Refreshing “Tuis” Work In Egypt

Northern Advocate, 20 November 1941, Page 9

Refreshing “Tuis” Work In Egypt

CAIRO, October 24. Soldiers who have visited the New Zealand Forces Club in Cairo during the past few days found the New Zealand girls, who have come to the Middle East as welcome representatives of the Women’s War Service Auxiliary, already established and going about their duties. Two days after their arrival they were being introduced to their tasks, and the following day saw them busily and confidently at work, as though they had been there for months instead of days. Trimly clad in white and green smocks, with embroidered expeditionary force badges and New Zealand Forces Club epaulettes, the girls presented a smart appearance. In itself the refreshing presence of winsome girls from the Dominion has made the club more popular than ever during the past week. Chatting with soldiers making their purchases, they soon discovered many acquaintances and sometimes relatives, reviving happy memories of pre-war days. “Tuis” is the name by which the girls are likely to become known. As a soubriquet it should certainly be popular. Varied Duties The duties of the girls embrace several departments. Many of them are serving teas, cakes and sandwiches at counters in the main lounge and dining room, but serving them in such a cheerful,' chatty way that makes the purchasing of such a simple delicacy a really pleasant procedure.

Others are kept busily engaged making up sandwiches, with the aid of modern bread-cutting and baconslicing machines that relieve the work of most of its tediousness. One will be permanently employed in the information section of the club, another will be assigned to office duties, while yet another, who has had library experience in New Zealand, will supervise the club's growing library. One girl has already taken ever the onerous duties of cashier. Small Change Scarce The difficulties of getting used to the intricacies of the strange, Egyptian currency is normally a forbidding task for the newcomer. But for a cashier it must be even more so. However, the N.Z. girl who is doing this work appears to have only one worry. It is the consistent lack of small change. For the past few weeks there has been a distinct and growing shortage of silver coinage in the city, which has now led the Government to take action. It has also had embarrassing effects in the club’s financial circles. “I know what an ’acker’ is,” said the cashier as she stared resignedly into the various compartments of the till. “I even know what half an ‘acker’ looks like. But what can you do when you have nothing but notes?” There are probably quite a number of soldiers who could offer some really helpful suggestions. As yet, the girls have had little opportunity to have a look around, but they are eager to see the sights and form their own impressions of the mysterious East, which so many New Zealand soldiers have found to be not so mysterious after all. At least one of them has, in her own words, “been this way before.” For her the ways of life and customs of this part of the world are no new experience. March Through City “It was a great trip over,” was the general comment on the voyage from New Zealand. At one Commonwealth port, the party took part in a route march through the town. “We all saw it through, right to the end,” declared one of the girls proudly. When they returned to the ship the girls were delighted to find bunches of flowers awaiting them, a spontaneous gift from the women residents of the town. Musketry and signalling was part of their daily routine aboard ship. As members of the Women's War Service Auxiliary they had undergone considerable training in necessary military aspects of their work. Several of them had completed their second year’s course in signalling and passed the appropriate examinations. They hope that they may be able at some time to put their knowledge to some practical use. Work aboard ship had also included tailoring uniforms. Some of them had contributed to the ship’s magazine, “Troopship Tattoo,” an entertaining tabloid journal of 12 pages. The girls, who arc commanded by 2nd-Lieutenant Meryll Neely, of Wellington, assisted by 2nd-Lieutenant J. R. M. Burnside, are accommodated in practically-appointed flats at the club. They have settled in and are eagerly looking forward to their new life. Before leaving’ for overseas, Miss Neely led a platoon of clerical and canteen workers of the W.W.S.A. Prior to that she was secretary to the general manager of the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition.