HELPING THE V.A.’S

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 6 August 1941, Page 4

HELPING THE V.A.’S

WHEN the Red Cross Society sup-j j ports a cause this in itself can gener- 1 1 ally be accepted as a hallmark of j worthiness. The immediate aim of 1 r] the appeal for funds which the I i Society is making in Nelson to- j 1 morrow in conjunction with the j j Order of St. John is to enable a! j Voluntary Aid detachment to be es-j I tablished in Nelson. These useful | * organisations are already part of the j J Society's activities in most Dominion 1 1 centres and Nelson seeks to fall into s line with the rest. A Voluntary Aid 1 , 1 detachment is simply a cadre of i t women trained and qualified in First!, Aid, Nursing and Hygiene who can I be ready to act as auxiliary nurses in J time of national, emergency. In j f peace they have already justified |j their existence in places where they 1 1 have been established. It does not; 1 require much imagination to nppre- ! ciate that, in wartime, they are a | logical counterpart of the Emergency j 1 Precautions Scheme and ns essential , as it is in maintaining a constant,: state of preparedness against the,' misfortune which we pray will never j come. But the Boy Scout motto ol' . “Be Prepared” is the only one which i' the Red Cross and the Order of St. 1 John believe can reasonably be adopted in these uncertain times. To set up V.A. detachments two i requirements become immediately I necessary in Nelson: personnel and ■ I money to train and equip that per-'. ’ sonnel. For the first the appeal is to j' all women between 18 and 40 who j j have the time to spare to join up ! ' and qualify as Voluntary Aids. If ' they never once have to answer a ' public alarm the training and know- i ledge they will acquire in the essen-; tials of nursing will be adequate ! recompense for the demands made on their time, especially if they be, . housewives. To the rest of the com-I | munity, who are not eligible to join j ; the ranks, the call is for money to, i help the V.A.’s to establish them- j I selves. To obtain this money is the I I purpose of to-morrow’s street day ! appeal which should touch the poc- ! kets as well as the hearts of citizens Jon at least three grounds: it is local: j it is l'or war or other emergency.; it is J ! necessary.