s>:id that now tho . work inside tho building had been com- I plctcd certain difficulties which were experienced during the course of the contract had necessitated some over-spending j of the provision made in the estimates. | Ihe sum of £SOOO was provided in the estimates and £3OOO was recovered from insurance, so that this year on tho estimates £IOOO was found by the local bodies towards this work and £IOOO contributed as a Government subsidy. Some further provision to cover tho deficiency would bo necessary next year. i