Providing Christmas Cheer For Porirua Patients

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 3, 5 January 1937, Page 4

Providing Christmas Cheer For Porirua Patients

FINE EFFORT BY MRS. S. HEARD. By the kindly thought of a lady resident in Palmerston North, many gifts and much Christmas cheer has found its way over a number of years to the patients at Porirua hospital to the great delight of the recipients. Mrs S. Heard, of 15 Pirie street, is the good Samaritan, and we feel sure she will forgive the mention of her name as she is well-known for her humanitarian work in the city. This year’s effort was on a much larger scale, made possible by a competition in which the “Beautiful Lady in Blue” was the central figure, realising the credit sum of £l9. £lO of this amount was donated towards tho patients’ recreation fund and the rest, in providing individual gifts for the male and female patients in Bauta ward. For the women there wore fancy aprons, fancy bags, sponge bags, facecloths, all the work of Mrs Heard’s clever hands, also soap, sandshoes, etc., and for the men, pipes, tobacco, sandshoes, handkerchiefs and other articles too numerous to mention. Each gift was wrapped in coloured cellophane and tied with silver ribbon, a card being enclosed on which was inscri bed 1 ‘ A Present From Palmerston North.” In this big task Mrs Heard had the assistance of Mr Cornwall and members of his staff, also of Miss C. Mardon and a friend. Gifts of sweets and paper hats were also made by a business house, cakes, paper hats and balloons by Mrs Dustin, and cakes and sweets by Mrs Martin. The gifts made a beautiful array when ready for transport and Mrs Heard must have rivalled ‘ 1 Father Christmas” himself when she arrived at the hospital the Tuesday before Christmas.

Mrs Heard has received a letter from the medical superintendent, in which he expresses gratitude on behalf of the patients and appreciation of the strenuous effort entailed. Acknowledgment was also made of the splendid donation towards the recreation fund and of the assistance rendered by the Mayor, Mr A. E. Mansford.